Freedom Holding Corp. Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

NOTE 25 - STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

Total compensation expense related to options granted on October 6, 2017 was $112 for the year ended March 31, 2021, and $216 for the year ended March 31, 2020. During the year ended March 31, 2021, options to purchase a total of 60,000 shares were exercised.

The Company has determined the fair value of such stock options using the Black-Scholes option valuation model based on the following key assumptions:

Term (years)	3
Volatility	165.33	%
Risk-free rate	1.66	%

Stock-based compensation expense for the cost of the awards granted is based on the grant-date fair value. For stock option awards, the fair value is estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. This model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, changes to which can materially affect the fair value estimate. Additionally, there may be other factors that would otherwise have a significant effect on the value of employee stock options granted but are not considered by the model. Accordingly, while management believes that the Black-Scholes option-pricing model provides a reasonable estimate of fair value, the model does not necessarily provide the best single measure of fair value for the Company’s employee stock options.

The following is a summary of stock option activity for year ended March 31, 2021:

	Shares			Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (In Years)		Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding, March 31, 2020		120,000		$	1.98		7.52	$	1,466
Granted		-			-		-		-
Exercised		(60,000	)		1.98		-		1,711
Forfeited/cancelled/expired		-			-		-		-
Outstanding, at March 31, 2021		60,000		$	1.98		6.52	$	3,083
Exercisable, at March 31, 2021		60,000		$	1.98		6.52	$	3,083

During the year ended March 31, 2021, a total of 15,000 restricted shares were awarded. The compensation expense related to restricted stock grants was $1,035 during the year ended March 31, 2021, and $2,409 during the year ended March 31, 2020. As of March 31, 2021, there was $717 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested shares of common stock granted. The cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.75 years.

The table below summarizes the activity for the Company’s restricted stock outstanding during the year ended March 31, 2021:

	Shares			Weighted Average Fair Value
Outstanding, March 31, 2020		2,275,000		$	4,777
Granted		15,000			775
Vested		(2,275,000	)		(4,777	)
Forfeited/cancelled/expired		-			-
Outstanding, at March 31, 2021		15,000		$	775

During the years ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company recorded expenses for share based payments for consulting services in the amount of $517 and $1,052, respectively.