Company: LIN
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001628280-25-007990
Chunk: 88

Company: LINDE PLC
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 88
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 systems to permit effective management;

•difficulty with the assimilation of acquired operations and products;

•failure to achieve targeted synergies and cost reductions; and

10

•inability to retain key employees and business relationships of acquired companies.

Foreign acquisitions and joint ventures involve unique risks in addition to those mentioned herein, including those related to integration of operations across different cultures and languages, currency risks and the particular economic, political and regulatory risks associated with specific countries.

Also, the anticipated benefit of potential future acquisitions may not materialize. Future acquisitions or dispositions could result in the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities or amortization expenses, or impairments of goodwill, any of which could adversely impact Linde’s financial results.

Linde is subject to a variety of international laws and government regulations and changes in, or failure to comply with, these laws or regulations could have an adverse impact on the company’s business, financial position and results of operations.

Linde is subject to regulations in the following areas, among others:

•environmental protection, including climate change and energy efficiency laws and policies;

•U.S. and non-U.S. tax laws and currency controls;

•safety;

•securities laws applicable in the United States, the European Union, and other jurisdictions;

•trade and import/export restrictions, as well as economic sanctions laws;

•antitrust matters;

•data protection;

•global anti-bribery laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; and

•healthcare regulations.

Changes in these or other regulatory areas may impact Linde’s profitability and may give rise to new or increased compliance risks: it may become more complex and costly to ensure compliance, and the level of sanctions in the event of non-compliance may rise. Noncompliance with such laws and regulations could result in penalties or sanctions, cancellation of marketing rights or restrictions on participation in, or even exclusion from, public tender proceedings, all of which could have a material adverse impact on Linde’s financial results and/or reputation.  

Such changes may also restrict Linde’s ability to compete effectively in the marketplace.  Changes to regulations in the areas of environmental protection and climate change, for example, may impact customer and competitor behavior driving structural changes in key end markets.  While Linde will work to mitigate these risks through the pursuit of strategic alliances and investment in applications technologies to capture new growth areas, given the uncertainty about the type and scope of new regulations, it is difficult to predict how such changes and their impact on market behavior will ultimately impact Lin