As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20, 2021
Registration No. 333- .
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM F-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
AMTD Digital Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of Registrants Name into English)
Cayman Islands | 6199 | Not Applicable | ||
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial 25/F Nexxus Building 41 Connaught Road Central Hong Kong +852 3163 3298 |
(IRS Employer Identification Number) |
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrants Principal Executive Offices)
Puglisi & Associates
850 Library Avenue, Suite 204
Newark, Delaware 19711
+1 (302) 738-6680
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)
Copies to:
Z. Julie Gao, Esq. Shu Du, Esq. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP c/o 42/F, Edinburgh Tower, The Landmark 15 Queens Road Central Hong Kong +852 3740-4700 |
David Zhang, Esq. Benjamin W. James, Esq. Kirkland & Ellis International LLP c/o 26/F, Gloucester Tower, The Landmark 15 Queens Road Central Hong Kong +852 3761-3300 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: as soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.
Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, 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. ☐
| The term new or revised financial accounting standard refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012. |
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of Each Class of Securities to Be Registered |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price(2)(3) |
Amount of Registration Fee | ||
Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share(1) |
US$100,000,000 | US$10,910 | ||
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(1) | American depositary shares issuable upon deposit of Class A ordinary shares registered hereby will be registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6 (Registration No.333- ). Each American depositary share represents Class A ordinary shares. |
(2) | Includes Class A ordinary shares that are issuable upon the exercise of the underwriters option to purchase additional ADSs. Also includes Class A ordinary shares initially offered and sold outside the United States that may be resold from time to time in the United States either as part of their distribution or within 40 days after the later of the effective date of this registration statement and the date the shares are first bona fide offered to the public. These Class A ordinary shares are not being registered for the purpose of sales outside the United States. |
(3) | Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933. |
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion)
Dated , 2021
American Depositary Shares
AMTD Digital Inc.
Representing Class A Ordinary Shares
This is the initial public offering of American depositary shares, or ADSs, of AMTD Digital Inc. Each ADS represents of our Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share. We anticipate that the initial public offering price per ADS will be between US$ and US$ .
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs or our Class A ordinary shares. We intend to apply for listing the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HKD.
We are an emerging growth company under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements.
AMTD Digital Inc. was incorporated in September 2019 by our Controlling Shareholder as a holding company of our businesses. Upon the completion of the Offering, we will be a controlled company as defined under the NYSE Listed Company Manual because our Controlling Shareholder will hold more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors.
As of the date of this prospectus, our outstanding share capital consists of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, and our Controlling Shareholder and certain other affiliates beneficially own all of our issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares and 78.6% of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares. These Class B ordinary shares will constitute approximately % of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares and % of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and is not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Each Class B ordinary share is entitled to twenty votes, and is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof.
Investing in the ADSs involves risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page 17.
PRICE US$ PER ADS
Per ADS | Total | |||||||
Initial public offering price |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us |
US$ | US$ |
(1) | See Underwriting for additional disclosure regarding underwriting compensation payable by us. |
We have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional ADSs.
Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment in U.S. dollars to purchasers on or about , 2021.
AMTD
Loop Capital Markets | Maxim Group LLC |
Prospectus dated , 2021
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F-1 |
No dealer, salesperson, or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the ADSs offered hereby, and only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
Neither we nor any of the underwriters has done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus or any free writing prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the ADSs and the distribution of this prospectus or any free writing prospectus outside of the United States.
Until , 2021 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell, or trade ADSs, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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The following summary is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information and financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to this summary, we urge you to read the entire prospectus carefully, especially the risks of investing in our ADSs discussed under Risk Factors, before deciding whether to invest in the ADSs. This prospectus contains information from an industry report that was commissioned by us and prepared by China Insights Consultancy Limited. We refer to this report as the CIC Report.
Our Mission
Our mission is to act as a fusion reactor for the best entrepreneurs and innovative ideas, fusing synergistically all elements within the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem using digital means, harnessing and magnifying the power from each partner to create a force with meaningful and influential social, technological, and economic impact.
Overview
As the fusion reactor at the core of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, we are one of the most comprehensive digital solutions platforms in Asia with businesses spanning multiple verticals, including digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing, and digital investments.
Digital transformation is the new normal to real economies and peoples daily life, and we believe that a multi-dimensional and integrated digital solutions platform is fundamental to our ability to empower and integrate the various digital businesses within our ecosystem. We aspire to understand and anticipate the needs of our clients, and provide them tailored digital solutions with a collaborative overlay. We acquire innovative technological capabilities by selectively cooperating with and investing in technology partners across Asia. The purpose is to build a solid foundation for our various business endeavors.
Our one-stop digital solutions platform operates four main business lines:
| Digital Financial Services. Primarily through our controlled entities, investees, and business partners, we provide one-stop, cross-market and intelligent digital financial services for retail and corporate clients in Asia. We possess some of the most scarce digital financial licenses in Asia and provide a variety of digital financial services through the following: |
| AMTD Risk Solutionsthe largest Hong Kong-based corporate insurance solution provider in terms of revenue of corporate insurance business in Hong Kong, according to the CIC Report. AMTD Risk Solutions Group, or AMTD RSG, our wholly-owned subsidiary, was a member of the Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers since October 2004 and was granted an insurance brokerage license issued by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority in September 2019, pursuant to the newly established statutory regime for regulation of insurance intermediaries which took over regulation of insurance agents and brokers from the self-regulatory bodies including Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers. See RegulationHong KongInsurance Brokerage Regulatory Regime for details on the new regulatory regime. |
| PolicyPala one-stop digital insurance technology platform for consumers and small- to mid-sized enterprise clients, or SME clients, in Singapore. We have acquired a controlling interest in PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. via our fusion-in program in August 2020. BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd., the wholly-owned subsidiary of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., is a registered insurance broker with respect to direct insurance and an exempt financial advisor in relation to advising on and arranging of |
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investment products that are life policies in Singapore, other than for reinsurance. BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. is the first company to graduate from the MASs FinTech regulatory sandbox. |
In addition, we have entered into agreements to acquire or apply for some of the most scarce digital financial licenses in Asia and provide a variety of digital financial services through the following:
| Singa Bank (in application)a digital wholesale banking platform to be established to provide comprehensive services to SME and corporate clients in Singapore. Our subsidiary, AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd., entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with Xiaomi, SP Group, and Funding Societies to establish a consortium in which we expect AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. to be the largest shareholder. The consortium intends to pursue digital banking opportunities in Singapore through Singa Bank, the launch of which is subject to obtaining a digital wholesale banking license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, or the MAS, and other regulatory requirements. |
| Applaud (in application)in July 2020, one of our subsidiaries, AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd., together with PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., incorporated Applaud Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd., or Applaud, which is applying for a direct insurer (composite) license from the MAS. |
| CapBridgea leading online private markets integrated capital raising and secondary liquidity platform for global growth companies and funds based in Singapore. We entered into a binding term sheet in June 2020 to acquire a controlling interest in CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd. The transaction is subject to final negotiation of terms of the transaction, as well as MAS approval. Through CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd.s subsidiary, 1x Exchange Pte. Ltd., or 1exchange, Singapores first MAS-regulated private markets securities exchange, CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd. and its subsidiaries, or CapBridge, provides a holistic approach that enhances capital flow for growth companies and improve liquidity options for private investors. 1exchange is a recognized market operator in Singapore. CapBridge Pte. Ltd., another subsidiary of CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., holds a capital markets services license in respect of dealing in capital markets products that are securities and collective investment schemes, and is an exempt financial advisor in respect of advising on investment products and issuing or promulgating analyses/reports on investment products that are securities and collective investment schemes. |
To further enrich our comprehensive suite of financial services, we intend to continue acquiring complementary capabilities and/or licenses through acquiring and/or incubating FinTech companies.
| SpiderNet Ecosystem Solutions. We serve as a super connector and digital accelerator for Asia-based entrepreneurs and corporates by connecting them to resources and technologies, and providing them with access to our unique AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Centered on our ecosystem-powered strategy, we empower entrepreneurs and corporates with capital, technologies, mentorship, connectivity, and other resources essential to accelerating and enhancing their business digital transformation and corporate development journeys. |
Through a membership fee scheme, we provide our corporate clients with exclusive access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem and its prestigious corporate members, prominent business executives and partners, creating strategic and synergistic opportunities. In addition, our digital solutions initiatives and programs in partnership with industry leaders and academic institutions serve to support industry professionals and foster next generation entrepreneurs in the region by equipping them with the latest trends and knowledge in the digital space. Our services help our ecosystem members to enhance connectivity, identify business synergies, and create valuable business propositions. We further deepen our relationship with corporate clients by facilitating synergies between their portfolio companies and other partners in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem.
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We have entered into an agreement with our Controlling Shareholder to provide Airstar Bank with the support from our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services, including resources, capital support, and expertise in the financial services industry to support its business development and support them to gradually build up their own ecosystem for an annual service fee. Airstar Bank, a virtual bank jointly-established by our Controlling Shareholder and Xiaomi Corporation, or Xiaomi, is a comprehensive digital banking platform providing services to retail and corporate clients in Hong Kong. Airstar Bank holds one of the only eight virtual banking licenses issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and commenced operations in June 2020. Our Controlling Shareholder holds 10% of equity interest in Airstar Bank as a controller under the Banking Ordinance of Hong Kong and we do not have any equity interest in Airstar Bank.
| Digital Media, Content, and Marketing. We commenced our digital media, content, and marketing business in May 2020. We create and promote digital solutions content by investing and developing multimedia channels to provide users and audiences access to content medium through a comprehensive library of traditional and digital movies, podcasts, webinars and live videos offered by content providers and online media platforms since May 2020. Through our offering of digital media and content, we are able to spearhead industry trends and create effective marketing for our clients and ecosystem partners through innovative content creation, digital marketing platforms and cutting-edge technology. For example, we are a seed round investor of Forkast.News, a digital media platform founded by former Bloomberg News anchor Angie Lau in April 2021. The platform provides readers stories and analysis on blockchain, cryptocurrency, and emerging technology in the Asia-Pacific region. We will also strategically acquire DigFin, a journalism brand and a content agency established by Jamie DiBiasio, an award-winning financial journalist and author, whose stories analyze business models in digital finance, FinTech, and digital assets. Together with our Controlling Shareholder, we have been the founding grand sponsor of Singapore FinTech Festival, the largest FinTech event in the world with over 60,000 attendees each year for four consecutive years since 2017, and the sole strategic partner of Hong Kong FinTech Week, Hong Kongs annual FinTech event, for three years in a row since 2018. We have organized, hosted and participated in hundreds of sessions, including keynote speeches, panels, and fireside chats, to share our insights and exchange knowledge. Many of our clients, and ecosystem members and partners were able to access these global events through collaboration with us and thus presented valuable marketing opportunities for them. Recently, we have invested in movie productions via digital formats. Shock Wave 2 (拆弹专家2), a movie invested by us and co-produced by Universe Entertainment and Alibaba Picture in 2020, has grossed over RMB1.3 billion of box office as of February 10, 2021. We also invested in The White Storm 3 (扫毒3) and Redemption (咎赎). We intend to continue to invest in more popular movie productions in order to maximize our reach to broader audiences for content sharing and marketing. |
| Digital Investments. We invest directly in various innovative technology companies to leverage, enhance and enrich the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem by including them into our ecosystem. Currently, our investment portfolio includes minority interest holdings in the following: |
| Appiera leading artificial intelligence technology company, which provides AI-based solutions for precision marketing. |
| DayDayCooka leading content-driven lifestyle brand for young food lovers in Asia with over 60 million cumulative users across its online platforms. |
| WeDoctorone of Chinas largest technology-enabled healthcare solutions platforms providing seamless online and offline healthcare services with a mix of general practitioners and specialists. |
| AMTD ASEAN Solidarity FundWe also established the AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund in partnership with ASEAN Financial Innovation Network, or the AFIN, in April 2020 with an initial capital of S$50 million to invest in innovative companies spanning across AI (Active.ai), card payment solutions (CardUp), cross-border payment platform (TranSwap), and SME financing |
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solutions (Funding Societies). AFIN is a non-profit entity formed by the MAS, International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and the ASEAN Bankers Association, with the objectives of supporting financial innovation and inclusion around the world. In addition to providing funding, the solidarity fund will offer the FinTech companies full access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, which opens opportunities for them to collaborate with each other across ASEAN countries, Hong Kong, and China. Through the solidarity fund, we hold equity or debt interests in five FinTech companies, representatives of which include Active.ai, a cloud-based conversational AI platform; CardUp, a credit card enablement platform; Funding Societies, a SME digital financing platform, and TranSwap, a cross-border payment platform. We expect to make further investments through the solidarity fund. |
| MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity GrantMAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant was jointly established in May 2020 by the MAS, SFA, and AMTD Charity Foundation with an amount of S$6 million to support FinTech companies in generating new businesses and pursuing growth strategies. As of the date of this prospectus, approximately 190 FinTech companies have benefited from our MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant, which have formed a solid enhancement to our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. |
We generate revenue primarily from fees and commissions from our digital financial services business and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business during the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the nine months ended January 31, 2021. We have achieved tremendous growth since the launch of our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business in December 2017 as a result of the continued expansion and monetization of AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Our revenue increased significantly from HK$14.6 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$167.5 million (US$21.6 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, and from HK$133.3 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$145.5 million (US$18.8 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021. Our net profit increased significantly from HK$21.5 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$158.3 million (US$20.4 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, and from HK$91.7 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$109.9 million (US$14.2 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021. We continue to deepen and monetize our relationship with clients by cross-selling solutions that fill their unique needs.
Our Strengths
We believe that the following strengths have contributed to our success:
| entrepreneurial and ecosystem centric spirit entrenched in our DNA; |
| significant growth potential supported by new policies and regulations in digital finance in Singapore, Hong Kong, and elsewhere in Asia; |
| one of the most comprehensive digital financial services platforms equipped with scarce digital financial licenses in Asia, and is widely recognized as a leader and pioneer globally in digital financial services; |
| leading position and close collaboration with top partners in digital financial services; |
| unique SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business offering valuable propositions to entrepreneurs and corporates; and |
| attractive investment portfolio of promising digital companies in Asia. |
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Our Strategies
We intend to achieve our mission and further grow our business by pursuing the following strategies:
| continue to expand into new Asian markets and new digital financial sectors through obtaining new licenses and capabilities; |
| continue to identify and fusion-in promising digital financial players in Asia and beyond that complements our current services and capabilities; |
| further improve inter-connectivity between various digital financial businesses to maximize operational and economic values; |
| continue to deepen cooperation and monetization with other members of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem; |
| continually enhance our data analytics capabilities; |
| expand our media content and distribution channels for content promotion and marketing; and |
| continue to attract and retain top talents. |
Corporate History and Structure
In January 2003, AMTD Group Company Limited (formerly known as Allday Enterprises Limited), our Controlling Shareholder, was founded by CK Hutchison Holdings Limited (SEHK: 0001) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia under the laws of the British Virgin Islands to provide financial services. Our Controlling Shareholder commenced our current insurance solutions business in October 2004. In 2015, our Controlling Shareholder commenced our current digital investments business in July 2016 and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business in December 2017.
On September 12, 2019, AMTD Digital Inc. was incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands initially as a wholly-owned subsidiary of our Controlling Shareholder and, following the completion of a restructuring in December 2019, became a holding company of our digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing, and digital investments businesses. For further details, see Corporate History and StructureRestructuring. We commenced our current digital media, content, and marketing business in May 2020.
After this offering, we will become a public company while we will continue to receive support from our Controlling Shareholder for a specified period of time. We will enter into a series of agreements with our Controlling Shareholder, including a master transaction agreement, a transitional services agreement, and a non-competition agreement, to govern the arrangements between us with clearly defined terms and conditions. We do not foresee any direct conflicts of interest with our Controlling Shareholder given our unique nature of business which is not similar to and does not compete with other businesses conducted by our Controlling Shareholder. For other potential conflicts of interest, see Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and IndustryWe may have conflicts of interest with our Controlling Shareholder or any of its controlling shareholders and, because of our Controlling Shareholders controlling ownership interest in our company, we may not be able to resolve such conflicts on terms favorable to us.
Under our dual-class stock structure, our shares are divided into Class A and Class B ordinary shares. Except for voting rights (each Class A ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote on all matters subject to vote at general meetings while each Class B ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to twenty votes on all matters subject to vote at general meetings) and conversion rights (each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof but Class A ordinary shares are not
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convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances), Class A and Class B ordinary shares rank pari passu with one another and have the same rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions. Although Class B ordinary shares have super voting power, any rights attached to Class A ordinary shares can only be materially and adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of all Class A ordinary shares. Therefore, notwithstanding the fact that our Controlling Shareholder and certain other affiliates beneficially own all of our Class B ordinary shares and have the ability to control the outcome of matters put to a shareholder vote on general meetings, they do not have the right to conclude on proposals that will materially and adversely affect the rights of Class A ordinary shares in any way without affecting the rights of Class B ordinary shares in the same way unless with the approval of the holders of all Class A ordinary shares.
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The following diagram illustrates AMTD Digital Inc. and its subsidiaries in our corporate structure as of the date of this prospectus.
Note: |
(1) | Subject to certain regulatory approval, capital injection will be made by all consortium partners according to the execution of shareholders agreement, AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd.s shareholding will become 35.2%. |
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Summary of Risk Factors
Investing in our ADSs involves significant risks. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus before making an investment in our ADSs. These risks are discussed more fully in Risk Factors.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry
We are subject to risks and uncertainties relating to our business and industry, which include without limitation the following:
| We operate in the emerging, dynamic, and competitive digital financial services industry, which makes it difficult for investors to evaluate our future prospects, and we cannot assure you that our current or future strategies will be successfully implemented or will generate sustainable profit. |
| We have a limited operating history and experience in our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business. We cannot assure you that the market for our services will develop as we expect or that we will be able to maintain the growth rate that we have experienced to date. |
| We and our Controlling Shareholder have a limited operating history and experience in the newly developed digital banking business in Asia, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business. We cannot assure you that the digital banking initiatives of our Controlling Shareholder and our company will develop or succeed as we expect. |
| We face additional risks as we offer new products and services, transact with a broader array of clients and counterparties, and expose ourselves to new geographical markets. |
| If we fail to develop market leading products or provide satisfactory services to address the rapidly evolving market in a timely manner, and if we are not able to implement successful enhancements and new features for our products and services, we may not be able to attract or retain clients. |
| Failure to maintain and enlarge our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem including our client base or strengthen client engagement may adversely affect our business and results of operations. |
| Failure to obtain, renew, or retain licenses, permits, or approvals may affect our ability to conduct or expand our business. |
| We are subject to extensive and developing regulatory requirements, and noncompliance with or changes to these regulatory requirements may affect our business operations and financial results. |
| Our ADSs may be delisted under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, is unable to inspect auditors who are located in China. The delisting of our ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections deprives our investors with the benefits of such inspections. |
Risks Relating to Our Relationship with the Controlling Shareholder
We are subject to risks and uncertainties relating to our relationship with the Controlling Shareholder, which include without limitation the following:
| We have limited experience operating as a stand-alone public company. |
| Our financial information included in this prospectus may not be representative of our financial condition and results of operations if we had been operating as a stand-alone company. |
| We may not continue to receive the same level of support from our Controlling Shareholder. |
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Risks Relating to Our ADSs and This Offering
We are subject to risks and uncertainties relating to our ADSs and this offering, which include without limitation the following:
| There has been no public market for the ADSs or our ordinary shares prior to this offering, and you may not be able to resell the ADSs at or above the price you paid, or at all. |
| The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors. |
Implication of Being an Emerging Growth Company
As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an emerging growth company pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended, or the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements compared to those that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in the assessment of the emerging growth companys internal control over financial reporting. The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company, where applicable, does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenue of at least US$1.07 billion; (ii) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering; (iii) the date on which we have, during the preceding three-year period, issued more than US$1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of the ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.
Implications of Being a Controlled Company
Upon the completion of this offering, our Controlling Shareholder and certain other affiliates will beneficially own % of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing % of the total voting power, assuming that the underwriters of this offering do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs, or % of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing % of the total voting power, assuming that the option is exercised in full. As a result, we will be a controlled company as defined under the NYSE Listed Company Manual because our Controlling Shareholder will hold more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors. As a controlled company, we are permitted to elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements. Currently, all of the committees of the board of directors of the Company, including the audit committee, the nominating and corporate governance committee, and the compensation committee, consist of only independent directors, which is in compliance with applicable corporate governance requirements. With regard to our board structure, our board is currently comprised of two independent directors and two executive directors. We may seek to rely on the exemption from the requirement that the board of a listed company consists of a majority of independent directors after one year of the listing date that is available to a controlled company.
For any matter required to be passed by a ordinary resolution, it has to be passed by a simple majority of votes casted by the shareholders of the Company. As long as the total Class B ordinary shares account for at least 4.77% of our total issued and outstanding shares, which equals to approximately 3,225,385 shares as of the date of this prospectus and immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs, these Class B ordinary shares will give the holders voting rights of at least 50.04%.
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For any matter required to be passed by a special resolution, it has to be passed by two-thirds or of the votes casted by the shareholders of the Company. As long as the total Class B ordinary shares account for at least 9.10% of our total issued and outstanding shares, which equals to approximately 6,153,251 shares as of the date of this prospectus and immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs, these Class B ordinary shares will give the holders voting rights of at least 66.69%.
