S-8 1 tm2312571d1_s8.htm FORM S-8

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 27, 2023

Registration No. 333-

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM S-8

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

Weibo Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Cayman Islands   Not Applicable
(State or other jurisdiction of   (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)   Identification Number)

 

8/F, QIHAO Plaza, No. 8 Xinyuan S. Road
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100027
People’s Republic of China
+86 10 5898 3336

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

 

2023 Share Incentive Plan
(Full title of the plan)

 

 

 

Cogency Global Inc. 

122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor

New York, NY 10168

+1 800-221-0102

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer x Accelerated filer ¨
Non-accelerated filer ¨ Smaller reporting company ¨
  Emerging growth company ¨

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨

 

Copies to:

 

Fei Cao   Yuting Wu, Esq.
Chief Financial Officer   Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Weibo Corporation   JingAn Kerry Centre, Tower II
8/F, QIHAO Plaza, No. 8 Xinyuan S. Road   46th Floor
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100027   1539 Nanjing West Road
People’s Republic of China   Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
+86 10 5898-3095   +86 21 6193-8200

 

 

 

 

 

PART I

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

 

Item 1.Plan Information*

 

Item 2.Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information*

 

 

*            Information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a) prospectus is omitted from this registration statement in accordance with Rule 428 under the Securities Act and the Note to Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing information specified in this Part I will be separately provided to the participants covered by the 2023 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act.

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3.Incorporation of Documents by Reference

 

The following documents previously filed by Weibo Corporation (the “Registrant”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) are incorporated by reference herein:

 

(a)The Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No.  001-36397) filed with the Commission on April 27, 2023 pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”); and

 

(b)The description of the Registrant’s Class A ordinary shares incorporated by reference in the Registrant’s registration statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-36397) filed with the Commission on April 4, 2014, including any amendment and report subsequently filed for the purpose of updating that description.

 

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), after the date of this registration statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this registration statement which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Reports on Form 6-K that the Registrant furnishes to the Commission will only be deemed incorporated by reference into this registration statement if such Report on Form 6-K so states that it is incorporated by reference herein.

 

Any statement in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement will be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained in this registration statement or in any other later filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference modifies or supersedes such statement.  Any such statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to be a part of this registration statement.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

 

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of directors and officers, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime.

 

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The Registrant’s third amended and restated articles of association provide that all directors and officers of the Registrant shall be indemnified out of the assets and profits of the Registrant from and against all actions, costs, charges, losses, damages and expenses which they shall or may incur or sustain by or by reason of any act done, concurred in or omitted in or about the execution of their duty, or supposed duty, in their respective offices or trusts; provided that this indemnity shall not extend to any matter in respect of any fraud or dishonesty which may attach to any of said persons.

  

Pursuant to the indemnification agreements, the form of which was filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s registration statement on Form F-1, as amended (File No. 333-194589), the Registrant has agreed to indemnify its directors and executive officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being such a director or officer.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the Registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

The Registrant also maintains a directors and officers liability insurance policy for its directors and officers.

 

Item 7. Exemption From Registration Claimed

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8.  Exhibits

  

See the Index to Exhibits attached hereto.

 

Item 9.  Undertakings

  

(a)The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1)To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

 

(i)to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

 

(ii)to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement; and

 

(iii)to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to that information in the registration statement;

 

providedhowever, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this registration statement;

 

(2)That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3)To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

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(b)The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

  

(c)Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit Number

 

Description

     
4.1   Third Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1.1 to the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F, as amended, Registration No. 001-36397, initially filed on March 10, 2022 and incorporated herein by reference)
     
4.2   Registrant’s Specimen Certificate for Class A Ordinary Shares (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Form 6-K (File No. 001-36397), filed on December 1, 2021)
     
4.3   Amended and Restated Deposit Agreement, dated as of August 10, 2020, among the Registrant, the depositary and holders of the American Depositary Receipts (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.3 to the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F, Registration No. 001-36397, filed on April 22, 2021)
     
5.1*   Opinion of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, regarding the legality of the Class A ordinary shares being registered
     
10.1   2023 Share Incentive Plan (incorporated herein by reference to exhibit 4.3 to the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F, Registrant No. 001-36397, filed on April 27, 2023)
     
23.1*   Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP
     
23.2*   Consent of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
     
24.1*   Powers of Attorney (included on signature page hereto)
     
107*   Filing fee table

 

* Filed herewith.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Beijing, China, on April 27, 2023.

 

  Weibo Corporation
     
  By: /s/ Fei Cao
    Name: Fei Cao
    Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

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POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints, severally and not jointly, each of Gaofei Wang and Fei Cao, with full power to act alone, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with the power of substitution, for and in such person’s name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto each said attorney-in-fact full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each said attorney-in-fact may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities set forth below on April 27, 2023.

 

Signature Title
   
/s/ Charles Chao

Chairman of the Board

 

Charles Chao
   
/s/ Hong Du Director
Hong Du
   
/s/ Pen Hung Tung Director
Pen Hung Tung
   
/s/ Gaofei Wang  
Gaofei Wang

Director and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

   
/s/ Pehong Chen Director
Pehong Chen
   
/s/ P Christopher Lu Director
P Christopher Lu
   
/s/ Yan Wang Director
Yan Wang

 

 

/s/ Fei Cao

 

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Fei Cao

 

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SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES

 

Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of Weibo Corporation has signed this registration statement or amendment thereto in New York, New York on April 27, 2023.

 

  Authorized U.S. Representative
     
  Cogency Global Inc.
     
  By: /s/ Colleen A. De Vries
    Name: Colleen A. De Vries
    Title: Sr. Vice President on behalf of Cogency Global Inc.

 

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