12. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION PLAN

 

Options to Employees and Directors

 

On June 19, 2015, the stockholders of the Company approved the China Recycling Energy Corporation Omnibus Equity Plan (the “Plan”) at its annual meeting. The total shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance during the term of the Plan is 12,463.  The Plan was effective immediately upon its adoption by the Board of Directors on April 24, 2015, subject to stockholder approval, and will terminate on the earliest to occur of (i) the 10th anniversary of the Plan’s effective date, or (ii) the date on which all shares available for issuance under the Plan shall have been issued as fully-vested shares. The stockholders approved the Plan at their annual meeting on June 19, 2015.

 

The following table summarizes option activity with respect to employees and independent directors for the year ended December 31, 2025:

 

    Number of
Shares
    Average
Exercise
Price
per Share
    Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term in
Years
 
Outstanding at January 1, 2025     50     $ 155       2.32  
Exercisable at January 1, 2025     50     $ 155       2.32  
Granted     -       -       -  
Exercised     -       -       -  
Forfeited     -       -       -  
Outstanding at December 31, 2025     50     $ 155       1.32  
Exercisable at December 31, 2025     50     $ 155       1.32  

 

Restricted Stock

 

In April 2025, the Compensation Committee of the Company, which administers the Plan, granted two employees 12,413 shares of Common Stock (“Restricted Stock”) under the Plan, which grants vested immediately, subject to the Grantee remaining in continuous Service with the Corporation, in good standing, until such date.

 

In October 2025, the Company granted 290,000 restricted stocks to three new employees in the engineering department. These awards shall vest on six month anniversary of the date of grant, provided that the grantee has continuously provided services to the corporation through such vesting date.

 

The Company recognized US$918,948 share-based compensations for the year of 2025.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Mar 31, 2026Showing above
2022May 8, 2023
2021Sep 13, 2022
2020Apr 15, 2021
2019May 14, 2020

About Stock Compensation Disclosures

Stock-based compensation disclosures detail the equity awards granted to employees and executives — including stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), and performance shares — along with the valuation methods and assumptions used to expense them. This section reveals the true cost of talent retention and the alignment between management incentives and shareholder interests.

Key signals: total unrecognized compensation expense and its expected recognition period signal future earnings headwinds from already-granted awards. For stock options, examine Black-Scholes assumptions — expected volatility, risk-free rate, and expected term — as understating any of these reduces reported compensation expense. Compare stock compensation expense as a percentage of revenue against peers to assess dilution cost. Watch vesting schedules for acceleration clauses tied to change-of-control events. Performance-based awards with undemanding targets may indicate weak governance. Add back stock compensation to operating cash flow to calculate a more conservative free cash flow figure.