Implication of Being a Foreign Private Issuer
We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. Moreover, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. In addition, as a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance listing standards.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 25/F Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong. Our telephone number at this address is +852 3163 3298. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman KY1-1111, Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Puglisi & Associates, located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, DE 19711.
Investors should contact us for any inquiries through the address and telephone number of our principal executive offices. Our website is www.amtdigital.net and our email address is ir@amtdigital.net. The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.
Conventions That Apply to This Prospectus
Unless we indicate otherwise, all information in this prospectus assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to additional ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares from us.
Except where the context otherwise requires and for purposes of this prospectus only:
| ADRs refers to the American depositary receipts that evidence the ADSs; |
| ADSs refers to the American depositary shares, each of which represents Class A ordinary shares; |
| AMTD Digital, we, us, our company, or our refers to AMTD Digital Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability, and its subsidiaries; |
| AMTD Group refers to AMTD Group Company Limited and its subsidiaries; |
| China or PRC refers to the Peoples Republic of China, excluding, for the purpose of this prospectus only, Taiwan region, Hong Kong, and Macau Special Administrative Region; |
| Class A ordinary shares refers to our class A ordinary shares with a par value of US$0.0001 per share; |
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| Class B ordinary shares refers to our class B ordinary shares with a par value of US$0.0001 per share; |
| Controlling Shareholder refers to AMTD Group Company Limited, a British Virgin Islands company; |
| Greater Bay Area refers to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in China comprising the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao, and the nine municipalities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province of China; |
| HK$ or Hong Kong dollars refers to the legal currency of Hong Kong; |
| Hong Kong refers to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China; |
| SEC refers to the Securities and Exchange Commission; |
| S$ or Singapore dollars refers to the legal currency of Singapore; |
| shares or ordinary shares refers to our Class A and Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share; and |
| US$ or U.S. dollars refers to the legal currency of the United States. |
Our reporting currency is Hong Kong dollars as most of our revenue is denominated in Hong Kong dollars. This prospectus contains translations of Hong Kong dollars into U.S. dollars solely for the convenience of the reader. The conversion of Hong Kong dollars into U.S. dollars are based on the exchange rates set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Hong Kong dollars to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Hong Kong dollars in this prospectus were made at a rate of HK$7.7531 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect as of January 29, 2021. On May 14, 2021, the noon buying rate for Hong Kong dollars was HK$7.7663 to US$1.00.
11
Offering price |
We currently estimate that the initial public offering price will be between US$ and US$ per ADS. |
ADSs offered by us |
ADSs (or ADSs if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full). |
ADSs outstanding immediately after this offering |
ADSs (or ADSs if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full). |
Ordinary shares issued and outstanding immediately after this offering |
ordinary shares, comprised of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares (or ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their options to purchase additional ADSs in full, comprised of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares). |
The ADSs |
Each ADS represents Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share. The ADSs generally are uncertificated. |
The depositary will hold the shares underlying your ADSs and you will have rights as provided in the deposit agreement. |
If we declare dividends on Class A ordinary shares, the depositary will pay you the cash dividends and other distributions it receives on our Class A ordinary shares, after deducting its fees and expenses in accordance with the terms set forth in the deposit agreement. |
You may surrender your ADSs to the depositary in exchange for our Class A ordinary shares. The depositary will charge you fees for any exchange. We may amend or terminate the deposit agreement without your consent. If you continue to hold your ADSs, you agree to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended. |
To better understand the terms of the ADSs, you should carefully read the Description of American Depositary Shares section of this prospectus. You should also read the deposit agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus. |
Option to purchase additional ADSs |
We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable within 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an aggregate of additional ADSs. |
Listing |
We intend to apply to have the ADSs listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HKD. The ADSs will not be listed on any other stock exchanges or traded on any automated quotation system. |
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Payment and settlement |
The ADSs are expected to be delivered against payment on , 2021. They will be registered in the name of a nominee of The Depositary Trust Company, or DTC. |
[Directed ADS Program |
At our request, the underwriters have reserved up to % of the ADSs being offered by this prospectus (assuming exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional ADSs) for sale at the initial public offering price to certain of our directors, executive officers, employees, business associates, and members of their families.] |
Depositary
Use of Proceeds |
We estimate that we will receive net proceeds of approximately US$ million from this offering (or US$ million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full), after deducting the underwriting discounts, commissions, and estimated offering expenses payable by us and assuming an initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, being the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus. |
We plan to use the net proceeds that we receive from this offering to fulfill the capital requirements for future license applications and acquisitions, IT infrastructure and human resources, to support our business expansion and growth, and for general corporate purposes. |
See Use of Proceeds for additional information. |
Lock-up |
[We, our directors, executive officers, and existing shareholders] have agreed with the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions, not to sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of any ADSs, ordinary shares, or similar securities for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus. See Underwriting for more information. |
Dividends |
See Dividends for a description of our dividend policy. |
Risk Factors |
See Risk Factors and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of the risks you should carefully consider before investing in the ADSs. |
13
SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The following summary consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income data and summary consolidated cash flows data for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020 and summary consolidated statements of financial position data as of April 30, 2019 and 2020 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following summary consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income data and summary consolidated cash flows data for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 and 2021 and summary consolidated statements of financial position data as of January 31, 2021 have been derived from our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements and include all adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments, that we consider necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and results of operations for the periods presented. You should read this Summary Consolidated Financial Data section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, issued by the International Accounting Standard Board, or IASB. Our historical results of operations are not necessarily indicative of results of operations expected for future periods.
The following table presents our summary consolidated statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income data for the periods indicated.
For the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, | For the Nine Months Ended January 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HK$ | % | HK$ | US$ | % | HK$ | % | HK$ | US$ | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except for percentages and per share data) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary Consolidated Statements of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income Data |
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Revenue from contracts with customers |
14,554 | 100.0 | 167,547 | 21,610 | 100.0 | 133,307 | 100.0 | 145,530 | 18,771 | 100.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Employee benefits expense |
(9,169 | ) | (63.0 | ) | (15,168 | ) | (1,956 | ) | (9.1 | ) | (10,242 | ) | (7.7 | ) | (32,543 | ) | (4,197 | ) | (22.4 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Advertising and promotion expense |
| * | | * | | * | | * | | * | (22 | ) | (0.1 | ) | (2,422 | ) | (312 | ) | (1.6 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Premises and office expenses |
(1,541 | ) | (10.6 | ) | (4,737 | ) | (611 | ) | (2.8 | ) | (3,567 | ) | (2.7 | ) | (4,308 | ) | (556 | ) | (3.0 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Legal and professional expenses |
(2,650 | ) | (18.2 | ) | (1,952 | ) | (252 | ) | (1.2 | ) | (843 | ) | (0.6 | ) | (1,384 | ) | (179 | ) | (1.0 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
| | | | | | | (3,259 | ) | (420 | ) | (2.2 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other expenses |
(672 | ) | (4.6 | ) | (1,649 | ) | (213 | ) | (1.0 | ) | (1,354 | ) | (1.0 | ) | (3,179 | ) | (410 | ) | (2.1 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL) |
19,319 | 132.7 | 43,592 | 5,623 | 26.0 | (1,933 | ) | (1.5 | ) | 28,870 | 3,724 | 19.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income |
252 | 1.7 | | | | | | 1,171 | 151 | 0.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other gains and losses, net |
2,058 | 14.1 | (5,586 | ) | (720 | ) | (3.3 | ) | (5,450 | ) | (4.1 | ) | (690 | ) | (89 | ) | (0.5 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Profit before tax |
22,151 | 152.1 | 182,047 | 23,481 | 108.6 | 109,896 | 82.3 | 127,786 | 16,483 | 87.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
(607 | ) | (4.1 | ) | (23,715 | ) | (3,059 | ) | (14.1 | ) | (18,170 | ) | (13.6 | ) | (17,921 | ) | (2,311 | ) | (12.3 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Profit for the year/period |
21,544 | 148.0 | 158,332 | 20,422 | 94.5 | 91,726 | 68.7 | 109,865 | 14,172 | 75.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Note:
* | The advertising and promotion expenses for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020 are insignificant and included in other expenses. |
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For the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, | For the Nine Months Ended January 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HK$ | % | HK$ | US$ | % | HK$ | % | HK$ | US$ | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except for percentages and per share data) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Item that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss: |
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Exchange differences arising on translation of foreign operations |
| | | | | | | 819 | 106 | 0.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Other comprehensive income for the year/period |
| | | | | | | 819 | 106 | 0.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Total comprehensive income for the year/period |
21,544 | 148.0 | 158,332 | 20,422 | 94.5 | 91,726 | 68.7 | 110,684 | 14,278 | 76.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Profit (loss) for the year/period attributable to: |
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- Owners of the Company |
17,601 | 120.9 | 151,362 | 19,523 | 90.3 | 84,756 | 63.5 | 111,550 | 14,388 | 76.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Non-controlling interests |
3,943 | 27.1 | 6,970 | 899 | 4.2 | 6,970 | 5.2 | (1,685 | ) | (216 | ) | (1.2 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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21,544 | 148.0 | 158,332 | 20,422 | 94.5 | 91,726 | 68.7 | 109,865 | 14,172 | 75.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Total comprehensive income (expense) for the year/period attributable to: |
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- Owners of the Company |
17,601 | 120.9 | 151,362 | 19,523 | 90.3 | 84,756 | 63.5 | 111,968 | 14,443 | 77.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Non-controlling interests |
3,943 | 27.1 | 6,970 | 899 | 4.2 | 6,970 | 5.2 | (1,284 | ) | (165 | ) | (0.9 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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21,544 | 148.0 | 158,332 | 20,422 | 94.5 | 91,726 | 68.7 | 110,684 | 14,278 | 76.1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Earnings per share |
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Basic |
0.48 | 3.77 | 0.49 | 2.26 | 2.22 | 0.29 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Diluted |
N/A | 3.77 | 0.49 | 2.26 | 2.22 | 0.29 |
After the completion of the restructuring in December 2019, AMTD Digital Inc. became the holding company of our digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, and digital investments businesses, which have been operated under the common control of our Controlling Shareholder.
15
The following table presents our summary consolidated statements of financial position data as of the dates indicated.
As of April 30, | As of January 31, | |||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | US$ | HK$ | US$ | ||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Summary Consolidated Statements of Financial Position Data |
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Total non-current assets |
183,538 | 208,696 | 26,918 | 445,312 | 57,437 | |||||||||||||||
Total current assets |
5,709,271 | 3,386,366 | 436,775 | 3,525,869 | 454,769 | |||||||||||||||
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Total assets |
5,892,809 | 3,595,062 | 463,693 | 3,971,181 | 512,206 | |||||||||||||||
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Total non-current liabilities |
| 25,276 | 3,260 | 40,036 | 5,164 | |||||||||||||||
Total current liabilities |
5,770,695 | 2,295,632 | 296,092 | 2,419,864 | 312,116 | |||||||||||||||
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Total liabilities |
5,770,695 | 2,320,908 | 299,352 | 2,459,900 | 317,280 | |||||||||||||||
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Equity attributable to owners of the Company |
95,004 | 1,274,154 | 164,341 | 1,481,533 | 191,089 | |||||||||||||||
Non-controlling interests |
27,110 | | | 29,748 | 3,837 | |||||||||||||||
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Total equity |
122,114 | 1,274,154 | 164,341 | 1,511,281 | 194,926 | |||||||||||||||
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Total equity and liabilities |
5,892,809 | 3,595,062 | |
463,693 |
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3,971,181 | 512,206 | |||||||||||||
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The following table presents our summary consolidated cash flows data for the periods indicated.
For the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, | For the Nine Months Ended January 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | US$ | HK$ | HK$ | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary Consolidated Cash Flows Data |
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Net cash generated from operating activities |
24,556 | 213,755 | 27,570 | 178,032 | 60,740 | 7,834 | ||||||||||||||||||
Net cash (used in)/from investing activities |
(3,071,469 | ) | (674,500 | ) | (86,997 | ) | (62,399 | ) | 110,190 | 14,212 | ||||||||||||||
Net cash from financing activities |
2,682,623 | 651,191 | 83,991 | 560,952 | 82,497 | 10,641 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents |
(364,290 | ) | 190,446 | 24,564 | 676,585 | 253,427 | 32,687 | |||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year/period |
370,054 | 5,764 | 743 | 5,764 | 196,210 | 25,307 | ||||||||||||||||||
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes |
| | | | 1,280 | 165 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year/period |
5,764 | 196,210 | 25,307 | 682,349 | 450,917 | 58,159 | ||||||||||||||||||
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16
An investment in our ADSs involves significant risks. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described below, before making an investment in our ADSs. Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In any such case, the market price of our ADSs could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry
We operate in the emerging, dynamic, and competitive digital financial services industry, which makes it difficult for investors to evaluate our future prospects, and we cannot assure you that our current or future strategies will be successfully implemented or will generate sustainable profit.
We primarily operate in Asias digital financial services industry. The digital financial services industry is relatively new and rapidly evolving, business models continue to evolve, and the industry may not develop as we anticipate. The regulatory framework in Singapore and Hong Kong governing the digital financial services industry is also developing and may remain uncertain in the near future. As our business develops and in response to the evolving client needs and market competition, we need to continuously introduce new products and services, improve our existing products and services, or adjust and optimize our business model. In response to new regulatory requirements or industry standards, or in connection with the introduction of new products, we may need to impose more rigorous risk management systems and policies, which may negatively affect the growth of our business. Any significant change to our business model may not achieve expected results and may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. It is therefore difficult to accurately predict our future prospects.
You should consider our business and prospects in light of the risks and challenges that we encounter or may encounter as an entrant in the newly emerging and rapidly evolving market in which we operate and our limited operating history. These risks and challenges include our ability to, among other things:
| maintain the value proposition of AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem; |
| build a well-recognized and respected brand; |
| acquire and/or operate existing or future digital financial licenses; |
| establish and expand our client base; |
| maintain and enhance our relationships with our business partners; |
| attract, retain, and motivate talented employees; |
| anticipate and adapt to changing market conditions and competitive landscape; |
| manage our future growth; |
| ensure that the performance of our products and services meets client expectations; |
| maintain or improve our operational efficiency; |
| navigate a complex and evolving regulatory environment; |
| defend ourselves in any legal or regulatory actions against us; |
| enhance our technology infrastructure and maintain the security of our system and the confidentiality of the information provided and utilized across our system; |
| avoid and remedy operating errors as a result of human or system errors; and |
| identify and address conflicts of interest. |
17
If we fail to address any or all of these risks and challenges, if we fail to educate business partners and clients about the value of our platform and services, if the market for our products and services does not develop as we expect, if we fail to address the needs of our target clients, or if we are not able to effectively tackle other risks and challenges that we may encounter, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We have a limited operating history and experience in our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business. We cannot assure you that the market for our services will develop as we expect or that we will be able to maintain the growth rate that we have experienced to date.
We commenced operations of our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business in December 2017, primarily providing clients with exclusive paid membership access to the AMTD SpiderNet. Since then we have achieved rapid growth in terms of client base and revenue. For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the nine months ended January 31, 2021, our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business accounted for 40.4%, 94.1%, and 92.7% of our total revenue, respectively. However, our limited operating history in our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business may not be indicative of our future growth or financial results. There is no assurance that we will be able to maintain our historical growth rates in future periods. Our growth prospects should be considered in light of the risks and uncertainties that fast-growing companies with a limited operating history and experience in our industry may encounter, including, among others, risks and uncertainties regarding our ability to:
| enrich the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem; |
| identify business synergies and enhance connectivity for our clients; |
| enrich our content offerings; |
| retain existing clients and attract new clients; |
| offer customized and comprehensive services tailored to corporates needs throughout their lifecycles; |
| upgrade existing technology and infrastructure and develop new technologies; |
| successfully compete with other companies that are currently in, or may in the future enter, our industry or similar industries; and |
| observe and strategize on the latest market trends. |
All of these endeavors involve risks and will require significant allocation of management and employee resources. We cannot assure you that we will be able to effectively manage our growth or implement our business strategies effectively. If the market for our services does not develop as we expect or if we fail to address the needs of this dynamic market, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.
We and our Controlling Shareholder have a limited operating history and experience in the newly developed digital banking business in Asia, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business. We cannot assure you that the digital banking initiatives of our Controlling Shareholder and our company will develop or succeed as we expect.
Airstar Bank, a virtual bank jointly established by our Controlling Shareholder and Xiaomi, provides digital banking services in Hong Kong. Airstar Bank launched a pilot trial of its digital banking services to a limited and selected number of clients, including deposit, loan, and fast payment and remittance in March 2020, and fully launched its platform to the general public in June 2020. It will gradually expand its product and service offerings as its business develops. We have entered into an agreement with our Controlling Shareholder to provide Airstar Bank with the support from our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services, including resources, capital support, and expertise in the financial services industry to support its business development and support them to gradually build up their own ecosystem for an annual service fee. Airstar Bank expects to rely on the industry experience and technological and operational support of our business partner, Xiaomi, to provide online
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banking services to retail and corporate clients. The existing client base of Xiaomi and AMTD Group will also initially be a key target customer segment for Airstar Bank. Although we expect Airstar Bank to continuously improve its product designs and services based on client feedback, we cannot assure you that Airstar Bank will be able to achieve the expected results with respect to its product and service offerings.
Our subsidiary, AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd., entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with Xiaomi, SP Group, and Funding Societies to establish a consortium in which we expect AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. to be the largest shareholder. The consortium intends to pursue digital banking opportunities in Singapore through Singa Bank, the launch of which is subject to obtaining a digital wholesale banking license from the MAS and other regulatory requirements. The MAS had previously announced that they planned to grant up to five digital banking licenses. As of the date of this prospectus, four had been granted to other applicants and MAS will review and consider granting more such licenses in the future. We and Xiaomi are pursuing to obtain the fifth digital banking license. We expect to provide online banking products and services through Singa Bank. However, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in obtaining a digital wholesale banking license within a certain time frame or at all, or that Singa Bank will be established, or such digital banking operations will be launched as planned.
The limited operating history and experience of our Controlling Shareholder and our company in digital banking exposes us to uncertain risks and challenges. We cannot assure you that the online platforms of Airstar Bank and Singa Bank (upon obtaining relevant licenses) will be accepted by our clients or that the market for our new products and services will develop as we expect. If Singa Bank is not eventually established or launched, or if Airstar Bank or Singa Bank is unable to achieve the expected results with respect to the new business development initiatives, our business prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
We face additional risks as we offer new products and services, transact with a broader array of clients and counterparties, and expose ourselves to new geographical markets.
We are committed to providing new products and services in order to strengthen our market position in the industries that we operate in. We expect to expand our product and service offerings as permitted by relevant regulatory authorities, transact with new clients not in our traditional client base, and enter into new markets. For example, our client base for our digital financial services business consisted primarily of corporate and other institutional clients, but the recent acquisition of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries, or PolicyPal, in August 2020 has expanded our client base to cover retail clients.
In addition, our Controlling Shareholder operates its digital banking business in Hong Kong, and we plan to commence our digital banking business in Singapore. We aim to continue our expansion into Southeast Asia and the Greater Bay Area as we grow our business and as regulations permit. For more details, see BusinessOur Growth Strategies. In the future, we expect to consolidate the financial results of Singa Bank into our financial statements following its establishment, which is subject to regulatory approvals. As such, our historical financial results may not be indicative of our future financial results, and investors may find it difficult to evaluate our business.
We completed the acquisition of PolicyPal in August 2020 and expect to complete the acquisition of CapBridge in the first half of 2021, subject to final negotiation of terms of the transaction, as well as MAS approval. These activities expose us to new and increasingly challenging risks, including, but not limited to:
| we may have insufficient experience or expertise in offering new products and services and dealing with inexperienced counterparties and clients may harm our reputation; |
| we may be subject to stricter regulatory scrutiny, or increasing exposure to credit risks, market risks, compliance risks, and operational risks; |
| we may be unable to provide clients with adequate levels of service for our new products and services; |
| our new products and services may not be accepted by our clients or meet our profitability expectations; and |
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| our new products and services may be quickly copied by our competitors so that its attractiveness to our clients may be diluted. |
If we are unable to achieve the expected results with respect to our offering of new products and services, our new client base, and in new geographical markets, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
If we fail to develop market leading products or provide satisfactory services to address the rapidly evolving market in a timely manner, and if we are not able to implement successful enhancements and new features for our products and services, we may not be able to attract or retain clients.
Our success depends on our ability to attract or retain clients through the provision of a strong value proposition of our SpiderNet ecosystem, high-quality products, and satisfactory services, and to generate recurring business from existing clients. To attract and retain clients, we need to further enrich our product and service offerings by producing and providing new high-quality products and satisfactory services in a cost-effective and timely manner. Furthermore, we need to anticipate and quickly respond to changing client preferences and development in the market trends. We make bespoke recommendations of insurance products and services to clients based on their needs, and we also develop insurance products in cooperation with our insurer partners to meet the evolving needs of insurance solutions clients. Our ability to provide these products and services is dependent on our industry expertise and innovative ideas and technologies. However, we cannot assure you that the products and services that we design and develop on our own or together with our insurer partners will cater to the needs of potential or existing clients, sustain for a period of time that we expect them to, or be welcomed or accepted by the market at all. If we fail to cater to the needs and preferences of our clients or deliver high-quality product or provide satisfactory service in an efficient manner, or our clients cannot find their desired products or services at attractive prices and terms, they may turn to other channels for their needs and we may suffer from reduced client base. If we are unable to grow our client base or increase client satisfaction, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Failure to maintain and enlarge our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem including our client base or strengthen client engagement may adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our revenue growth depends on our ability to maintain and enlarge our client base and strengthen client engagement so that more of our clients will use our products and services more often and contribute to our revenue growth. Our clients may not continue to use our solutions once their existing contract expires or they may not purchase additional solutions from us. This risk is especially apparent in circumstances where it is inexpensive for them to switch service providers. Our ability to maintain and enlarge our client base and strengthen our client engagement will depend on many factors, some of which are out of our control, including:
| our ability to continually innovate our technologies to keep pace with rapid technological changes; |
| our ability to continually innovate our solutions in response to evolving client demands and expectations and intense market competition; |
| our ability to customize solutions for our clients; |
| client satisfaction with our solutions, including any new solutions that we may develop, and the competitiveness of our pricing and payment terms; and |
| the effectiveness of our solutions in helping our clients improve efficiency, enhance service quality, and reduce costs. |
In addition, historically, we have derived a significant number of our clients either through referrals from the Controlling Shareholder or through the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. We may not be able to develop clients organically as rapidly or at the same pace as we have historically done through referrals. In addition, if we do not receive as many client referrals from the Controlling Shareholder or the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem as we have historically, we may not be able to grow our client base as quickly or at all.
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Failure to obtain, renew, or retain licenses, permits, or approvals may affect our ability to conduct or expand our business.
Financial services is a highly-regulated industry, and we are required to obtain applicable licenses, permits, and approvals from different regulatory authorities in order to conduct or expand our business. Various governmental authorities in Singapore and Hong Kong have promulgated various regulations on the financial services, including regulations requiring digital banking license, insurance brokerage license, and exempt financial advisor status. We have obtained our insurance brokerage license issued by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority through AMTD Risk Solutions Group Limited. In Singapore, BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd., a digital insurance platform in which we hold a 51% equity interest, is a registered insurance broker with respect to direct insurance and exempt financial advisor in relation to advising on investment products that are life policies and arranging of life policies, other than for reinsurance (and has notified the MAS of the same), and offering technology services to insurance partners. In July 2020, AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. and PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. incorporated Applaud to apply for a direct insurer (composite) license from the MAS. In addition, we and several business partners have jointly applied, in the name of Singa Bank, for a digital wholesale banking license in Singapore with the MAS. The MAS had previously announced that they planned to grant up to five digital banking licenses. As of the date of this prospectus, four had been granted to other applicants and MAS will review and consider granting more such licenses in the future. We and Xiaomi are pursuing to obtain the fifth digital banking license. We cannot assure you that Singa Bank will successfully obtain the license. Furthermore, any dropout of our business partners in our license application consortia or any change in the relevant regulatory environment could materially and adversely affect our chance to successfully obtain the relevant licenses. Failure by Singa Bank to obtain the digital wholesale banking license and by Applaud to obtain the direct insurer (composite) license from the MAS may impair our ability to expand our digital financial services business to Singapore, which may materially and adversely affect our business and prospects. Additionally, there is no assurance that the Singapore or Hong Kong regulatory authorities will not issue new regulations governing the financial product and service industry that might require us or our business partners to obtain additional licenses, permits, or approvals for our current or future business operations, which may materially and adversely affect our business operations and financial condition. Failure to obtain additional licenses under current or new regulations may also impair our ability to expand our businesses across new geographical regions.
We are subject to extensive and developing regulatory requirements, and noncompliance with or changes to these regulatory requirements may affect our business operations and financial results.
The digital financial services industry is highly regulated in Asia. In the Singapore and Hong Kong markets where we currently or plan to operate, the government or other regulatory authorities regulate the financial services industry extensively. A number of regulatory authorities, such as the MAS, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and Hong Kong Insurance Authority, oversee different aspects of the financial services business in Singapore and Hong Kong, and promulgate and enforce laws and regulations that cover banking, insurance, stored-value facilities, and money-lending services, including entry into such businesses, scope of permitted activities, licenses and permits for various operations, and pricing. See Regulation.
As the digital financial services industry is an emerging and evolving market, the applicable laws, rules, and regulations are continually developing and evolving. Compliance with these regulations is complicated, time consuming, and expensive. Any changes in the relevant rules and regulations may result in an increase in our cost of compliance, or might restrict our business activities. Our ability to comply with all applicable laws and regulations is largely dependent on the relevant internal compliance system, as well as the relevant license holders ability to attract and retain qualified compliance personnel. While we maintain systems and procedures designed to ensure that we comply with applicable laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that we are able to prevent all possible violations. If we fail to comply with the applicable rules and regulations, we may face fines or restrictions on our business activities, or even a suspension or revocation of some or all of our licenses that allow us to carry on our business activities. In addition, we consider the digital wholesale banking license of the planned Singa Bank, if successfully obtained, as a competitive advantage in the digital financial services
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industry. If the regulatory authorities in Singapore change their rules and regulations on digital banking licenses affecting the digital banking operations, or delay granting new digital banking licenses, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We are subject to regular and ad hoc regulatory inspections. If the results of the inspections reveal any noncompliance or misconduct, the regulatory authorities may take disciplinary action such as imposing monetary fines, or even revocation or suspension of license. Any material disciplinary actions taken against or penalties imposed on us or our business partners in the future could have an adverse impact on our business operations and financial results.
Our digital financial services business is subject to intense competition, and we may fail to compete successfully against existing or new competitors, which may reduce demand for our services, reduce operating margins, and further result in loss of market share, departures of qualified employees, and increased capital expenditures.
The digital financial services industry is intensely competitive and subject to rapid change, and we expect it to remain so. We currently compete primarily in Singapore and Hong Kong, and on the basis of a number of factors, including the ability to adapt to evolving financial needs of a broad spectrum of clients, our ability to identify market demands and business opportunities, the quality of our services, our employees, the range and price of our products and services, our innovation, our reputation, and the strength of our relationships. If we fail to compete effectively against our competitors, our business, financial conditions, results of operations, and prospects will be materially and adversely affected.
Digital banking, digital insurance, digital payment, and digital asset exchange, as integral parts of our digital financial services business, generally requires us to react promptly to the evolving demand of our clients and be able to provide innovative financial solutions tailored to their needs. If we are unable to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, drive value for our clients, or effectively align our resources with our goals and objectives, we may not be able to compete effectively. Our competitors may introduce their own value-added services or solutions more effectively than we do, which could adversely impact our growth. Failure to compete effectively against any of these competitive threats could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, the highly competitive nature of our industry could lead to increased pricing pressure which could have a material impact on our overall business and results of operations. We may not be able to compete effectively with our competitors at all times and always be able to provide innovative financial solutions that promptly and accurately address our clients needs. If this were to happen, our ability to attract new or retain existing clients will suffer, which would materially and adversely affect our revenue and earnings.
Some of our competitors include other digital and traditional financial institutions and, within the insurance solutions industry, our competitors include (i) other online insurance product and service platforms, (ii) traditional insurance intermediaries, including agents, brokers, and consultants, (iii) online direct sales channels of large insurance companies, (iv) major internet companies that have commenced insurance distribution businesses, and (v) other online insurance technology companies. Some of our competitors have far broader financial and other resources and significant name recognition than us and have the ability to offer a wider range of products, which may enhance their competitive position. They may also offer services which we do not currently provide or more attractive products, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage and could result in pricing pressures or lost opportunities, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, we may be at a competitive disadvantage with regard to some of our competitors that have larger client bases, and more professionals.
Our Controlling Shareholder and we may have limited control over Airstar Bank.
Our Controlling Shareholder has limited control over Airstar Bank in light of our Controlling Shareholders ownership of 10% of equity interest in Airstar Bank and lack of any contractual arrangements providing our
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Controlling Shareholder and us with any rights or control over Airstar Bank. Although we believe that we exert our influence through the directors whom we have nominated on Airstar Banks board of directors, including Frederic Lau, we do not have the necessary power to mandate or block material corporate actions of Airstar Bank. In addition, we do not consolidate the financial results of Airstar Bank into our financial statements. If Airstar Bank fails to carry out business in a compliant manner, incurs overly excessive amount of debt or goes bankrupt, or its business operations decline, our reputation and prospects may be adversely affected. We are subject to the risk that the controlling shareholder or the board of directors of Airstar Bank may act in a manner that does not serve our interests. The general operational risks, such as inadequate or failing internal control of Airstar Bank, may also expose us and our Controlling Shareholder to reputational and other risks. Furthermore, Airstar Bank or its controlling shareholder may fail to abide by their agreements with us, for which we may have limited or no recourse. Failure of Airstar Bank to perform their obligations or to achieve their expected results, or any negative publicity, whether or not substantiated, may adversely affect our reputation and brand. If any of the foregoing were to occur, our business and reputation could be materially and adversely affected.
We depend on our cooperation with our business partners and participants in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Our business may be negatively affected if such partners do not continue their relationship with us or if their operations fail.
We cooperate with various business partners and participants in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem in developing our various businesses. The AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem is a key contributor to our large and expanding client base. If we are not able to attract new partners to our ecosystem, retain our existing ecosystem partners, or renew our existing contracts with major ecosystem partners on terms favorable to us, we may not be able to increase our client base, which will hinder our business growth. Additionally, we may rely on our partners to drive the growth of our client base, and we may incur significant client acquisition costs in the future. The occurrence of any of these circumstances may significantly hinder our ability to carry out our business operations and increase our client base, and may significantly increase our expense and thus our business, financial condition, results of operation, and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
A significant portion of our income is contributed by a limited number of clients. If we cannot retain these clients for any reason or expand our client base, our income may decrease and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the top five clients in terms of overall income contribution aggregately accounted for 56.6%, 78.0%, and 49.9% of our total revenue, respectively. Although we plan to continue to expand our client base, launch more tailor-made products and solutions, and generate income from a wider range of clients, we cannot guarantee you that we will be able to succeed, and that such client concentration will decrease. If we fail to retain our top clients, our overall income may decrease and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Our businesses depend on key management executives and professional staff, and our business may suffer if we are unable to recruit and retain them.
Our businesses depend on the skills, reputation, and professional experience of our key management executives, the network of resources and relationships they generate during the ordinary course of their activities, and the synergies among the diverse fields of expertise and knowledge held by our senior professionals. Therefore, the success of our business depends on the continued services of these individuals. If we lose their services, we may not be able to execute our existing business strategy effectively, and we may have to change our current business direction. These disruptions to our business may take up significant energy and resources of our company, and materially and adversely affect our future prospects.
Moreover, our business operations depend on our professional staff, our most valuable assets. Their skills, reputation, professional experience, and client relationships are critical elements in obtaining and executing client
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engagements. We devote considerable resources and incentives to recruiting and retaining these personnel. However, the market for quality professional staff is increasingly competitive. We expect to face significant competition in hiring such personnel. Additionally, as we mature, current compensations scheme to attract employees may not be as effective as in the past. The intense competition may require us to offer more competitive compensation and other incentives to our talent, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. As a result, we may find it difficult to retain and motivate these employees, and this could affect their decisions about whether or not they continue to work for us. If we do not succeed in attracting, hiring and integrating quality professional staff, or retaining and motivating existing personnel, we may be unable to grow effectively.
We may undertake acquisitions, share swaps, investments, joint ventures, or other strategic alliances in the digital financial services industry, which could present unforeseen integration difficulties or costs and may not enhance our business as we expect.
Our strategy includes plans to grow both organically and through acquisitions, share swaps, participation in joint ventures or other strategic alliances in the digital financial services industry. Joint ventures and strategic alliances may expose us to new operational, regulatory and market risks, as well as risks associated with additional capital requirements. We may not be able, however, to identify suitable future acquisition or share swap candidates or alliance partners. Even if we identify suitable candidates or partners, the evaluation, negotiation, and monitoring of the transactions could require significant management attention and internal resources and we may be unable to complete an acquisition, share swap, or alliance on terms commercially acceptable to us. Even when acquisitions or share swaps are completed, we may encounter difficulties in integrating the acquired entities and businesses, achieving expected synergies, or aligning the interests of our businesses, such as difficulties in retention of clients and personnel, implementation of our business plan for the combined business or to achieve anticipated revenue or profitability targets, challenge of integration and effective deployment of operations or technologies, for acquisitions in which the acquired companys financial performance is incorporated into our financial results (either in full or in part), the dependence on the acquired companys accounting, financial reporting, internal controls and processes, and assumption of unforeseen or hidden material liabilities or regulatory noncompliance issues. Any of these events could disrupt our business plans and strategies, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Such risks could also result in our failure to derive the intended benefits of the acquisitions, share swaps, digital investments, joint ventures or strategic alliances, and we may be unable to recover our investment in such initiatives. We expect that acquisitions and share swaps will continue to be a key part of business strategy. Our success in this regard will depend on ability to identify and compete for appropriate acquisition candidates and to complete the transactions we decide to pursue with favorable results. We cannot assure you that we could successfully mitigate or overcome these risks.
Completion of our proposed acquisitions is subject to a number of conditions, including certain regulatory approvals for which the receipt and timing cannot be guaranteed or predicted.
As part of our fusion-in program, we have entered, and may continue to enter, into binding term sheets for proposed acquisitions with which we may decide not to proceed. For example, we have entered into a binding term sheet in June 2020 pursuant to which we will acquire a controlling interest in CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., the holding company of a leading online capital raising platform based in Singapore for global growth companies. The acquisition of CapBridge is integral to our plans to help companies in various stages of development in our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem raise private capital, as well as to conduct direct private listings and employee share options trading via 1exchange, a digital asset exchange platform licensed by the MAS. We have also entered into two binding term sheets in July 2020 pursuant to which we will acquire a controlling interest the holding company of a leading one-stop QR code payment aggregator and payment gateway provider in Singapore. The completion of our acquisitions is subject to final negotiation of terms of the transaction and a number of conditions, including regulatory approvals from the MAS and satisfaction of our closing obligations. We cannot assure you that these conditions will be met within a certain timeframe or at all. If we fail to complete our acquisitions, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
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We may not be able to ensure the accuracy and completeness of third-party insurance product information and the effectiveness of our recommendation of insurance products.
Our insurance brokerage clients rely on the third-party insurance product information we provide. While we believe that such information is generally accurate, complete and reliable, there can be no assurance that the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information can be maintained in the future. We are legally required to provide certain disclosures to our clients, including how we are paid as an insurance broker. If we provide any inaccurate or incomplete information, or we fail to present accurate or complete information of any insurance products which could lead to our clients failure to get the protection or us being warned or punished by regulatory authorities, our reputation could be harmed and we could experience reduced client engagement, which may adversely affect our business and financial performance.
We may not be able to recommend suitable insurance products to our clients. The data provided to us by our clients, insurer partners, and other channels may not be accurate or up to date. Our risk consultation team may not fully understand our clients insurance and risk management needs and recommend suitable products to them. If our clients are recommended insurance solutions that do not suit their protection or related needs, or such solutions are ineffective, they may lose trust in us. Our insurance clients and insurer partners may consequently be reluctant to continue to engage or partner with us. As a result, our business, reputation, financial performance, and prospects will be materially and adversely affected.
Because the brokerage income we earn on the sale of insurance products is based on premiums, and commission fee rates agreed between us and our insurer partners, any decrease in these premiums or commission fee rates may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
We derive a significant portion of revenue in our insurance solutions business from commission fees paid to us out of the premiums that insurer partners charge our clients for coverage. The commission fee rates are negotiated between insurer partners and us, and are typically based on the premiums that the insurer products charge. Commission fee rates and premiums can change based on the prevailing economic, regulatory, taxation, competitive, and other possible factors that affect our commission fee agreement with insurer partners. These factors, which are not within our control, include the capacity of insurer partners to place new business, profits of insurer partners, client demand for insurance products, the availability of comparable products from other insurance companies at lower costs, and the availability of alternative insurance products, such as government benefits and self-insurance plans, to clients. Because we do not determine, and cannot predict, the timing or extent of premium or commission fee rate changes, we cannot predict the effect any of these changes may have on our operations. Any decrease in premiums or commission fee rates may significantly affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Unfavorable financial market and economic conditions could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
As a digital financial services firm with business exposure and operations in Singapore and Hong Kong, our businesses are or will be materially affected by conditions in the financial markets and economic conditions in Singapore, Hong Kong, and throughout the world. Financial markets and economic conditions could be negatively impacted by many factors beyond our control, such as inability to access credit markets, rising interest rates or inflation, terrorism, political uncertainty, pandemic, social unrest, fiscal policy of Singapore, Hong Kong, or other governments and the timing and nature of any regulatory reform. The rising political tensions between the United States and China, which is caused by, among other things, trade disputes, the COVID-19 outbreak, sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of Treasury on certain officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the PRC central government and the executive orders issued by the U.S. government in August 2020 that prohibit certain transactions with certain selected leading Chinese internet companies as well as their products, may also give rise to uncertainties in global economic conditions and adversely affect general investor confidence. The global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in a significant number of countries
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around the world has resulted in, and may intensify, global economic distress, and the extent to which it may affect our results of operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. Social unrest such as protests or demonstrations could disrupt economic activities and adversely affect our business. For example, the political unrest in Hong Kong in the second half of 2019 had led to a decrease in inbound tourism to Hong Kong, decreased consumer spending, and an overall impact on the domestic economy. There can be no assurance that these protests and other economic, social, or political unrest in the future will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Unfavorable financial market and economic conditions in Singapore, Hong Kong, and elsewhere in the world could negatively affect our clients business, including their ability to pay for our products and services, and materially reduce demand for our products and services and increase price competition among financial services firms seeking engagements, and thus could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, our profitability could be adversely affected due to our fixed costs and the possibility that we would be unable to reduce our variable costs without reducing revenue or within a timeframe sufficient to offset any decreases in revenue relating to changes in market and economic conditions.
We make investments using our own capital and do not expect to realize any profits from these investments for a considerable period of time.
Our investments consist of investments in equity securities of private companies using our own capital. We make investment decisions based on a number of factors, including how the investment can contribute to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, rather than purely targeting for investment returns, and currently have no plans to dispose of our current investments. We may make unsound investment decisions for this reason or due to fraudulent and concealed, inaccurate or misleading statements from a target company in the course of our due diligence, which could lead us to mistakenly estimate the value of the target company and affect our ability to derive profit from such investments. In addition, our understanding and judgment of the industry in which the target company operates may be mistaken and result in unwise investment decisions.
We make investments in digital finance and new economy sectors in Asia and are subject to concentration risks. Our investment portfolio may be concentrated in certain sectors, geographic regions, individual investments, or types of securities that may or may not be listed. Any significant decline in the value of our investment portfolio may therefore adversely impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
In addition, we have limited control over all of our investee companies. Even if we have a board seat in certain investee companies, we do not have the necessary power to mandate or block material corporate actions. If these investee companies fail to carry out business in a compliant manner, incur overly excessive amount of debt or go bankrupt, or the business operations decline, the fair value of our investment in these companies may deteriorate or, in extreme cases, decrease to zero. We are subject to the risk that the majority shareholders or the management of these investee companies may act in a manner that does not serve our interests. The general operational risks, such as inadequate or failing internal control of these investee companies, may also expose our investments to risks. Furthermore, these investee companies may fail to abide by their agreements with us, for which we may have limited or no recourse. Our investees may not declare dividend, or even if they do, we may not be able to secure liquidity conveniently until we receive such dividend. Failure of our investees to perform their obligations or to achieve their expected results, or any negative publicity, whether or not substantiated, may adversely affect our reputation and brand. If any of the foregoing were to occur, our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our digital investments business is subject to liquidity risks.
All of our digital investments are in the form of securities that are not publicly traded and are subject to liquidity risks. In many cases, there may be prohibition by contract or by applicable laws from selling such securities for a period of time or there may not be a public market for such securities. Accordingly, under certain conditions, we may be forced to either sell securities at lower prices than we had expected to realize or defer,
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potentially for a considerable period of time, sales that we had planned to make. Investing in these securities can involve a high degree of risk, and we may lose some or all of the principal amount of such investments.
Our results of operations may be materially affected by fluctuations in the fair value of our equity investments in our investee companies.
We have made equity investments in private companies and recognize changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL on our consolidated statement of profit or loss. For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the nine months ended January 31, 2021, changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL from our digital investments business and digital media, content, and marketing business accounted for 89.7%, 27.5%, and 26.3% of our profit for the year, respectively. Fair value of our equity investments is subject to market fluctuations due to changes in the market prices of securities, interest rates, or other market factors, such as liquidity. While we may seek to hedge the market risk for some of these investments, an effective hedge may not be available, and if available, may not be fully effective. We measure their fair value based on an assessment of each underlying security, considering rounds of financing, third-party transactions, and market-based information, including comparable company transactions, trading multiples, and changes in market outlook.
Our international expansion is subject to various risks.
We primarily operate in Singapore and Hong Kong, but have been pursuing and will continue to pursue international expansion strategies, initially in Southeast Asia and the Greater Bay Area. International expansion may expose us to additional risks, including:
| ever changing global environment, including changes in U.S. and international trade policies; |
| challenges associated with relying on local partners in markets that are not as familiar to us, including joint venture partners to help us establish our business; |
| difficulties managing operations in new regions, including complying with the various regulatory and legal requirements; |
| different approval or licensing requirements; |
| recruiting sufficient suitable personnel in new markets; |
| challenges in providing services and solutions as well as support in these new markets; |
| challenges in attracting business partners and clients; |
| potential adverse tax consequences; |
| foreign exchange losses; |
| limited protection for intellectual property rights; |
| inability to effectively enforce contractual or legal rights; and |
| local political, regulatory and economic instability or wars, civil unrest, and terrorist incidents. |
If we are unable to effectively avoid or mitigate these risks, our ability to expand our business internationally will be affected and our operations thus will be limited to only the Singapore and Hong Kong markets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
We depend on our cooperation with insurer partners. Our business may be negatively affected if our insurer partners do not continue their relationship with us or if their operations fail.
Our insurance solutions business is, to a significant extent, dependent on our continued and healthy relationship with our insurer partners, and may be negatively affected if our insurer partners terminate their
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relationship with us or fail to meet performance obligations. Certain insurer partners have been associated with a significant portion of our revenue generated from clients in the past. Our ability to attract clients depends on the quantity and quality of insurance products offered by insurer partners. Our arrangements with our insurer partners are typically not exclusive, and they may have similar arrangements with our competitors. Our partners may terminate their relationships with us or decide to exclusively or preferentially cooperate with our competitors. There can be no assurance that we can maintain relationships with our existing insurer partners on commercially desirable terms. If our insurer partners terminate their relationship with us, our supply of products and services may be interrupted and affect our ability to maintain existing clients and secure new clients.
If our insurer partners or the reinsurance company partners fail to properly fulfill their obligations as insurers under the insurance policies sold by us, it may affect our ability to maintain existing clients and secure new clients. If our insurer partners or the reinsurance companies with whom they or we partner become insolvent, our clients may not be able to realize the protection expected from the insurance policies, which will negatively affect our reputation and, in turn, our performance and financial results.
Our business is subject to various cybersecurity and other operational risks.
We face various cybersecurity and other operational risks relating to our businesses on a daily basis. We rely heavily on financial, accounting, communication and other data processing systems as well as the people who operate them to securely process, transmit and store sensitive and confidential client information, and communicate globally with our staff, clients, partners, and third-party vendors. We also depend on various third-party software and cloud-based storage platforms as well as other information technology systems in our business operations. These systems, including third-party systems, may fail to operate properly or become disabled as a result of tampering or a breach of our network security systems or otherwise, including for reasons beyond our control.
Our clients typically provide us with sensitive and confidential information as part of our business arrangements. We are susceptible of attempts to obtain unauthorized access of such sensitive and confidential client information. We also may be subject to cyber-attacks involving leak and destruction of sensitive and confidential client information and our proprietary information, which could result from an employees or agents failure to follow data security procedures or as a result of actions by third parties, including actions by government authorities. Although cyber-attacks have not had a material impact on our operations to date, breaches of our or third-party network security systems on which we rely could involve attacks that are intended to obtain unauthorized access to and disclose sensitive and confidential client information and our proprietary information, destroy data or disable, degrade or sabotage our systems, often through the introduction of computer viruses and other means, and could originate from a wide variety of sources, including state actors or other unknown third parties. The increase in using mobile technologies can heighten these and other operational risks.
We cannot assure you that we or the third parties on which we rely will be able to anticipate, detect or implement effective preventative measures against frequently changing cyber-attacks. We may incur significant costs in maintaining and enhancing appropriate protections to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated methods of attack. In addition to the implementation of data security measures, we require our employees to maintain the confidentiality of the proprietary information that we hold. If an employees failure to follow proper data security procedures results in the improper release of confidential information, or our systems are otherwise compromised, malfunctioning or disabled, we could suffer a disruption of our business, financial losses, liability to clients, regulatory sanctions, and damage to our reputation.
We operate in businesses that are highly dependent on proper processing of financial transactions. We also rely on third-party service providers for certain aspects of our business. Any interruption or deterioration in the performance of these third parties or failures of their information systems and technology could impair our operations, affect our reputation and adversely affect our businesses.
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The technologies we use for the operation of our business are new and require continuous developments and upgrades. We cannot assure you that these technologies will fully support our business.
We regard technology as critical to our ability to provide high-quality products and superior client services in our businesses and operations. We rely on our business partners and investees in developing the sophisticated and innovative technology systems that we use for our business activities. We expect these technologies to support the smooth performance of key functions in our platform. To adapt to evolving client needs, requirements of our business partners, and emerging industry trends, we may need to continue to invest in new technologies or the upgrade of existing technologies to deliver our products and services. We have a number of strategic initiatives involving investments in or partnerships with technology companies as well as investments in technology systems and infrastructure to support our growth strategy. These investments may be costly, may not be profitable or may be less profitable than what we have experienced historically. If these business partners or investees fail to perform their obligations or otherwise cease to work with us, our ability to execute on our strategic initiatives could be adversely affected. If our efforts to invest in the development of new technologies or the upgrade of existing technologies are unsuccessful, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, the maintenance and processing of various operating and financial data is essential to our data analytical capabilities and the day-to-day operation of our business. Our ability to provide products and services and to conduct day-to-day business operations depend, in part, on our ability to maintain and make timely and cost-effective enhancement and introduce innovative functions which can meet changing business and operational needs. Failure to do so could put us at a disadvantage to our competitors and cause economic losses. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to keep up with technological improvements or that the technology developed by others will not render our services less competitive or attractive.
The proper functioning of our online platform and technology infrastructure is essential to our business. Any errors in or disruption to our IT systems and infrastructure and those on which we rely could materially affect our ability to maintain the satisfactory performance of our platform and deliver consistent services to our clients.
Our business is dependent on the ability of our IT systems and those of our business partners, vendors, and investee companies to timely process a large amount of information and transactions. We expect to rely on AFINs API Exchange platform and other third parties to deploy digital solutions for the planned Singa Banks future digital banking platform in Singapore, subject to successfully obtaining a digital wholesale banking license from the MAS and meeting other regulatory requirements. We may also rely on PolicyPals IT systems and infrastructure to provide digital financial services to clients in Singapore and Hong Kong as well as CapBridge to provide the same upon completion of our acquisition. The reliability, availability and satisfactory performance of our IT systems and those on which we rely are critical to our success, our ability to attract and retain clients and our ability to maintain a satisfactory user experience and client service. Our servers and those of our business partners and investee companies may be vulnerable to computer viruses, traffic spike that exceeds the capacity of our or their servers, electricity power interruptions, physical or electronic break-ins, and similar disruptions, which could lead to system interruptions, website slowdown and unavailability, delays in transaction processing, loss of data, and the inability to accept and fulfill client orders.
Our software, hardware, and systems and those on which we rely may contain undetected errors that could have a material adverse effect on our business, particularly to the extent such errors are not detected and remedied quickly. The solutions we provide are designed to process complex transactions and deliver reports and other information related to those transactions, all at high volumes and processing speeds. Since clients use our services for important aspects of their businesses, any errors, defects, disruptions in services, or other performance problems with our services could hurt our reputation and damage our clients businesses. Software and system errors, or human error, could delay or inhibit settlement of payments, result in over-settlement, cause reporting errors, or prevent us from collecting transaction fees. We can provide no assurance that we, our business partners or our investee companies will not experience unexpected human errors, system errors or
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interruptions in the future. We can provide no assurance that our current security mechanisms and those of our business partners and investee companies will be sufficient to protect our and their IT systems and technology infrastructure from any third-party intrusions, electricity power interruptions, viruses and hacker attacks, information and data theft, and other similar activities. Any such future occurrences could damage our reputation and result in a material decrease in our revenue.
Maintaining and upgrading the technology infrastructure on which we rely require significant investment of time and resources, including adding new hardware, updating software, and recruiting and training new engineering personnel. During updates, systems on which we rely may experience interruptions, and the new technologies and infrastructures may not be fully integrated with the existing systems timely, or at all. Any failure to maintain and improve the technology infrastructure on which we rely could result in unanticipated system disruptions, slower response times, impaired quality of user experience and delays in reporting accurate operating and financial information, which, in turn, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Any negative publicity with respect to us, our directors, officers, employees, shareholders, or other beneficial owners, our peers, business partners, or our industry in general, may materially and adversely affect our reputation, business, and results of operations.
Our reputation and brand recognition play an important role in earning and maintaining the trust and confidence of our existing and prospective clients. Our reputation and brand are vulnerable to many threats that can be difficult or impossible to control, and costly or impossible to remediate. Negative publicity about us, such as alleged misconduct, other improper activities, or negative rumors relating to our business, shareholders, or other beneficial owners, founders, affiliates, directors, officers, or other employees, can harm our reputation, business, and results of operations, even if they are baseless or satisfactorily addressed. There has been media report that our founder was alleged to have not adhered to certain internal policies during his previous employment. These allegations, even if unproven or meritless, may lead to inquiries, investigations, or other legal actions against us by any regulatory or government authorities. Any regulatory inquiries or investigations and lawsuits against us, and perceptions of conflicts of interest, inappropriate business conduct by us or perceived wrong doing by any key member of our management team, among other things, could substantially damage our reputation regardless of their merits, and cause us to incur significant costs to defend ourselves. As we reinforce our ecosystem and stay close to our clients and other AMTD SpiderNet stakeholders, any negative market perception or publicity on our business partners that we closely cooperate with, or any regulatory inquiries or investigations and lawsuits initiated against them, may also have an impact on our brand and reputation, or subject us to regulatory inquiries or investigations or lawsuits. Moreover, any negative media publicity about the industries in which we operate in general or product or service quality problems of other firms in such industries, including our competitors, may also negatively impact our reputation and brand. If we are unable to maintain a good reputation or further enhance our brand recognition, our ability to attract and retain clients, third-party partners, and key employees could be harmed and, as a result, our business, financial position, and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
Our operations may be subject to transfer pricing adjustments by competent authorities.
We may use transfer pricing arrangements to account for business activities between us and our Controlling Shareholder, the different entities within our consolidated group, or other related parties. We cannot assure you that the tax authorities in the jurisdictions where we operate would not subsequently challenge the appropriateness of our transfer pricing arrangements or that the relevant regulations or standards governing such arrangements will not be subject to future changes. If a competent tax authority later finds that the transfer prices and the terms that we have applied are not appropriate, such authority may require us or our subsidiaries to re-assess the transfer prices and re-allocate the income or adjust the taxable income. Any such reallocation or adjustment could result in a higher overall tax liability for us and may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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Our risk management and internal control systems, as well as the risk management tools available to us, may not fully protect us against various risks inherent in our business.
We follow our comprehensive internal risk management framework and procedures to manage our risks, including, but not limited to, reputational, legal, regulatory, compliance, operational, market, liquidity, and credit risks. However, our risk management policies, procedures, and internal controls may not be adequate or effective in mitigating our risks or protecting us against unidentified or unanticipated risks. In particular, some methods of managing risks are based upon observed historical market behavior and our experience in the financial industry. These methods may fail to predict future risk exposures, which could be significantly greater than those indicated by our historical measures. Other risk management methods depend upon an evaluation of available information regarding operating and market conditions and other matters, which may not be accurate, complete, up-to-date, or properly evaluated. In addition, the capital markets are constantly developing, the information and experience that we rely on for our risk management methods may become quickly outdated as capital markets and regulatory environment continue to evolve. Although we have not experienced any material deficiencies or failure in our risk management and internal control systems and procedures since we commenced our current businesses in 2004 other than a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting identified as of April 30, 2019 and 2020, any such deficiencies or failure in our risk management and internal control systems and procedures may adversely affect our ability to identify or report our deficiencies or non-compliance. For a discussion of risks relating to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, see Risks Relating to Our Business and IndustryWe have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and if we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal control to remediate our material weakness over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations, or prevent fraud. In addition, failure of our employees to effectively enforce such risk management and internal controls procedures, or any of the foregoing risks, may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Fraud or misconduct by our directors, officers, employees, shareholders, agents, clients, or other third parties could harm our reputation and business and may be difficult to detect and deter.
It is not always possible to detect and deter fraud or misconduct by our directors, officers, employees, shareholders, agents, clients or other third parties. The precautions that we take to detect and prevent such activity may not be effective in all cases, and we may suffer significant reputational harm and financial loss for any fraud misconduct by any of these individuals. The potential harm to our reputation and to our business caused by such fraud or misconduct is impossible to quantify.
There is a risk that our directors, officers, employees, shareholders, agents, clients or other third parties could engage in fraud or misconduct that materially and adversely affects our business, including a decrease in returns on our own invested capital. We are subject to a number of obligations and standards arising from our businesses. The violation of these obligations and standards by any of our directors, officers, employees, shareholders, agents, clients or other third parties could materially and adversely affect us and our investors. For example, our businesses require that we properly handle confidential information. If our directors, officers, employees, shareholders, agents, clients or other third parties were to improperly use or disclose confidential information, we could suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial position, and existing and future business relationships. If any of our directors, officers, employees, shareholders, agents, clients or other third parties were to engage in fraud or misconduct or were to be accused of such fraud or misconduct, our business and reputation could be materially and adversely affected.
We may be subject to litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings and may not always be successful in defending ourselves against such claims or proceedings.
We face significant litigation and regulatory risks, especially operating in the financial services and insurance industries, including the risk of lawsuits and other legal actions relating to compliance of regulatory
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requirements in areas such as information disclosure, sales practices, product design, fraud and misconduct, as well as protection of sensitive and confidential client information. From time to time we may be subject to lawsuits and arbitration claims in the ordinary course of our business brought by external parties or disgruntled current or former employees, inquiries, investigations, and proceedings by regulatory and other governmental agencies. Actions brought against us, with or without merits, may result in administrative measures, settlements, injunctions, fines, penalties, negative publicities, or other results adverse to us that could have material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. Even if we are successful in defending ourselves against these actions, the costs of such defense may be significant.
In market downturns, the number of legal claims and amount of damages sought in litigation and regulatory proceedings may increase. In addition, our affiliates may also encounter litigation, regulatory investigations and proceedings for the practices in their business operations. Our clients may also be involved in litigation, investigation or other legal proceedings, some of which may relate to deals that we have advised, whether or not there has been any fault on our part.
We may not be able to fully detect money laundering and other illegal or improper activities in our business operations on a timely basis or at all, which could subject us to liabilities and penalties.
We are required to comply with applicable anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws and other regulations in the jurisdictions where we operate. The anti-money laundering laws and regulations in Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, and China require us to establish sound internal control policies and procedures with respect to anti-money laundering monitoring and reporting activities. Although we have adopted policies and procedures aimed at detecting, and preventing being used for, money-laundering activities by criminals or terrorist-related organizations and individuals or improper activities (including but not limited to market manipulation and aiding and abetting tax evasion), such policies and procedures may not completely eliminate instances where our networks may be used by other parties to engage in money laundering and other illegal or improper activities. If we fail to fully comply with applicable laws and regulations, the relevant government agencies may impose fines and other penalties on us, which may adversely affect our business.
We regularly encounter potential conflicts of interest, and our failure to identify and address such conflicts of interest could adversely affect our business.
We face the possibility of actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest in the ordinary course of our business operations. Conflicts of interest may exist between (i) our different businesses; (ii) us and our clients; (iii) our clients; (iv) us and our employees; (v) our clients and our employees, or (vi) us and our controlling shareholders and their controlling entities. As we expand the scope of our business and our client base, it is critical for us to be able to timely address potential conflicts of interest, including situations where two or more interests within our businesses naturally exist but are in competition or conflict. We have put in place internal control and risk management procedures that are designed to identify and address conflicts of interest. However, appropriately identifying and managing actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest is complex and difficult, and our reputation and our clients confidence in us could be damaged if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with one or more actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. It is possible that actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest could also give rise to client dissatisfaction, litigation, or regulatory enforcement actions. Regulatory scrutiny of, or litigation in connection with, conflicts of interest could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, which could materially and adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including a reluctance of some potential clients and counterparties to do business with us. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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The current tensions in international economic relations may negatively affect the demand for our services, and our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
Recently there have been heightened tensions in international economic relations, such as the one between the United States and China. The U.S. government has recently imposed, and has recently proposed to impose additional, new, or higher tariffs on certain products imported from China to penalize China for what it characterizes as unfair trade practices. China has responded by imposing, and proposing to impose additional, new, or higher tariffs on certain products imported from the United States. For example, September 17, 2018, former President Trump announced his decision to impose a 10% tariff on the third list of US$200 billion in imports from China to the United States effective September 24, 2018. On May 8, 2019, the U.S. government announced it would increase these tariffs to 25%. These tariffs are in addition to two earlier rounds of tariffs implemented against Chinese products on June 6, 2018 and August 16, 2018 that amount to tariffs on US$50 billion of Chinese products imported into the United States. On May 13, 2019, China responded by imposing tariffs on certain U.S. goods on a smaller scale, and proposed to impose additional tariffs on U.S. goods. On January 15, 2020, the United States and China entered into a phase one trade deal.
In addition, political tensions between the United States and China have escalated due to, among other things, trade disputes, the COVID-19 outbreak, sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of Treasury on certain officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the PRC central government and the executive orders issued by the U.S. government in August 2020 that prohibit certain transactions with certain selected leading Chinese internet companies as well as their products. Rising political tensions could reduce levels of trades, investments, technological exchanges, and other economic activities between the two major economies. Such tensions between the United States and China, and any escalation thereof, may have a negative impact on the general, economic, political, and social conditions in China and, in turn, adversely impacting our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Amid these tensions, the U.S. government has imposed and may impose additional measures on entities in China, including sanctions. As a financial services firm with business exposure and operations in Singapore and Hong Kong, our businesses are materially affected by the financial markets and economic conditions in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and elsewhere in the world. Escalations of the tensions that affect trade relations may lead to slower growth in the global economy in general, which in turn could negatively affect our clients businesses and materially reduce demand for our services, thus potentially negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may need additional financing but may not be able to obtain it on favorable terms or at all.
We may require additional financing for further growth and development of our business, including any investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue. If our existing resources are insufficient to satisfy our requirements, we may seek to issue equity or debt securities or obtain new or expanded credit facilities. Our ability to obtain external financing in the future is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including our future financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, share price performance, liquidity of international capital and lending markets, and the Singapore and Hong Kong financial industry. We cannot assure you that we will be able to secure financing in a timely manner or in amounts or on terms favorable to us, or at all. Any failure to raise needed funds on terms favorable to us, or at all, could severely restrict our liquidity as well as have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Moreover, any issuance of equity or equity-linked securities could result in significant dilution to our existing shareholders.
We may be subject to legal or regulatory liability if we are unable to protect the personal and sensitive data and confidential information of our clients.
We collect, store, and process certain personal and sensitive data from our clients, particularly under our insurance solutions business, and we make certain personal information provided by clients or third party data
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providers available to insurer or other partners with client consent. We also collect, store, and process operating data and other information from our clients under our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business. We are required to protect the personal and sensitive data and confidential information of our clients under applicable laws, rules and regulations. While we have taken steps to protect the personal and sensitive data and confidential information of clients that we have access to, our security measures could be breached. In addition, we enter into non-disclosure agreements with potential business partners from time to time which may contain personal and sensitive data and confidential information of our clients. Any breach or leakage of such non-disclosure agreements by our potential business partners may subject us to liability. The relevant authorities may impose sanctions or issue orders against us if we fail to protect the personal and sensitive data and confidential information of our clients, and we may have to compensate our clients if we fail to do so. We routinely transmit and receive personal and sensitive data and confidential information of our clients through the internet and other electronic means. Any inability to adequately address privacy concerns, even if unfounded, or to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws, regulations and privacy standards, or any misuse or mishandling of such personal and sensitive data and confidential information could result in additional cost, legal liabilities, regulatory actions, and reputational damage to us, which could in turn inhibit the use of our platform, and materially and adversely affect our business prospects and results of operation.
If our insurance coverage is insufficient, we may be subject to significant costs and business disruption.
We currently have insurance coverage such as professional indemnity insurance for certain of our regulated activities, and property, office, computer insurance, employee compensation and benefits, and travel insurance through policies maintained by our Controlling Shareholder. We are in the process of purchasing directors and officers insurance and do not plan on purchasing key-man insurance coverage. We consider our insurance coverage to be reasonable in light of the nature of our business, but we cannot assure you that our insurance coverage is sufficient to prevent us from any loss or that we will be able to successfully claim our losses under the current insurance policies on a timely basis, or at all. If we incur any loss that is not covered by our Controlling Shareholders insurance policies, or the compensated amount is significantly less than our actual loss, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and if we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal control to remediate our material weakness over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations, or prevent fraud.
Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal control. Our management has not completed an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting. In the course of auditing our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as well as other control deficiencies as of April 30, 2019 and 2020, in accordance with the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. As defined in the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
The material weakness identified is relating to lack of internal audit function and audit committee to monitor, evaluate and communicate internal control deficiencies. We plan to implement a number of measures to address the material weakness that has been identified. For a discussion of these measures, see Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsInternal Control Over Financial Reporting. We cannot assure you, however, that these measures may fully address the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting or that we may not identify additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the future.
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Upon completion of this offering, we will become a public company in the United States subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, will require that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2021. In addition, once we cease to be an emerging growth company as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal control or the level at which our control is documented, designed, operated, or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, after we become a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational, and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.
During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain adequate system of internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented, or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our ADSs. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements from prior periods.
We may face intellectual property infringement claims, which could be time-consuming and costly to defend and may result in the loss of significant rights by us.
Although we have not been subject to any litigation, pending or threatened, alleging infringement of third parties intellectual property rights, we cannot assure you that such infringement claims will not be asserted against us in the future. Third parties may own copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, ticker symbols, internet content, and other intellectual properties that are similar to ours in jurisdictions where we currently have no active operations. If we expand our business to or engage in other commercial activities in those jurisdictions using our own copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and internet content, we may not be able to use these intellectual properties or face potential lawsuits from those third parties and incur substantial losses if we fail to defend ourselves in those lawsuits. We have policies and procedures in place to reduce the likelihood that we or our employees may use, develop, or make available any content or applications without the proper licenses or necessary third-party consents. However, these policies and procedures may not be effective in completely preventing the unauthorized posting or use of copyrighted material or the infringement of other rights of third parties.
Intellectual property litigation is expensive and time-consuming and could divert resources and management attention from the operation of our business. If there is a successful claim of infringement, we may be required to alter our services, cease certain activities, pay substantial royalties and damages to, and obtain one or more licenses from third parties. We may not be able to obtain those licenses on commercially acceptable terms, or at all. Any of those consequences could cause us to lose revenue, impair our client relationships and harm our reputation.
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Any failure to protect our intellectual property could harm our business and competitive position.
We maintain a number of registered domain names and, although we do not currently own any registered trademarks, we may in the future acquire new intellectual property such as trademarks, copyrights, domain names, and know-how. We will rely on a combination of intellectual property laws and contractual arrangements to protect our intellectual property rights. It is possible that third parties may copy or otherwise obtain and use our trademarks without authorization or otherwise infringe on our rights. We may not be able to successfully pursue claims for infringement that interfere with our ability to use our trademarks, website, or other relevant intellectual property or have adverse impact on our brand. We cannot assure you that any of our intellectual property rights would not be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented, or such intellectual property will be sufficient to provide us with competitive advantages. In addition, other parties may misappropriate our intellectual property rights, which would cause us to suffer economic or reputational damages.
We may incur losses or experience disruption of our operations as a result of unforeseen or catastrophic events, including the emergence of an epidemic, pandemic, social unrest, terrorist attacks, or natural disasters.
Our business could be materially and adversely affected by catastrophic events or other business continuity problems, such as natural or man-made disasters, pandemics, social unrest, war, riots, terrorist attacks, or other public safety concerns. If we were to experience a natural or man-made disaster, disruption due to social or political unrest, or disruption involving electronic communications or other services used by us or third parties with which we conduct business, the continuity of our operations will partially depend on the availability of our people and office facilities and the proper functioning of our computer, software, telecommunications, transaction processing, and other related systems. A disaster or a disruption in the infrastructure that supports our businesses, a disruption involving electronic communications or other services used by us or third parties with whom we conduct business, or a disruption that directly affects our business exposure and operations in Singapore and Hong Kong, could have a material adverse impact on our ability to continue to operate our business without interruption. Our business could also be adversely affected if our employees are affected by epidemics, pandemics, natural or man-made disasters, disruptions due to social or political unrest or disruption involving electronic communications. In addition, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent that any epidemic or pandemic harms the Singapore, Hong Kong, or global economy in general. The incidence and severity of disasters, epidemics or pandemics or other business continuity problems are unpredictable, and our inability to timely and successfully recover could materially disrupt our businesses and cause material financial loss, regulatory actions, reputational harm, or legal liability.
In addition, although the recent outbreak of COVID-19 may increase demand for online financial solutions, digital media marketing, and other online-based products and services, its impact, including impact on our employees, clients, business partners, and third-party service providers, could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. This outbreak of COVID-19 has caused, and may continue to cause, companies in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the rest of the world, including us and certain of our business partners, to implement temporary adjustment of work schedules and travel plans, mandating employees to work from home and collaborate remotely. As a result, we may experience lower efficiency and productivity, internally and externally, which may adversely affect our service quality. Moreover, our business operations depend on our professional staff and the continued services of these individuals. If any of our employees is suspected of having contracted COVID-19, we may be required to apply quarantines or suspend our operations. The extent to which this outbreak impacts our results of operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of this outbreak and future actions we take, if any, to contain this outbreak or treat its impact, among others.
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Our ADSs may be delisted under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the PCAOB is unable to inspect auditors who are located in China. The delisting of our ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections deprives our investors with the benefits of such inspections.
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCA Act states if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares or ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market in the U.S.
Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this prospectus, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Since our auditor is located in Greater China, with operations in and who performs audit operations of registrants in China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, the work of our auditor as it relates to those operations is currently not inspected by the PCAOB.
In May 2013, the PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance, which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations undertaken by the PCAOB in the PRC or by the CSRC or the PRC Ministry of Finance in the United States. The PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance to permit joint inspections in the PRC of audit firms that are registered with the PCAOB and audit Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges.
On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCA Act. We will be required to comply with these rules if the SEC identifies us as having a non-inspection year under a process to be subsequently established by the SEC. The SEC is assessing how to implement other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the listing and trading prohibition requirements described above.
The SEC may propose additional rules or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. For example, on August 6, 2020, the Presidents Working Group on Financial Markets, or the PWG, issued the Report on Protecting United States Investors from Significant Risks from Chinese Companies to the then President of the United States. This report recommended the SEC implement five recommendations to address companies from jurisdictions that do not provide the PCAOB with sufficient access to fulfil its statutory mandate. Some of the concepts of these recommendations were implemented with the enactment of the HFCA Act. However, some of the recommendations were more stringent than the HFCA Act. For example, if a company was not subject to PCAOB inspection, the report recommended that the transition period before a company would be delisted would end on January 1, 2022.
The SEC has announced that the SEC staff is preparing a consolidated proposal for the rules regarding the implementation of the HFCA Act and to address the recommendations in the PWG report. It is unclear when the SEC will complete its rulemaking and when such rules will become effective and what, if any, of the PWG recommendations will be adopted. The implications of this possible regulation in addition the requirements of the HFCA Act are uncertain. Such uncertainty could cause the market price of our ADSs to be materially and adversely affected, and our securities could be delisted or prohibited from being traded over-the-counter earlier than would be required by the HFCA Act. If our securities are unable to be listed on another securities exchange by then, such a delisting would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with a potential delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our ADSs.
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The PCAOBs inability to conduct inspections in China prevents it from fully evaluating the audits and quality control procedures of our independent registered public accounting firm. As a result, we and investors in our ADSs are deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firms audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our stock to lose confidence in the audit procedures of our auditor and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.
Fluctuations in the value of Renminbi and regulatory controls on the convertibility and offshore remittance of Renminbi may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Some of our clients are Chinese institutions or corporates, and they are subject to the relevant controls of the PRC government as well as risks relating to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. The change in value of Renminbi against Hong Kong dollars and other currencies is affected by various factors, such as changes in political and economic conditions in China. Any significant revaluation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect the cash flows, revenue, earnings, and financial position of our Chinese clients. In addition, the PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, currency remittance out of China. Since 2016, the PRC government has tightened its foreign exchange policies and stepped up its scrutiny of outbound capital movement. In addition, under the existing regulations on offshore investment, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required when Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency for the purpose of offshore investment. Revaluation of the Renminbi and PRC laws and regulations in connection with the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies or offshore remittance of the Renminbi may limit the ability of our Chinese clients to engage our services, which may in turn have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We may be affected by the currency peg system in Hong Kong.
Since 1983, Hong Kong dollars have been pegged to the U.S. dollars at the rate of approximately HK$7.80 to US$1.00. We cannot assure you that this policy will not be changed in the future. If the pegging system collapses and Hong Kong dollars suffer devaluation, the Hong Kong dollar cost of our expenditures denominated in foreign currency may increase. This would in turn adversely affect the operations and profitability of our business.
Increases in labor costs may adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The economy in Singapore, Hong Kong, and globally has experienced general increases in inflation and labor costs in recent years. As a result, average wages in Singapore, Hong Kong, and certain other regions are expected to continue to increase. In addition, we are required by Singapore and Hong Kong laws and regulations to pay various statutory employee benefits, including mandatory provident fund to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. The relevant government agencies may examine whether an employer has made adequate payments to the statutory employee benefits, and those employers who fail to make adequate payments may be subject to fines and other penalties. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to control our labor costs or pass on these increasing labor costs, our financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Risks Relating to Our Relationship with the Controlling Shareholder
We have limited experience operating as a stand-alone public company.
AMTD Digital Inc. was incorporated in September 2019 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of our Controlling Shareholder. Our Controlling Shareholder also controls AMTD International Inc., or AMTD International, a
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leading Hong Kong-headquartered comprehensive financial institution dual-listed on both the NYSE and SGX-ST (NYSE: HKIB; SGX: HKB). However, we have limited experience conducting our operations as a stand-alone public company. Prior to this offering, our Controlling Shareholder has provided us with financial, administrative, human resources, and legal services, and also has provided us with the services of a number of its executives and employees. After we become a stand-alone public company, we expect our Controlling Shareholder to continue to provide us with certain support services, but to the extent our Controlling Shareholder does not continue to provide us with such support, we will need to create our own support system. We may encounter operational, administrative, and strategic difficulties as we adjust to operating as a stand-alone public company. This may cause us to react more slowly than our competitors to industry changes and may divert our managements attention from running our business or otherwise harm our operations.
In addition, since we are becoming a public company, our management team will need to develop the expertise necessary to comply with the numerous regulatory and other requirements applicable to public companies, including requirements relating to corporate governance, listing standards and securities and investor relationships issues. As a stand-alone public company, our management will have to evaluate our internal controls system with new thresholds of materiality, and to implement necessary changes to our internal controls system. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so in a timely and effective manner.
Our financial information included in this prospectus may not be representative of our financial condition and results of operations if we had been operating as a stand-alone company.
Prior to our establishment, the operations of our insurance solutions, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, and digital investments businesses were carried out by companies owned or controlled by our Controlling Shareholder. For all periods presented, our consolidated financial statements include all assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and cash flows that were directly attributable to our insurance solutions, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, and digital investments businesses whether held or incurred by our Controlling Shareholder or by us. With respect to costs of operations of the insurance solutions, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, and digital investments businesses, an allocation of certain costs and expenses of our Controlling Shareholder were also included. These allocations were made using a proportional cost allocation method by considering the proportion of revenue and actual usage metrics, among other things attributable to us. We made numerous estimates, assumptions, and allocations in our historical financial statements because our Controlling Shareholder did not account for us, and we did not operate as a stand-alone company for any period prior to the completion of this offering. Although our management believes the assumptions underlying our financial statements and the above allocations are reasonable, our financial statements may not necessarily reflect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows as if we operated as a stand-alone public company during the periods presented. See Corporate History and StructureOur Relationship with the Controlling Shareholder for our arrangements with our Controlling Shareholder and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for our historical cost allocation. In addition, upon becoming a stand-alone public company, we will gradually establish our own financial, administrative, and other support systems to replace our Controlling Shareholders systems, the cost of which could be significantly different from cost allocation with our Controlling Shareholder for the same services. Therefore, you should not view our historical results as indicators of our future performance.
We may not continue to receive the same level of support from our Controlling Shareholder.
We have benefitted significantly from our Controlling Shareholders strong market position and brand recognition, as well as its expertise in the insurance solutions business. We may enter into a series of agreements with our Controlling Shareholder relating to our ongoing business operations and service arrangements with our Controlling Shareholder in the future, we cannot assure you we will continue to receive the same level of support from our Controlling Shareholder after we become a stand-alone public company. Our current clients may react negatively to our restructuring. This effort may not be successful, which could materially and adversely affect our business.
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Our agreements with our Controlling Shareholder or any of its controlling shareholders may be less favorable to us than similar agreements negotiated between unaffiliated third parties. In particular, our non-competition agreement with our Controlling Shareholder limits the scope of business that we are allowed to conduct.
We expect to enter into a series of agreements with our Controlling Shareholder and the terms of such agreements may be less favorable to us than would be the case if they were negotiated with unaffiliated third parties. In particular, under the non-competition agreement that we expect to enter into with our Controlling Shareholder, we agree during the non-competition period (which will end on the later of (1) two years after the first date when our Controlling Shareholder ceases to own in aggregate at least 20% of the voting power of our then outstanding securities and (2) the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering) not to compete with our Controlling Shareholder in the businesses currently conducted by our Controlling Shareholder, except that we may own non-controlling equity interest in any company competing with our Controlling Shareholder. Such contractual limitations significantly affect our ability to diversify our revenue sources and may materially and adversely impact our business and prospects should the growth of our businesses slow down. In addition, pursuant to our master transaction agreement that we expect to enter into with our Controlling Shareholder, we agree to indemnify our Controlling Shareholder for liabilities arising from litigation and other contingencies related to our business and assumed these liabilities as part of our restructuring. The allocation of assets and liabilities between our Controlling Shareholder and our company may not reflect the allocation that would have been reached by two unaffiliated parties. Moreover, so long as our Controlling Shareholder continues to control us, we may not be able to bring a legal claim against our Controlling Shareholder or its controlling shareholders in the event of contractual breach, notwithstanding our contractual rights under the agreements described above and other inter-company agreements we may enter into from time to time.
Upon the completion of this offering, we will be a controlled company within the meaning of the NYSE Listed Company Manual and, as a result, can rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.
Upon the completion of this offering, our Controlling Shareholder will continue to control a majority of the voting power of our issued outstanding ordinary shares. As a result, we will be a controlled company within the meaning of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. Under these rules, a listed company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, group, or another company is a controlled company and will be permitted to elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirement that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors, the requirement that we have a nominating and corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors, and the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors. As we may intend to rely on some or all of the exemptions available to issuers like us, our shareholders may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.
We may have conflicts of interest with our Controlling Shareholders or any of its controlling shareholders and, because of our Controlling Shareholders controlling ownership interest in our company, we may not be able to resolve such conflicts on terms favorable to us.
Immediately upon the completion of this offering, our Controlling Shareholder will beneficially own % of our outstanding ordinary shares, representing % of our total voting power, assuming the underwriters of this offering do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. Accordingly, our Controlling Shareholder will continue to be our controlling shareholder immediately upon the completion of this offering and may have significant influence in determining the outcome of any corporate actions or other matters that require shareholder approval, such as mergers, consolidations, change of our name, and amendments of our memorandum and articles of association.
The concentration of ownership and voting power may cause transactions to occur in a way that may not be beneficial to you as a holder of our ADSs in this offering and may prevent us from doing transactions that would
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be beneficial to you. Conflicts of interest may arise between our Controlling Shareholder or any of its controlling shareholders and us in a number of areas relating to our past and ongoing relationships. Potential conflicts of interest that we have identified include the following:
| Indemnification arrangements with our Controlling Shareholder. We expect to enter into a master transaction agreement under which we agree to indemnify our Controlling Shareholder with respect to lawsuits and other matters relating to our digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, contents, and marketing, and digital investments businesses, including operations of those businesses when we were a private company and a subsidiary of our Controlling Shareholder. These indemnification arrangements could result in our having interests that are adverse to those of our Controlling Shareholder, for example, with respect to settlement arrangements in litigation. In addition, under these arrangements, we agreed to reimburse our Controlling Shareholder for liabilities incurred (including legal defense costs) in connection with any third party claim if it is ultimately determined that we are obligated to indemnify our Controlling Shareholder with respect to such third party claim. |
| Non-competition arrangements with our Controlling Shareholder. We expect to enter into a non-competition agreement under which our Controlling Shareholder agrees not to compete with us in our digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing, and digital investments businesses, except for owning non-controlling equity interest in any company competing with us. We agree not to compete with our Controlling Shareholder in the respective businesses currently conducted by our Controlling Shareholder, except that we may own non-controlling equity interests in any company competing with our Controlling Shareholder. |
| Employee recruiting and retention. Because we, our Controlling Shareholder and AMTD International are engaged in financial service-related businesses in Hong Kong, we may compete with our Controlling Shareholder and AMTD International in the hiring of new employees. We expect to enter into a non-competition agreement and have a non-solicitation arrangement with our Controlling Shareholder and AMTD International that restricts us, our Controlling Shareholder and AMTD International from hiring any of each others employees. |
| Our board members or executive officers may have conflicts of interest. Our director and president, Frederic Lau, is also the vice chairman of our Controlling Shareholder. Our director and chief executive officer, Mark Chi Hang Lo, is also the group vice president of our Controlling Shareholder. Our chief financial officer, Xavier Ho Sum Zee, is also the group chief financial officer of our Controlling Shareholder and the co-chief financial officer of AMTD International. As a result, they may not have sufficient capacity to perform their duties in our company. These overlapping relationships could create, or appear to create, conflicts of interest when these persons are faced with decisions with potentially different implications for our Controlling Shareholder and us. |
| Sale of shares or assets in our company. Upon expiration of the lock-up period and subject to certain restrictions under relevant securities laws and stock exchange rules, as well as other relevant restrictions, our Controlling Shareholder may decide to sell all or a portion of our shares that it holds to a third party, including to one of our competitors, thereby giving that third party substantial influence over our business and our affairs. In addition, our Controlling Shareholder may decide, or be obligated under any of its applicable debt covenant, to sell all or a portion of our shares or our assets in the event of default of our Controlling Shareholder or any of its controlling shareholders under any applicable debt or other obligations or otherwise becomes insolvent. Such a sale of our shares or our assets could be contrary to the interests of our employees or our other shareholders. In addition, our Controlling Shareholder may also discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of our company, which could deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and might reduce the price of our ADSs. |
| Allocation of business opportunities. Business opportunities may arise that both we and our Controlling Shareholder find attractive, and which would complement our respective businesses. Although we expect to enter into a master transaction agreement under which our Controlling Shareholder agrees not |
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to pursue investment opportunities without first presenting them to us, our Controlling Shareholder may discourage, delay, or prevent a profitable investment opportunity before our board of directors or shareholders and subsequently decide to pursue investment opportunities or take business opportunities for itself, which would prevent us from taking advantage of those opportunities. These actions may be taken even if they are opposed by our other shareholders, including those who purchase ADSs in this offering. |
| Developing business relationships with our Controlling Shareholders competitors. So long as our Controlling Shareholder remains as our controlling shareholder, we may be limited in our ability to do business with its competitors. This may limit our ability to market our services for the best interests of our company and our other shareholders. |
Risks Relating to Our ADSs and This Offering
There has been no public market for the ADSs or our ordinary shares prior to this offering, and you may not be able to resell the ADSs at or above the price you paid, or at all.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs or our ordinary shares. Although we intend to apply to have the ADSs listed on the New York Stock Exchange, we cannot assure you that a liquid public market for the ADSs will develop. If an active public market for the ADSs does not develop following the completion of this offering, the market price of the ADSs may decline and the liquidity of the ADSs may decrease significantly.
The initial public offering price for the ADSs will be determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters based on several factors, and we cannot assure you that the price at which the ADSs are traded after this offering will not decline below the initial public offering price. As a result, investors in the ADSs may experience a significant decrease in the value of their ADSs due to insufficient or a lack of market liquidity of the ADSs.
The trading price of the ADSs may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.
The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen due to broad market and industry factors, such as performance and fluctuation in the market prices or underperformance or deteriorating financial results of other listed companies based in Hong Kong. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of other Hong Kong companies securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors towards Hong Kong-based, U.S.-listed companies, which consequently may affect the trading performance of the ADSs regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure, or matters of other Hong Kong companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Hong Kong companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have conducted any inappropriate activities. Furthermore, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, which may materially and adversely affect the trading price of the ADSs.
In addition to the above factors, the price and trading volume of the ADSs may be highly volatile due to multiple factors, including the following:
| regulatory developments affecting us or our industry; |
| variations in our revenue, profit, and cash flow; |
| changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other financial services firms; |
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| actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations and changes or revisions of our expected results; |
| changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts; |
| detrimental negative publicity about us, our services, our officers, directors, Controlling Shareholder, other beneficial owners, our business partners, or our industry; |
| announcements by us or our competitors of new service offerings, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures, capital raises, or capital commitments; |
| additions to or departures of our senior management; |
| litigation or regulatory proceedings involving us, our officers, directors, or Controlling Shareholders; |
| the rising political tension between the United States and China caused by, among other things, trade disputes and the COVID-19 outbreak; |
| release or expiry of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding shares or the ADSs; and |
| sales or perceived potential sales of additional ADSs or ordinary shares. |
Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which the ADSs will trade.
In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our managements attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for the ADSs will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If research analysts do not establish and maintain adequate research coverage or if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades the ADSs or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for the ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for the ADSs to decline.
The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares in the public market could adversely affect their market price.
Sales of substantial amounts of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares in the public market after the completion of this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. The ADSs sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and shares held by our existing shareholders may also be sold in the public market in the future subject to the restrictions in Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act and the applicable lock-up agreements. Immediately after the completion of this offering, there will be ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs) outstanding, or ordinary
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shares (including Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs) if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full. In connection with this offering, we, our officers, directors, and existing shareholders [have agreed] not to sell any of our ordinary shares or the ADSs or are otherwise subject to similar lockup restrictions for 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of [the representatives of the underwriters], subject to certain exceptions. However, the underwriters may release these securities from these restrictions at any time, subject to applicable regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of the ADSs. See Underwriting and Shares Eligible for Future Sale for a more detailed description of the restrictions on selling our securities after this offering.
Our dual-class share structure with different voting rights will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.
Under our dual-class share structure, our ordinary shares consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. In respect of matters requiring the votes of shareholders, holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to twenty votes per share, while holders of Class A ordinary shares will be entitled to one vote per share based on our dual-class share structure. We will sell ADS representing Class A ordinary shares in this offering. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition of any Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person other than our founder, Calvin Choi, or any other person or entity designated by Mr. Choi, such Class B ordinary shares are automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares.
As of the date of this prospectus, our Controlling Shareholder and certain other affiliates beneficially own all of our issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares. These Class B ordinary shares will constitute approximately % of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares and % of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately after the completion of this offering due to the disparate voting powers associated with our dual-class share structure, assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. See Principal Shareholders. As a result of the dual-class share structure and the concentration of ownership, holders of Class B ordinary shares will have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers, consolidations, and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors, and other significant corporate actions. Such holders may take actions that are not in the best interest of us or our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of the ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover, or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.
The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares may adversely affect the trading market for the ADSs.
S&P Dow Jones and FTSE Russell have recently announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies in certain indices, including the S&P 500, to exclude companies with multiple classes of shares and companies whose public shareholders hold no more than 5% of total voting power from being added to such indices. In addition, several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class capital structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our ordinary shares may prevent the inclusion of the ADSs in such indices and may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for the ADSs. Any actions or publications by shareholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of the ADSs.
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Because the amount, timing, and whether or not we distribute dividends at all is entirely at the discretion of our board of directors, you must rely on price appreciation of the ADSs for return on your investment.
Although we currently intend to distribute dividends in the future, the amount, timing, and whether or not we actually distribute dividends at all is entirely at the discretion of our board of directors.
Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. In either case, all dividends are subject to certain restrictions under the Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of retained profits or share premium, and provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiary, our financial condition, contractual restrictions, and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in the ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the ADSs. We cannot assure you that the ADSs will appreciate in value after this offering or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in the ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in the ADSs.
Because our initial public offering price is substantially higher than our pro forma net tangible book value per share, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution.
If you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will pay more for your ADSs than the amount paid by existing shareholders for their ordinary shares on a per ADS or per share basis. As a result, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of approximately US$ per ADS or US$ per share (assuming no exercise of outstanding options to acquire ordinary shares), representing the difference between (i) our pro forma net tangible book value per ADS of US$ as of April 30, 2020 after giving effect to this offering, and (ii) the assumed initial public offering price per share of US$ per ADS (the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the front cover page of this prospectus). In addition, you may experience further dilution to the extent that our ordinary shares are issued upon the exercise of share options. [Substantially all of the ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of currently outstanding share options will be issued at a purchase price on a per ADS or per share basis that is less than the initial public offering price per ADS in this offering]. See Dilution for a more complete description of how the value of your investment in the ADSs will be diluted upon the completion of this offering.
The voting rights of holders of the ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are voted.
Holders of the ADSs do not have the same rights as our registered shareholders. As a holder of ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. You will only be able to exercise the voting rights that are carried by the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs indirectly by giving voting instructions to the depositary in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you may vote only by giving voting instructions to the depositary. If we instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, then upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try, as far as practicable, to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs in accordance with your instructions. If we do not instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, the depositary may still vote in accordance with instructions you give, but it is not required to do so. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs unless you withdraw the shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. Under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to be given by our company to our registered shareholders for convening a general meeting is seven (7) days.
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When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of the meeting to withdraw the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares to allow you to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent you from withdrawing the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that you would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We have agreed to give the depositary at least 40 days prior notice of shareholder meetings. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.
Your right to participate in any future rights offerings may be limited, which may cause dilution to your holdings.
We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we cannot make rights available to you in the United States unless we register both the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirement is available. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not make rights available to you unless both the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ADS holders are either registered under the Securities Act or exempt from the registration requirement under the Securities Act. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective and we may not be able to establish a necessary exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you may be unable to participate in our rights offerings in the future and may experience dilution in your holdings.
You may not receive cash dividends if the depositary decides it is impractical to make them available to you.
The depositary will pay cash distributions on the ADSs only to the extent that we decide to distribute dividends on our Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities. To the extent that there is a distribution, the depositary has agreed to pay you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on our Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of Class A ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary may, at its discretion, decide that it is inequitable or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, the depositary may determine that it is not practicable to distribute certain property through the mail, or that the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In these cases, the depositary may decide not to distribute such property to you.
We and the depository are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of ADS holders under the terms of such agreement, and we may terminate the deposit agreement, without the prior consent of the ADS holders.
We and the depository are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of the ADS holders under the terms of such agreement, without the prior consent of the ADS holders. We and the depositary may agree to amend the deposit agreement in any way we decide is necessary or advantageous to us. Amendments may reflect, among other things, operational changes in the ADS program, legal developments
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affecting ADSs or changes in the terms of our business relationship with the depositary. In the event that the terms of an amendment are disadvantageous to ADS holders, ADS holders will only receive 30 days advance notice of the amendment, and no prior consent of the ADS holders is required under the deposit agreement. Furthermore, we may decide to terminate the ADS facility at any time for any reason. For example, terminations may occur when we decide to list our shares on a non-U.S. securities exchange and determine not to continue to sponsor an ADS facility or when we become the subject of a takeover or a going-private transaction. If the ADS facility will terminate, ADS holders will receive at least 90 days prior notice, but no prior consent is required from them. Under the circumstances that we decide to make an amendment to the deposit agreement that is disadvantageous to ADS holders or terminate the deposit agreement, the ADS holders may choose to sell their ADSs or surrender their ADSs and become direct holders of the underlying Class A ordinary shares, but will have no right to any compensation whatsoever.
ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.
The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim that they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our ordinary shares, the ADSs, or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws.
If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable state and federal law. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, by a federal or state court in the City of New York, which has non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. It is advisable that you consult legal counsel regarding the jury waiver provision before entering into the deposit agreement.
If you or any other holders or beneficial owners of ADSs bring a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against us or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.
Nevertheless, if this jury trial waiver provision is not permitted by applicable law, an action could proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any substantive provision of the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.
Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems it expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate
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events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of the ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.
Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.
We are a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. We conduct our operations outside the United States and substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. In addition, substantially all of our directors and executive officers and the experts named in this prospectus reside outside the United States, and most of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against them in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands, Singapore, Hong Kong or other relevant jurisdiction may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. For more information regarding the relevant laws of the Cayman Islands, Singapore, and Hong Kong, see Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.
You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under the Cayman Islands law.
We are a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands (as revised from time to time), and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under the Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under the Cayman Islands law may not be as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, the Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
Shareholders of Cayman Islands companies like us have no general rights under the Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records, other than the memorandum and articles of association and any special resolutions passed by such companies, and the registers of mortgages and charges of such companies. Our directors have discretion under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.
Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. Currently, we do not plan to rely on home country practice with respect to our corporate governance after we complete this offering. However, if we choose to follow home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.
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As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of our board of directors, or our Controlling Shareholder than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see Description of Share CapitalDifferences in Cayman Corporate Law and U.S. Corporate Law.
Our currently effective memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could discourage a third party from acquiring us, which could limit our shareholders opportunity to sell their shares, including ordinary shares represented by the ADSs, at a premium.
Our currently effective memorandum and articles of association contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. For example, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to create and issue new classes or series of shares (including preferred shares) and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares, in the form of ADSs or otherwise. Preferred shares could therefore be created and issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to create and issue new class or series of preferred shares, the price of the ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the then existing holders of our ordinary shares and the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.
We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.
Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:
| the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K; |
| the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; |
| the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and |
| the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD. |
We will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the New York Stock Exchange. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.
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As a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that may differ significantly from the NYSE listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the NYSE.
As a Cayman Islands company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, we are subject to the NYSE listing standards. The NYSE rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the NYSE listing standards. Currently, we do not plan to rely on home country practices with respect to our corporate governance after we complete this offering. However, if we choose to follow home country practices in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they would otherwise enjoy under the NYSE listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.
We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds from this offering, and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.
As of January 31, 2021, we had HK$450.9 million (US$58.2 million) in cash and cash equivalents. We expect our cash and cash equivalents immediately after the completion of this offering to be HK$ (US$ ), based upon an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, which is the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the front cover page of this prospectus. We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds of this offering, and our management will have considerable discretion in deciding how to apply these proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately before you make your investment decision. You must rely on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the net proceeds of this offering. We cannot assure you that the net proceeds will be used in a manner that will improve our results of operations or increase the ADS price, nor that these net proceeds will be placed only in investments that generate income or appreciate in value.
There can be no assurance that we will not be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for United States federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, which could subject United States investors in the ADSs or ordinary shares to significant adverse United States income tax consequences.
We will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year if either (a) 75% or more of our gross income for such year consists of certain types of passive income or (b) 50% or more of the value of our assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year produce or are held for the production of passive income (the asset test). Based upon our current and expected income and assets, including goodwill (taking into account the expected proceeds from this offering) and projections as to the market price of our ADSs following the completion of this offering, we do not presently expect to be classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year or the foreseeable future.
While we do not expect to be treated as a PFIC, because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test may be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs, fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years. The determination of whether we will be or become a PFIC will also depend, in part, on the composition and classification of our income, including the relative amounts of income generated by and the value of assets of our strategic investment business as compared to our other businesses. Because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules, it is possible that the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, may challenge our classification of certain income and assets as non-passive which may result in our being or becoming a PFIC in the current or subsequent years. In addition, the composition of our income and assets will also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering. If we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of being a PFIC may substantially increase. Because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules and PFIC status is a factual determination made annually after the close of each taxable year, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for the current taxable year or any future taxable year.
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If we are a PFIC in any taxable year, a U.S. Holder (as defined in TaxationUnited States Federal Income Tax Considerations) may incur significantly increased United States income tax on gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares and on the receipt of distributions on our ADSs or ordinary shares to the extent such gain or distribution is treated as an excess distribution under the United States federal income tax rules and such holder may be subject to burdensome reporting requirements. Further, if we are a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or our ordinary shares, we will generally continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or our ordinary shares. For more information see TaxationUnited States Federal Income Tax ConsiderationsPassive Foreign Investment Company Rules.
We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company.
Upon completion of this offering, we will become a public company and expect to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange detailed requirements concerning corporate governance practices of public companies. As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in net revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an emerging growth company pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2012 relating to internal controls over financial reporting.
We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. After we are no longer an emerging growth company, we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. Our management will be required to devote substantial time and attention to our public company reporting obligations and other compliance matters. For example, as a result of becoming a public company, we will need to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. We also expect that operating as a public company will make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
AND INDUSTRY DATA
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of current or historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
You can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as may, will, expect, anticipate, aim, estimate, intend, plan, believe, likely to, or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
| our goals and strategies; |
| our future business development, financial condition and results of operations; |
| the trends in, expected growth and market size of the digital financial services and digital media marketing industries in Singapore and Hong Kong; |
| expected changes in our revenue, costs or expenditures; |
| our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our products and services; |
| competition in our industry; |
| our proposed use of proceeds; |
| government policies and regulations relating to our industry; and |
| general economic and business conditions in the markets we have businesses. |
You should read this prospectus and the documents that we refer to in this prospectus with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. Other sections of this prospectus include additional factors which could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Market and Industry Information
This prospectus contains certain data and information that we obtained from industry publications and reports generated by third-party providers of market intelligence. We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the data and information contained in these publications and reports. Statistical data in these publications also include projections based on a number of assumptions. The financial services industry may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. Failure of these markets to grow at the projected rate may have a material and adverse effect on our business and the market price of the ADSs. If any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data are later found to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions.
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We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from this offering of approximately US$ million, or approximately US$ million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us. These estimates are based upon an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, which is the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the front cover page of this prospectus. A US$1.00 change in the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS would, in the case of an increase, increase and, in the case of a decrease, decrease the net proceeds to us from this offering by US$ million, assuming the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus remains the same, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us.
The primary purposes of this offering is to enhance our brand recognition, create a public market for our shares for the benefit of all shareholders and as a currency for future acquisitions, retain talented employees by providing them with potential equity incentives, and obtain additional capital to support our growth initiatives. We intend to use the net proceeds that we receive from this offering as follows:
| approximately % to fulfill the capital requirements for future license applications, acquisitions, IT infrastructure, and human resources; |
| approximately % to support our business expansion and growth although we do not have any current plans for acquisitions with the use of proceeds from this offering at this time; and |
| the remainder for general corporate purposes. |
The foregoing represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering. Our management, however, will have significant flexibility and discretion to apply the net proceeds of this offering. If an unforeseen event occurs or business conditions change, we may use the net proceeds of this offering differently than as described in the respective prospectuses. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our ADSs and This OfferingWe have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds from this offering, and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.
Pending any use as described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds that we receive from this offering for cash management purposes in short-term, interest-bearing, debt instruments or demand deposits.
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We have not declared or paid dividends in the past given the stage of development that our businesses were in. We intend to distribute dividends in the future, but we do not have a fixed dividend policy. Although we intend to distribute dividends in the future, the amount, timing, and whether or not we actually distribute dividends at all is at the discretion of our board of directors.
We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. Our board of directors has complete discretion on whether to distribute dividends, subject to applicable laws. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. Under the Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend either out of profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if the dividend payment would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our board of directors decides to pay dividends, the form, frequency, and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions, and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant.
If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends that are payable in respect of the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to our ADS holders in proportion to the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See Description of American Depositary Shares. Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars, except as otherwise disclosed in this prospectus.
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The following tables set forth our capitalization as of January 31, 2021:
| on an actual basis; and |
| on an as-adjusted basis to reflect the issuance and sale of Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs by us in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, the midpoint of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. |
You should read the following table together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
As of January 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted(1) | |||||||||||||||
HK$ | US$ | HK$ | US$ | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Equity |
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Share capital |
40 | 5 | ||||||||||||||
Reserves |
1,481,493 | 191,084 | ||||||||||||||
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Total Capitalization(2) |
1,481,533 | 191,089 | ||||||||||||||
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Notes:
(1) | The as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our total capitalization following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. |
(2) | A US$1.00 change in the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS in this offering, the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the cover page of this prospectus, would, in the case of an increase, increase and, in the case of a decrease, decrease total capitalization by US$ million, assuming the number of ADSs offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. |
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If you invest in the ADSs, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per ADS and our net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the initial public offering price per ordinary share is substantially in excess of the book value per ordinary share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding ordinary shares.
Our net tangible book value as of January 31, 2021 was approximately US$181,937,419, or US$3.59 per ordinary share and US$ per ADS as of the same date. Net tangible book value represents the amount of our total tangible assets, less the amount of our total consolidated liabilities. Dilution is determined by subtracting net tangible book value per ordinary share, after giving effect to the additional proceeds that we will receive from this offering, from the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus adjusted to reflect the ADS-to-ordinary share ratio, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Because the Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same dividend and other rights, except for voting and conversion rights, the dilution is presented based on all issued and outstanding ordinary shares, including Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares.
Without taking into account any other changes in such net tangible book value after January 31, 2021, other than to give effect to our issuance and sale of ADSs in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS, the midpoint of the estimated public offering price range, after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us (assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs), our as adjusted net tangible book value as of January 31, 2021 would have been US$ , or US$ per outstanding ordinary share, including ordinary shares underlying our outstanding ADSs, and US$ per ADS. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of US$ per ordinary share, or US$ per ADS, to existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of US$ per ordinary share, or US$ per ADS, to investors purchasing ADSs in this offering. The following table illustrates such dilution:
Per Ordinary Share | Per ADS | |||||||
Assumed initial public offering price |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Net tangible book value as of January 31, 2021 |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
As adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to this offering, as of January 31, 2021 |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Amount of dilution in net tangible book value to new investors in the offering |
US$ | US$ |
A US$1.00 change in the assumed initial public offering price of US$ per ADS would, in the case of an increase, increase and, in the case of a decrease, decrease our as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to this offering by US$ million, the as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS after giving effect to this offering by US$ per ordinary share and per US$ ADS and the dilution in as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS to new investors in this offering by US$ per ordinary share and US$ per ADS, assuming no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of the prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
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The following table summarizes, on an adjusted basis as of January 31, 2021, the differences between existing shareholders and the new investors with respect to the number of ordinary shares (in the form of ADS or ordinary shares) purchased from us, the total consideration paid, and the average price per ordinary share and per ADS paid before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. The total number of ordinary shares does not include Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs issuable upon the exercise of the option granted to the underwriters to purchase additional ADSs.
Ordinary Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price Per Ordinary Share |
Average Price Per ADS |
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Number | Percent | Amount | Percent | |||||||||||||||||||||
Existing shareholders |
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New investors |
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Total |
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The as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of the ADSs and other terms of the this offering determined at pricing.
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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
Cayman Islands
We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands because of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company, such as political and economic stability, an effective judicial system, a favorable tax system, the absence of foreign exchange control or currency restrictions, and the availability of professional and support services. However, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States and provides less protection for investors. In addition, Cayman Islands companies do not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.
Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. In addition, most of our directors and officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and all or a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons, or to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against us or them, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. It may also be difficult for you to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors.
We have appointed Puglisi & Associates as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States.
Travers Thorp Alberga, our counsel as to the laws of the Cayman Islands has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.
Travers Thorp Alberga has informed us that although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), a judgment in personam obtained in such jurisdiction will be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment (i) is given by a competent foreign court with jurisdiction to give the judgment, (ii) imposes a specific positive obligation on the judgment debtor (such as an obligation to pay a liquidated sum or perform a specified obligation), (iii) is final and conclusive, (iv) is not in respect of taxes, a fine, or a penalty; (v) has not been obtained by fraud; and (vi) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands. However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities law if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are penal or punitive in nature. Because such a determination has not yet been made by a court of the Cayman Islands, it is uncertain whether such civil liability judgments from U.S. courts would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands. A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Singapore
Clifford Chance Pte. Ltd., our counsel with respect to Singapore law, has advised us that judgments of the United States courts, or US Judgments, are not directly recognizable or enforceable in Singapore. There are
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currently no treaties or other arrangements providing for reciprocal enforcement of foreign judgments between Singapore and the United States. Therefore, to enforce a US Judgment in Singapore, the judgment creditor would have to commence fresh proceedings at common law. If it satisfies the Singapore law requirements, the US Judgment creates a fresh obligation to pay the judgment debt, different from that being adjudicated before the US courts. As a matter of practice, the judgment creditor would commence a common law action for debt and, typically, apply for summary judgment on the basis of the US Judgment. The Singapore courts in personam jurisdiction over the judgment debtor must be established in accordance with Singapores rules for establishing jurisdiction (including personal service, submission to jurisdiction and, given the right circumstances, service out of jurisdiction). To be enforceable at common law, a US Judgment must be (a) from a court of law of competent and international jurisdiction over the judgment debtor (based on Singapores conflict of laws principles) (b) final and conclusive on the merits and (c) for a fixed or ascertainable sum of money. In addition, the US Judgment must not have been (i) procured by fraud (ii) obtained in breach of natural justice (iii) inconsistent with a prior local judgment to give effect to the US Judgment. Further, the enforcement of the US Judgment must (I) not be contrary to Singapores public policy and (II) not be tantamount to the direct or indirect enforcement of foreign penal, revenue or other public laws.
Hong Kong
Justin Chow & Co. Solicitors LLP, our counsel with respect to Hong Kong law, has advised us that judgment of United States courts will not be directly enforced in Hong Kong. There are currently no treaties or other arrangements providing for reciprocal enforcement of foreign judgments between Hong Kong and the United States. However, the common law permits an action to be brought upon a foreign judgment. That is to say, a foreign judgment itself may form the basis of a cause of action since the judgment may be regarded as creating a debt between the parties to it. In a common law action for enforcement of a foreign judgment in Hong Kong, the enforcement is subject to various conditions, including but not limited to, that the foreign judgment is a final judgment conclusive upon the merits of the claim, the judgment is for a liquidated amount in a civil matter and not in respect of taxes, fines, penalties, or similar charges, the proceedings in which the judgment was obtained were not contrary to natural justice, and the enforcement of the judgment is not contrary to public policy of Hong Kong. Such a judgment must be for a fixed sum and must also come from a competent court as determined by the private international law rules applied by the Hong Kong courts. The defenses that are available to a defendant in a common law action brought on the basis of a foreign judgment include lack of jurisdiction, breach of natural justice, fraud, and contrary to public policy. However, a separate legal action for debt must be commenced in Hong Kong in order to recover such debt from the judgment debtor.
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CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE
Corporate History
In January 2003, AMTD Group Company Limited (formerly known as Allday Enterprises Limited), our Controlling Shareholder, was founded by CK Hutchison Holdings Limited (SEHK: 0001) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia under the laws of the British Virgin Islands to provide financial services. Our Controlling Shareholder commenced our current insurance solutions business in October 2004. Our Controlling Shareholder commenced our current digital investments business in July 2016 and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business in December 2017.
On September 12, 2019, AMTD Digital Inc. was incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands initially as a wholly-owned subsidiary of our Controlling Shareholder and, following the completion of a restructuring in December 2019, became a holding company of our digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing, and digitals investments businesses. For further details, see Restructuring. We commenced our digital media, content, and marketing business in May 2020.
After this offering, we will become a public company while we will continue to receive support from our Controlling Shareholder for a specified period of time. We will enter into a series of agreements with our Controlling Shareholder, including a master transaction agreement, a transitional services agreement, and a non-competition agreement, to govern the arrangements between us with clearly defined terms and conditions. We do not foresee any direct conflicts of interest with our Controlling Shareholder given our unique nature of business which is not similar to and does not compete with other businesses conducted by our Controlling Shareholder. For other potential conflicts of interest, see Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and IndustryWe may have conflicts of interest with our Controlling Shareholder or any of its controlling shareholders and, because of our Controlling Shareholders controlling ownership interest in our company, we may not be able to resolve such conflicts on terms favorable to us.
Under our dual-class stock structure, our shares are divided into Class A and Class B ordinary shares. Except for voting rights (each Class A ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote on all matters subject to vote at general meetings while each Class B ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to twenty votes on all matters subject to vote at general meetings) and conversion rights (each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof but Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances), Class A and Class B ordinary shares rank pari passu with one another and have the same rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions. Although Class B ordinary shares have super voting power, any rights attached to Class A ordinary shares can only be materially and adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of all Class A ordinary shares. Therefore, notwithstanding the fact that our Controlling Shareholder and certain other affiliates beneficially own all of our Class B ordinary shares and have the ability to control the outcome of matters put to a shareholder vote on general meetings, they do not have the right to conclude on proposals that will materially and adversely affect the rights of Class A ordinary shares in any way without affecting the rights of Class B ordinary shares in the same way unless with the approval of the holders of all Class A ordinary shares.
Restructuring
In 2019, we carried out a restructuring in relation to our digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, and digitals investments businesses from our Controlling Shareholder.
With respect to our digital financial services business, our Controlling Shareholder transferred AMTD Risk Solutions Limited, or AMTD RS, and AMTD RSG to AMTD Digital Financial Holdings Limited on December 31, 2019. Prior to the transfers, both AMTD RS and AMTD RSG were subsidiaries of our Controlling Shareholder.
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With respect to our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business, our Controlling Shareholder transferred AMTD Digital Media Limited (formerly known as AMTD Strategic Capital Limited), or AMTD DM, to AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited on December 31, 2019. Prior to the transfer, AMTD DM was a subsidiary of our Controlling Shareholder.
With respect to our digital investments business, our Controlling Shareholder transferred AMTD Direct Investment I Limited, or AMTD DI I, AMTD Direct Investment III Limited, or AMTD DI III, AMTD Biomedical Investment Limited, or AMTD BI, AMTD Investment Solutions Limited, or AMTD IS, and AMTD Principal Investment Solutions Group Limited, AMTD PISG, to AMTD Digital Investments Holdings Limited on December 31, 2019. Prior to the transfers, AMTD DI I, AMTD DI III, AMTD BI, AMTD IS and AMTD PISG were subsidiaries of our Controlling Shareholder.
Our Choice of Singapore as the Location for Our Strategic Hub
We believe that Singapores pro-business, smart-city-centric, and cost-competitive environment, excellent infrastructure, and highly skilled and cosmopolitan labor force make it the ideal home for our strategic hub to expand into the ASEAN region.
Together with our Controlling Shareholder and its affiliate companies, we have made multiple strategic layouts and initiatives in Singapore over the past few years.
| AMTD Digital is currently leading a consortium to apply for a digital wholesale banking license in Singapore. The other consortium members include Xiaomi, SP Group, and Funding Societies; |
| AMTD International has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with SGX-ST to promote the development of Singapores capital markets and strengthen connectivity between Singapore, ASEAN, the Greater Bay Area, the rest of China, and the Middle East. |
| AMTD Group and AMTD Charity Foundation established the AMTD ASEAN-Solidarity Fund together with AFIN in April 2020, with an initially available capital of S$50 million to support and anchor FinTech startups during the challenging times of the pandemic; |
| AMTD Group and AMTD Charity Foundation established a S$6 million MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant scheme together with the MAS and Singapore FinTech Association in May 2020 to support Singapore-based FinTech companies amid the challenging business climate caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; |
| AMTD Group and AMTD Charity Foundation is the first corporate founding member of AFIN, a non-profit entity formed by the MAS, International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and the ASEAN Bankers Association; |
| AMTD Group and Singapore FinTech Association jointly established the AMTD-SFA Global FinTech Fellowship Program; |
| AMTD Charity Foundation, Singapore Management University, the Institute of Systems Science at the National University of Singapore, and Xiaomi Finance jointly established a AMTD-Xiaomi-SMU-ISS Digital Finance Leadership Program, or AXSI Program; |
| We entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with Global FinTech Institute, or GFI, in September 2020 to provide Chartered FinTech Professional (CFtP) candidates and CFtP qualification holders with opportunities for mentorship and internship in FinTech firms across the world. AMTD Digital grants AMTD-GFI Scholarship to selected students to complete the CFtP qualification with internship in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. |
| AMTD Group is the founding member and has been a strategic partner of the Singapore FinTech Festival for the past four consecutive years; |
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| AMTD Digital has acquired the controlling stake in PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., Singapores InsurTech pioneer and the first graduate of MASs FinTech Sandbox; |
| We expect to acquire a controlling stake in CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., the holding company of a leading online private markets integrated capital raising and secondary liquidity platform based in Singapore for global growth companies and funds. Completion of the transaction is subject to final negotiation of terms of the transaction, as well as MAS approval; |
| AMTD Assets Alpha Group, or AMTD Assets, acquired Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore, a centrally located hotel and serviced apartment; |
| We entered into a long-term strategic partnership with Singapore FinTech Association to support and anchor Singapores FinTech community, maintaining Singapores leadership as one of the most energetic, sustainable FinTech ecosystems promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and contributing to Singapores vision as a smart nation; and |
| AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd., together with PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., incorporated Applaud Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. to apply for a direct insurer (composite) license in Singapore. |
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Corporate Structure
The following diagram illustrates AMTD Digital Inc. and its subsidiaries in our corporate structure as of the date of this prospectus.
Note: |
(1) | Subject to certain regulatory approval, capital injection will be made by all consortium partners according to the execution of shareholders agreement, AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd.s shareholding will become 35.2%. |
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Our Subsidiaries
AMTD Digital Solutions Power Pte. Ltd.
AMTD Digital Solutions Power Pte. Ltd. was incorporated under the laws of Singapore in June 2020 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMTD Digital Inc. with business exposure and operations in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Digital Financial Services
AMTD Digital Financial Holdings Limited was incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in October 2019 under the name of AMTD DOP Limited, as a holding company for our digital financial services business. We changed its name to AMTD Digital Financial Holdings Limited in December 2019.
We conduct our insurance solutions business through AMTD RS and AMTD RSG, which were transferred to AMTD Digital Financial Holdings Limited following the completion of our restructuring. AMTD RSG was incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong in August 2004 under the name of AMTD Risk Management Limited to carry out our insurance solutions business. We changed its name to AMTD Risk Solutions Group Limited in October 2016. AMTD RS was incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in July 2016 to hold AMTD RSG. AMTD RSG is a licensed insurance broker company regulated by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority.
Our subsidiary, AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd., entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with Xiaomi, SP Group, and Funding Societies to establish a consortium in which we expect AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. to be the largest shareholder. The consortium is applying for a digital banking license in Singapore.
We entered into a share purchase agreement in June 2020 to acquire 51% of the equity interest in PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., the holding company of PolicyPals business, for a consideration of US$3 million in cash and 702,765 of our Class A ordinary shares. We completed the acquisition through PolicyPal Group Limited in August 2020.
Also in June 2020, we entered into a binding term sheet pursuant to which we expect to acquire 55% of CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd.s equity interest. We expect to complete the acquisition through CapBridge Group Limited in the first half of 2021. The completion of our acquisition of CapBridge is subject to a number of conditions, including final negotiation of terms of the transaction, MAS approval, and satisfaction of our closing obligations.
AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. was incorporated under the laws of Singapore in April 2020 as our operating entity. In July 2020, AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd., together with PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., incorporated Applaud Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd.
AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of AMTD (Singapore) Group Holdings Ltd., entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with Xiaomi, SP Group, and Funding Societies to establish Singa Digital Pte. Ltd., the entity expected to operate Singa Bank.
SpiderNet Ecosystem Solutions
AMTD Digital Connectors Holdings Limited was incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in October 2019 under the name of AMTD DC Limited for our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business. We changed its name to AMTD Digital Connectors Holdings Limited in December 2019.
Digital Media, Content, and Marketing
AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited was incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in October 2019 under the name of AMTD MA Limited, as a holding company for our digital media, content, and marketing business. We changed its name to AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited in December 2019.
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We conduct our operations of this business through AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited and AMTD DM, which was transferred to AMTD Digital Inc. as a subsidiary of AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited following the completion of our restructuring. AMTD DM was incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong in August 2004 under the name of AMTD Direct Limited, which was subsequently changed to AMTD Strategic Capital Limited in September 2007 and again to AMTD Digital Media Limited in March 2020. AMTD Digital Media Solutions Pte. Ltd. was incorporated under the laws of Singapore in August 2020 to provide digital media, content, and marketing services in Singapore. In January 2021, AMTD Digital Solutions Power Pte. Ltd. transferred AMTD Digital Media Solutions Pte. Ltd. to AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited.
Digital Investments
AMTD IS was incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in July 2016 to hold certain investments. Also in July 2016, AMTD PISG was incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands as a subsidiary of AMTD IS to hold certain investments.
AMTD BI, AMTD DI I, and AMTD Direct Investment III Limited were incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in July 2017, August 2018, and October 2018, respectively, each to hold certain investments. AMTD BI was incorporated under the name of AMTD Consulting Limited, which was subsequently changed to AMTD Biomedical Investment Limited in May 2018.
AMTD Singapore Solidarity Fund Pte. Ltd. and its subsidiaries, collectively, the Fund, were incorporated under the laws of Singapore in April 2020. The Fund was set up for the purpose of providing financial support to FinTech companies through a grant scheme administered by the Singapore FinTech Association and a long-term support scheme in the form of capital investments. The Fund was transferred from our Controlling Shareholder and AMTD Foundation Limited, or AMTD Charity Foundation, a charitable organization founded by our founder, Calvin Choi, to AMTD Digital Solutions Power Pte. Ltd. in June 2020 and became wholly-owned subsidiaries of AMTD Digital Solutions Power Pte. Ltd. In January 2021, AMTD Digital Solutions Power Limited transferred AMTD Singapore Solidarity Fund Pte. Ltd. and its subsidiaries to AMTD Digital Investments Solutions Holdings Limited.
AMTD Digital Investment Holdings Limited was incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in October 2019 to hold AMTD IS, AMTD PISG, AMTD BI, and AMTD DI I.
Name Change History and Licenses
The following table sets forth the name change history and licenses held by our company and subsidiaries (the acquisition of CapBridge is subject to final negotiation of terms of the transactions, as well as MAS approval).
Entity Name |
Name Change History |
Licenses | ||
AMTD Digital Inc. (incorporated in the Cayman Islands) | AMTD Digital Inc. (incorporated on September 12, 2019) | | ||
AMTD Digital Solutions Power Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Digital Solutions Power Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on June 5, 2020) | | ||
AMTD Digital Connectors Holdings Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD DC Limited (incorporated on October 22, 2019) |
| ||
AMTD Digital Connectors Holdings Limited (renamed on December 18, 2019) |
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Entity Name |
Name Change History |
Licenses | ||
AMTD Digital Financial Holdings Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD DOP Limited (incorporated on October 22, 2019) |
| ||
AMTD Digital Financial Holdings Limited (renamed on December 18, 2019) |
||||
AMTD Digital Investments Holdings Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD DVI Limited (incorporated on October 22, 2019) |
| ||
AMTD Digital Investments Holdings Limited (renamed on December 18, 2019) |
||||
AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD MA Limited (incorporated on October 22, 2019) |
| ||
AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited (renamed on December 18, 2019) |
||||
AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on April 2, 2020) | | ||
AMTD Digital Media Limited (incorporated in Hong Kong) |
AMTD Direct Limited (incorporated on August 13, 2004) |
| ||
AMTD Strategic Capital Limited (renamed on September 5, 2007) |
||||
AMTD Digital Media Limited (renamed on March 25, 2020) |
||||
AMTD Risk Solutions Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD Risk Solutions Limited (incorporated on July 26, 2016) | | ||
AMTD Risk Solutions Group Limited (incorporated in Hong Kong) | AMTD Risk Management Limited (incorporated on August 13, 2004) |
Membership of The Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers (obtained on October 19, 2004) | ||
AMTD Risk Solutions Group Limited (renamed on October 25, 2016) |
Mandatory Provident Fund Principal Intermediary (registered on September 23, 2016) | |||
Insurance Broker Company with Hong Kong Insurance Authority (obtained on: September 23, 2019) |
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Entity Name |
Name Change History |
Licenses | ||
AMTD Direct Investment I Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD Direct Investment I Limited (incorporated on August 29, 2018) | | ||
AMTD Direct Investment III Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD Direct Investment III Limited (incorporated on August 29, 2018) | | ||
AMTD Investment Solutions Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD Investment Solutions Limited (incorporated on July 21, 2016) | | ||
AMTD Principal Investment Solutions Group Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD Principal Investment Solutions Group Limited (incorporated on July 27, 2016) | | ||
AMTD Biomedical Investment Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD Consulting Limited (incorporated on July 28, 2017) |
| ||
AMTD Biomedical Investment Limited (renamed on May 7, 2018) |
||||
PolicyPal Group Limited (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | PolicyPal Group Limited (incorporated on August 10, 2020) | | ||
PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on April 22, 2016) | | ||
BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on August 25, 2017) |
Exempt Financial Adviser under Financial Advisers Act | ||
PolicyPal Singapore Pte. Ltd. (renamed on September 17, 2017) |
Registered Insurance Broker under Insurance Act | |||
BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. (renamed on March 4, 2021) |
||||
PolicyPal Tech Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | PolicyPal Tech Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on May 10, 2018) | | ||
AMTD Singapore Solidarity Fund Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Singapore Fintech Relief Fund Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on April 1, 2020)
AMTD Singapore Solidarity Fund Pte. Ltd. (renamed on July 9, 2020) |
| ||
AMTD Solidarity Fund 1 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Relief Fund 1 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on April 1, 2020) |
|
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Entity Name |
Name Change History |
Licenses | ||
AMTD Solidarity Fund 1 Pte. Ltd. (renamed on July 8, 2020) |
||||
AMTD Solidarity Fund 2 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Relief Fund 2 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on April 1, 2020)
AMTD Solidarity Fund 2 Pte. Ltd. (renamed on July 8, 2020) |
| ||
AMTD Solidarity Fund 3 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Relief Fund 3 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on April 1, 2020)
AMTD Solidarity Fund 3 Pte. Ltd. (renamed on July 8, 2020) |
| ||
AMTD Solidarity Fund 4 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Relief Fund 4 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on April 1, 2020)
AMTD Solidarity Fund 4 Pte. Ltd. (renamed on July 8, 2020) |
| ||
AMTD Solidarity Fund 5 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Relief Fund 5 Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on April 1, 2020)
AMTD Solidarity Fund 5 Pte. Ltd. (renamed on July 8, 2020) |
| ||
AMTD (Singapore) Group Holdings Ltd (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) | AMTD Platform Solutions Group Limited (incorporated on June 20, 2017)
AMTD (Singapore) Group Holdings Ltd (renamed on April 7, 2020) |
| ||
AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on December 31, 2019) |
| ||
Singa Digital Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | Singa Digital Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on January 3, 2020) | | ||
AMTD Digital Media Solutions Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | AMTD Digital Media Solutions Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on August 10, 2020) | | ||
Applaud Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore) | Applaud Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. (incorporated on July 13, 2020) | |
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Our Relationship with the Controlling Shareholder and Other Group Companies
AMTD Digital is the core of the AMTD SpiderNet, and hence, we have created a shareholding structure where the interest of all AMTD Group companies interests are aligned with those of AMTD Digital, ensuring seamless cooperation between the group companies and that maximum synergies will be achieved. As of the date of this prospectus, AMTD Digital Inc. is 72.2%-owned by our Controlling Shareholder and its subsidiaries in aggregate, with our Controlling Shareholder owning 29.4%, AMTD International owning 10.4%, AMTD Education Group, or AMTD Education, owning 16.2%, and AMTD Assets owning 16.2% of our equity interests.
Treasury functions are conducted centrally under our Controlling Shareholder and intra-group treasury fund transfers are carried out among the entities within AMTD Group. The treasury function manages available funds at our Controlling Shareholder level and allocates the funds to various entities within AMTD Group for their operations.
Historically, our Controlling Shareholder has provided us with business premises, financial, accounting, administrative, legal, and human resources services, as well as the services of a number of its executive officers and other employees, the costs of which were allocated to us based on actual usage or proportion of revenue and infrastructure usage attributable to our business, among other things. We have begun to invest in our own financial, accounting, and legal functions separate from those of our Controlling Shareholder, and we will further establish other support systems of our own or contract with third parties to provide them to us after we become a stand-alone public company. We entered into a series of agreements with our Controlling Shareholder with respect to our ongoing relationship in May 2021. These agreements include a master transaction agreement, a transitional services agreement, and a non-competition agreement. The following are summaries of these agreements.
Master Transaction Agreement
Pursuant to the master transaction agreement, we are responsible for all financial liabilities associated with the current and historical digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing, and digital investments businesses and operations that have been conducted by or transferred to us, and our Controlling Shareholder is responsible for financial liabilities associated with all of our Controlling Shareholders other current and historical businesses and operations, in each case regardless of the time those liabilities arise. The master transaction agreement also contains indemnification provisions under which we and our Controlling Shareholder indemnify each other with respect to breaches of the master transaction agreement or any related inter-company agreement.
In addition, we agree to indemnify our Controlling Shareholder, its subsidiaries and each of their directors, officers and employees against liabilities arising from misstatements or omissions in this prospectus or the registration statement of which it is a part, except for misstatements or omissions relating to information that our Controlling Shareholder provided to us specifically for inclusion in this prospectus or the registration statement of which it forms a part. Our Controlling Shareholder will indemnify us including each of our subsidiaries, director, officers and employees against liabilities arising from misstatements or omissions with respect to information that our Controlling Shareholder provided to us specifically for inclusion in this prospectus, the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, or our annual reports or other SEC filings following the completion of this offering.
The master transaction agreement also contains a general release, under which the parties will release each other, including each partys subsidiaries, directors, officers and employees from any liabilities arising from events occurring on or before the initial filing date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, including in connection with the activities to implement this offering. The general release does not apply to liabilities allocated between the parties under the master transaction agreement, the transitional services agreement, and the non-competition agreement.
The master transaction agreement sets forth the investment opportunity referral procedures, pursuant to which our Controlling Shareholder agrees to first present investment opportunities related to digital financial
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services or digital financial licenses, or investment opportunities in new technology or new media companies to us for consideration within a specified period and to refrain from pursuing these investment opportunities. Our Controlling Shareholder agrees to pursue these investment opportunities for itself only after we decline to pursue these investment opportunities or upon expiration of the specified period should we fail to respond, with the exception of subsequent investments by our Controlling Shareholder in its existing investee companies. When determining whether or not to pursue an investment opportunity, members of our investment committee that have overlapping duties as directors or officers in our Controlling Shareholder will abstain from participating in the investment decision-making and approval process.
Furthermore, under the master transaction agreement, we agree to use our reasonable best efforts to select the same independent certified public accounting firm, or auditor, used by our Controlling Shareholder and provide to our Controlling Shareholder as much prior notice as reasonably practical of any change in our auditor until the first fiscal year end occurring after our Controlling Shareholder together with its subsidiaries no longer owns in aggregate at least 20% of the voting power of our then outstanding securities.
Pursuant to the master transaction agreement, we are licensed by our Controlling Shareholder to use any and all of its intellectual properties for free.
The master transaction agreement will automatically terminate the first date upon which our Controlling Shareholder together with its subsidiaries ceases to own in aggregate at least 20% of the voting power of our then outstanding securities. This agreement can be terminated early or extended by mutual written consent of the parties. The termination of this agreement will not affect the validity and effectiveness of the transitional services agreement and the non-competition agreement.
Transitional Services Agreement
Under the transitional services agreement, our Controlling Shareholder agrees that, during the service period, as described below, our Controlling Shareholder will provide us with various corporate support services, including but not limited to:
| administrative support; |
| marketing and branding support; |
| technology support; and |
| provision of office space and facilities. |
Our Controlling Shareholder may also provide us with additional services that we and our Controlling Shareholder may identify from time to time in the future.
The price to be paid for the services provided under the transitional service agreement is determined according to the terms of the agreement. The transitional service agreement provides that the performance of a service according to the agreement will not subject the provider of such service to any liability whatsoever except as directly caused by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the service provider. Liability for gross negligence or willful misconduct is limited to the lower of the price paid for the particular service or the cost of the services recipient performing the service itself or hiring a third party to perform the service. Under the transitional services agreement, the service provider of each service is indemnified by the recipient against all third-party claims relating to provision of services or the recipients material breach of a third-party agreement, except where the claim is directly caused by the service providers gross negligence or willful misconduct.
The service period under the transitional services agreement commences on the date this registration statement is filed publicly with the SEC and will end on the expiration of 18 months thereafter. We may terminate the transitional services agreement with respect to either all or part of the services by giving 30-day prior written notice to our Controlling Shareholder and paying a termination fee equal to the direct costs incurred
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by our Controlling Shareholder in connection with its provision of services at the time of the early termination. Our Controlling Shareholder may terminate this agreement with respect to either all or part of the services by giving us a 30-day prior written notice if our Controlling Shareholder together with its subsidiaries ceases to own in aggregate at least 20% of the voting power of our then outstanding securities or ceases to be the largest beneficial owner of our then outstanding voting securities, without considering holdings of institutional investors that have acquired our securities in the ordinary course of their business and not with the purpose or the effect of changing or influencing control of our company.
Non-competition Agreement
Our non-competition agreement with our Controlling Shareholder provides for a non-competition period beginning upon the completion of this offering and ending on the later of (1) two years after the first date when our Controlling Shareholder together with its subsidiaries ceases to own in aggregate at least 20% of the voting power of our then outstanding securities and (2) the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering. This agreement can be terminated early by mutual written consent of the parties.
Our Controlling Shareholder has agreed not to compete with us during the non-competition period in our digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing, except for owning non-controlling equity interest in any company competing with us. We have agreed not to compete with our Controlling Shareholder during the non-competition period in the businesses currently conducted by our Controlling Shareholder, except for owning non-controlling equity interest in any company competing with our Controlling Shareholder.
The non-competition agreement also provides for a mutual non-solicitation obligation that neither we nor our Controlling Shareholder may, during the non-competition period, hire, or solicit for hire, any active employees of, or individuals providing consulting services to the other party, or any former employees of, or individuals providing consulting services to the other party within six months of the termination of their employment or consulting services, without the other partys consent, except for solicitation activities through generalized non-targeted advertisement not directed to such employees or individuals that do not result in a hiring within the non-competition period.
Contractual Arrangements with respect to Airstar Bank
In October 2020, we entered into an agreement with our Controlling Shareholder, pursuant to which we agree to provide SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services to support the management of its 10% investee company, Airstar Bank, for a fixed annual service fee of HK$12.8 million. In addition to the fixed annual service fee, we are entitled to receive 15% of all distributions, in any form, received by our Controlling Shareholder from Airstar Bank, including but not limited to cash or share dividends, regardless of whether on a regular or one-off basis. We are also entitled to receive 15% of any profit generated by our Controlling Shareholder from the disposal of any shares of Airstar Bank. However, we are not liable for any loss arising from the disposal of any shares of Airstar Bank by our Controlling Shareholder. This agreement with our Controlling Shareholder will remain effective until terminated by mutual agreement.
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MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the section entitled Selected Consolidated Financial Data and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under Risk Factors and elsewhere in this prospectus. See Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS.
Overview
As the fusion reactor at the core of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, we are one of the most comprehensive digital solutions platforms in Asia with businesses spanning multiple verticals, including digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing, and digital investments.
Our one-stop digital solutions platform operates four main business lines:
| Digital Financial Services. Primarily through our controlled entities, investees, and business partners, we provide one-stop, cross-market and intelligent digital financial services for retail and corporate clients in Asia. We possess some of the most scarce digital financial licenses in Asia and provide a variety of digital financial services through the following: |
| AMTD Risk Solutionsthe largest Hong Kong-based corporate insurance solution provider in terms of revenue of corporate insurance business in Hong Kong, according to the CIC Report. AMTD RSG, our wholly-owned subsidiary, was a member of the Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers since October 2004 and was granted an insurance brokerage license issued by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority in September 2019, pursuant to the newly established statutory regime for regulation of insurance intermediaries which took over regulation of insurance agents and brokers from the self-regulatory bodies including Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers. See RegulationHong KongInsurance Brokerage Regulatory Regime for details on the new regulatory regime. |
| PolicyPala one-stop digital insurance technology platform for consumers and SME clients in Singapore in August 2020. We have acquired a controlling interest in PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. via our fusion-in program. BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd., the wholly-owned subsidiary of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., is a registered insurance broker with respect to direct insurance and an exempt financial advisor in relation to advising on and arranging of investment products that are life policies in Singapore, other than for reinsurance. BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. is the first company to graduate from the MASs FinTech regulatory sandbox. |
In addition, we have entered into agreements to acquire or apply for some of the most scarce digital financial licenses in Asia and provide a variety of digital financial services through the following:
| Singa Bank (in application)a digital wholesale banking platform to be established to provide comprehensive services to SME and corporate clients in Singapore. Our subsidiary, AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd., entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with Xiaomi, SP Group, and Funding Societies to establish a consortium in which we expect AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. to be the largest shareholder. The consortium intends to pursue digital banking opportunities in Singapore through Singa Bank, the launch of which is subject to obtaining a digital wholesale banking license from the MAS and other regulatory requirements. |
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| Applaud (in application)in July 2020, one of our subsidiaries, AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd., together with PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., incorporated Applaud, which is applying for a direct insurer (composite) license from the MAS. |
| CapBridgea leading online private markets integrated capital raising and secondary liquidity platform for global growth companies and funds based in Singapore. We entered into a binding term sheet in June 2020 to acquire a controlling interest in CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd. The transaction is subject to final negotiation of terms of the transaction, as well as MAS approval. Through CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd.s subsidiary, 1exchange, Singapores first MAS-regulated private markets securities exchange, CapBridge provides a holistic approach that enhances capital flow for growth companies and improve liquidity options for private investors. 1exchange is a recognized market operator in Singapore. CapBridge Pte. Ltd., another subsidiary of CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., holds a capital markets services license in respect of dealing in capital markets products that are securities and collective investment schemes, and is an exempt financial advisor in respect of advising on investment products and issuing or promulgating analyses/reports on investment products that are securities and collective investment schemes. |
To further enrich our comprehensive suite of financial services, we intend to continue acquiring complementary capabilities and/or licenses, through acquiring and/or incubating FinTech companies.
| SpiderNet Ecosystem Solutions. We serve as a super connector and digital accelerator for Asia-based entrepreneurs and corporates by connecting them to resources and technologies, and providing them with access to our unique AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Centered on our ecosystem-powered strategy, we empower entrepreneurs and corporates with capital, technologies, mentorship, connectivity, and other resources essential to accelerating and enhancing their business digital transformation and corporate development journeys. |
Through a membership fee scheme, we provide our corporate clients with exclusive access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem and its prestigious corporate members, prominent business executives and partners, creating strategic and synergistic opportunities. In addition, our digital solutions initiatives and programs in partnership with industry leaders and academic institutions serve to support industry professionals and foster next generation entrepreneurs in the region by equipping them with the latest trends and knowledge in the digital space. Our services help our ecosystem members to enhance connectivity, identify business synergies, and create valuable business propositions. We further deepen our relationship with corporate clients by facilitating synergies between their portfolio companies and other partners in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem.
We have entered into an agreement with our Controlling Shareholder to provide Airstar Bank with the support from our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services, including resources, capital support, and expertise in the financial services industry to support its business development and support them to gradually build up their own ecosystem for an annual service fee. Airstar Bank, a virtual bank jointly-established by our Controlling Shareholder and Xiaomi, is a comprehensive digital banking platform providing services to retail and corporate clients in Hong Kong. Airstar Bank holds one of the only eight virtual banking licenses issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and commenced operations in June 2020. Our Controlling Shareholder holds 10% of equity interest in Airstar Bank as a controller under the Banking Ordinance of Hong Kong and we do not have any equity interest in Airstar Bank.
| Digital Media, Content, and Marketing. We commenced our digital media, content, and marketing business in May 2020. We create and promote digital solutions content by investing and developing multimedia channels to provide users and audiences access to content medium through a comprehensive library of traditional and digital movies, podcasts, webinars and live videos offered by content providers and online media platforms since May 2020. Through our offering of digital media and content, we are able to spearhead industry trends and create effective marketing for our clients and ecosystem partners through innovative content creation, digital marketing platforms and cutting-edge |
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technology. For example, we are a seed round investor of Forkast.News, a digital media platform founded by former Bloomberg News anchor Angie Lau in April 2021. The platform provides readers stories and analysis on blockchain, cryptocurrency, and emerging technology in the Asia-Pacific region. We will also strategically acquire DigFin, a journalism brand and a content agency established by Jamie DiBiasio, an award-winning financial journalist and author, whose stories analyze business models in digital finance, FinTech, and digital assets. Together with our Controlling Shareholder, we have been the founding grand sponsor of Singapore FinTech Festival, the largest FinTech event in the world with over 60,000 attendees each year for four consecutive years since 2017, and the sole strategic partner of Hong Kong FinTech Week, Hong Kongs annual FinTech event, for three years in a row since 2018. We have organized, hosted and participated in hundreds of sessions, including keynote speeches, panels, and fireside chats, to share our insights and exchange knowledge. Many of our clients, and ecosystem members and partners were able to access these global events through collaboration with us and thus presented valuable marketing opportunities for them. Recently, we have invested in movie productions via digital formats. Shock Wave 2 (拆弹专家2), a movie invested by us and co-produced by Universe Entertainment and Alibaba Picture in 2020, has grossed over RMB1.3 billion of box office as of February 10, 2021. We also invested in The White Storm 3 (扫毒3) and Redemption (咎赎). We intend to continue to invest and participate in more popular movie productions in order to maximize our reach to broader audiences for content sharing and marketing. |
| Digital Investments. We invest directly in various innovative technology companies to leverage, enhance and enrich the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem by including them into our ecosystem. Currently, our investment portfolio includes minority interest holdings in the following: |
| Appiera leading artificial intelligence technology company, which provides AI-based solutions for precision marketing. |
| DayDayCooka leading content-driven lifestyle brand for young food lovers in Asia with over 60 million cumulative users across its online platforms. |
| WeDoctorone of Chinas largest technology-enabled healthcare solutions platforms providing seamless online and offline healthcare services with a mix of general practitioners and specialists. |
| AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund and Solidarity GrantWe also established the AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund in partnership with AFIN in April 2020 with an initial capital of S$50 million to invest in innovative companies spanning across AI (Active.ai), card payment solutions (CardUp), cross-border payment platform (TranSwap), and SME financing solutions (Funding Societies). AFIN is a non-profit entity formed by the MAS, International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and the ASEAN Bankers Association, with the objectives of supporting financial innovation and inclusion around the world. In addition to providing funding, the solidarity fund will offer the FinTech companies full access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, which opens opportunities for them to collaborate with each other across ASEAN countries, Hong Kong, and China. Through the solidarity fund, we hold equity or debt interests in five FinTech companies, representatives of which include Active.ai, a cloud-based conversational AI platform; CardUp, a credit card enablement platform; Funding Societies, a SME digital financing platform, and TranSwap, a cross-border payment platform. We expect to make further investments through the solidarity fund. |
| MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity GrantMAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant was jointly established in May 2020 by the MAS, SFA, and AMTD Charity Foundation with an amount of S$6 million to support FinTech companies in generating new businesses and pursuing growth strategies. As of the date of this prospectus, approximately 190 FinTech companies have benefited from our MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant, which have formed a solid enhancement to our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. |
We generate revenue primarily from fees and commissions from our digital financial services business and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business during the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the nine months
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ended January 31, 2021. We have achieved tremendous growth since the launch of our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business in December 2017 as a result of the continued expansion and monetization of AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Our revenue increased significantly from HK$14.6 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$167.5 million (US$21.6 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, and from HK$133.3 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$145.5 million (US$18.8 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021. Our net profit increased significantly from HK$21.5 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$158.3 million (US$20.4 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, and from HK$91.7 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$109.9 million (US$14.2 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021. We continue to deepen and monetize our relationship with clients by cross-selling solutions that fill their unique needs.
Key Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations
Our business and results of operations are affected by a number of general factors that impact the digital financial services and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions industries in Asia, including, among others, our ability to provide digital financial services across different markets in Asia, our ability to adopt and monetize the increasing reliance and application on digital financial services arising from the post-COVID-19 paradigm shift, our ability to empower and extract value from the entrepreneurs joining our fusion-in program, overall economic environment in Asia, conditions and trends of financial and capital markets, the competitive environment, and government policies and initiatives affecting the digital financial services and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions industries. Unfavorable changes in any of these general factors could adversely affect demand for our services and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
Rate of adoption of digital financial services in Asia
We operate digital financial services business in Singapore, Hong Kong, and in the future, other markets in Asia. With the addition of PolicyPal and the proposed acquisition of CapBridge (currently subject to negotiation of terms of the transaction, as well as MAS approval), the planned launch of Singa Bank and Applaud (currently subject to MAS approval), and the further digitalization of our insurance business, we expect rapid increase in our revenue from digital financial services business in the future.
Consumers in Singapore, Hong Kong, and other markets in Asia are rapidly embracing digital banking, insurance, and other digital finance services. We anticipate that this shift will be further accelerated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a large part of the Asian population to adopt digital means for work, education, and commerce and to conduct their financial transactions electronically as they were subjected to various social distancing measures and travel restrictions. Furthermore, globalization and digitalization has enabled greater movements of people, goods, and services across borders. There has been increasing trade among the economies of Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and the ASEAN region, which will benefit financial institutions like us that can provide seamless, comprehensive digital financial solutions across borders.
The revenue that we generate from our digital financial services business will depend in a large part to the rate at which the Asian population embraces digital financial services. We anticipate rapid growth in our future digital financial services, contributing to the growing scale of our revenue. However, should the Asian markets not embrace digital financial services as rapidly as we anticipate, our future results of operation could be affected.
Our ability to expand into new markets and offer new products and services
Digital financial services business is a highly regulated industry, and digital financial licenses are generally regulated separately across different product types and different regions. In order to provide one-stop cross-regional digital financial services that meet the evolving needs of clients, it is important for us to obtain licenses from multiple regulatory regimes. We expanded our digital financial services operations in 2020 with the acquisition of PolicyPal, the planned acquisition of CapBridge (currently subject to negotiation of terms of the
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transaction, as well as MAS approval), and the planned establishment of Singa Bank and Applaud (currently subject to MAS approval). In the future, we may consider to apply for banking licenses in other ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia, as regulations allow, and may also consider to obtain financial licenses in other areas, such as digital insurance, digital assets exchange, and digital payment. If we are unable to expand into new markets, our future results of operations could be affected.
At the same time, it is imperative for us to continue to offer new products and services in order to attract new customers and retain our existing customers. For example, for our digital financial services business, we plan to continue to offer new products and solutions, as well as digital interfaces for our clients. If we are unable to offer new products and services to attract and retain our clients, our future results of operation could be affected.
Our future capabilities to provide insightful information to support our clients strategic decisions
For our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business, our future service quality and growth depend on our capabilities to provide insightful information to help our clients to actively identify opportunities within our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, efficiently deliver their strategic messages, facilitate their corporate communications, and gain intelligence on their industry and general capital markets trend. Our ecosystem and industry expertise allow us to effectively address our clients needs. Moreover, as our clientele continue to grow and as we deepen our insights into a greater number of industries, we will have access to more data and our ability to extract valuable information from unstructured data will be enhanced, resulting in a virtuous cycle. We have experienced strong growth in our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business. Our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions income increased from HK$5.9 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$157.7 million (US$20.3 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, and from HK$126.0 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$134.9 million (US$17.4 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
Our ability to maximize synergies and unlock value through our fusion-in program
We are the core of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, and our success is predicated on our ability to connect the various partners in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, promote business cooperation among partners, empower them with digital financial services, and in turn, unlocking substantial value as each of the businesses within the system grows.
Our unique fusion-in program is our core strategy. By swapping equity interests with leading digital financial businesses, we align their business interests with ours. We further benefit from gaining access to new talents, capabilities, and technologies, while our business partners gain the ability to unlock their potential and accelerate their growth by joining the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. PolicyPal illustrates our integration of leading digital financial businesses through such a program, and we plan to integrate CapBridge after we complete the acquisition. We believe that these additions will create significant value for us, and we will continue to identify such promising partners for future integration.
Our ability to attract, retain, and motivate talents
It is essential for us to attract, retain, and motivate talent because our businesses are human capital intensive. We believe that it is necessary and customary to invest in talents, arguably our most important assets, with attractive compensation packages, as we compete to attract, retain, and motivate qualified employees. Key members of our management are also shareholders of our company, ensuring that interests and incentives are aligned with our performance. Our staff costs for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the nine months ended January 31, 2021 were HK$9.2 million, HK$15.2 million (US$2.0 million), and HK$32.5 million (US$4.2 million), respectively, representing 63.0%, 9.1%, and 22.4% of our total revenue for the corresponding periods. Our staff costs have historically been comprised of cash-based and share-based compensation and benefits, although we may establish employee equity incentive plans to further incentivize our people, for which
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we may incur share-based compensation expenses. Nevertheless, highly incentivized professionals and other talents could potentially enable us to achieve great business prospects and results of operations.
Key Components of Results of Operations
Revenue
Our revenue consists of (i) digital financial services business income, and (ii) SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business income.
We derive fee income primarily from two business lines: (i) digital financial services, which currently consists entirely of insurance brokerage income, where we charge fees and commissions from insurance purchasers, which are paid either directly to us or through insurance provider partners and (ii) SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, where we recognize our fee income over the period of contracts. SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business income currently represents the primary source of our fees and commissions income.
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL
We record changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL with respect to our digital investments and movie investments. For a discussion of fair value measurement of our financial assets, see Significant Accounting PoliciesFair Value Measurement and Significant Accounting PoliciesFinancial Instruments. For a discussion of our investment portfolio, see BusinessDigital InvestmentsInvestment Portfolio.
Employee benefits expenses
Our employee benefits expenses mainly consist of staff salaries, bonus and director fee.
Premises and office expenses
Our premises and office expenses mainly consist of premises cost and office utilities and other miscellaneous office expenses.
Legal and professional fee
Our legal and professional fee mainly consist of audit services, professional liability insurance, and professional and legal expenses in connection with our restructuring.
Depreciation and amortization
Our depreciation and amortization mainly consists of amortization of intangible assets.
Advertising and promotion expenses
Our advertising and promotion expenses mainly consist of expenses to incurred to promote and enhance our branding.
Other expenses
Our other expenses mainly consist of traveling and business development expenses, donation, and other miscellaneous expenses.
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Other income
Other income consists of bank interest income, and other non-recurring miscellaneous income.
Other gains and losses
Other gains and losses consist of (i) net exchange gain, (ii) recovery of accounts receivable written off, and (iii) change in fair value on derivative financial liabilities.
Taxation
The following summarizes our applicable tax rates in the Cayman Islands, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations outside of the Cayman Islands based upon profits, income, gains, or appreciation. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties, which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or, after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. In addition, the Cayman Islands does not impose withholding tax on dividend payments. There are no reciprocal tax treaties between the Cayman Islands and Singapore.
Singapore
Our Singapore subsidiaries are subject to the Singapore corporate tax of 17%.
Hong Kong
Our Hong Kong subsidiaries are subject to a 8.25% Hong Kong profit tax on the first HK$2,000,000 of their taxable income generated from operations in Hong Kong. Any taxable income generated from operations in Hong Kong above HK$2,000,000 will be subject to a 16.5% Hong Kong profit tax. Under the Hong Kong tax law, our Hong Kong subsidiaries are exempted from the Hong Kong income tax on our foreign-derived income. In addition, payments of dividends from our Hong Kong subsidiaries to us are not subject to any Hong Kong withholding tax.
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Results of Operations
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the periods presented. This information should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The results of operations in any period are not necessarily indicative of our future trends.
For the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, | For the Nine Months Ended January 31, |
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2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | US$ | HK$ | HK$ | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
14,554 | 167,547 | 21,610 | 133,307 | 145,530 | 18,771 | ||||||||||||||||||
Employee benefits expense |
(9,169 | ) | (15,168 | ) | (1,956 | ) | (10,242 | ) | (32,543 | ) | (4,197 | ) | ||||||||||||
Advertising and promotion expense |
| * | | * | | * | (22 | ) | (2,422 | ) | (312 | ) | ||||||||||||
Premises and office expenses |
(1,541 | ) | (4,737 | ) | (611 | ) | (3,567 | ) | (4,308 | ) | (556 | ) | ||||||||||||
Legal and professional expenses |
(2,650 | ) | (1,952 | ) | (252 | ) | (843 | ) | (1,384 | ) | (179 | ) | ||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
| | | | (3,259 | ) | (420 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Other expenses |
(672 | ) | (1,649 | ) | (213 | ) | (1,354 | ) | (3,179 | ) | (410 | ) | ||||||||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL |
19,319 | 43,592 | 5,623 | (1,933 | ) | 28,870 | 3,724 | |||||||||||||||||
Other income |
252 | | | | 1,171 | 151 | ||||||||||||||||||
Other gains and losses, net |
2,058 | (5,586 | ) | (720 | ) | (5,450 | ) | (690 | ) | (89 | ) | |||||||||||||
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Profit before tax |
22,151 | 182,047 | 23,481 | 109,896 | 127,786 | 16,483 | ||||||||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
(607 | ) | (23,715 | ) | (3,059 | ) | (18,170 | ) | (17,921 | ) | (2,311 | ) | ||||||||||||
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Profit for the year/period |
21,544 | 158,332 | 20,422 | 91,726 | 109,865 | 14,172 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Item that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss: |
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Exchange differences arising on translation of foreign operation |
| | | | 819 | 106 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Other comprehensive income for the year/period |
| | | | 819 | 106 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Total comprehensive income for the year/period |
21,544 | 158,332 | 20,422 | 91,726 | 110,684 | 14,278 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Note:
* | The advertising and promotion expenses for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020 are insignificant and included in other expenses. |
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Segment Information
We report our results of operations in three reportable segments: digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, and corporate (including digital investments business and digital media, content, and marketing business), which correspond to our business lines. The following table sets forth certain financial information of our reportable segments for the periods presented.
For the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, | For the Nine Months Ended January 31, |
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2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | US$ | HK$ | HK$ | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
Digital Financial Services |
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Segment revenue |
8,671 | 9,869 | 1,273 | 7,259 | 10,617 | 1,369 | ||||||||||||||||||
Segment result |
1,863 | 4,765 | 614 | 5,216 | 437 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||
SpiderNet Ecosystem Solutions |
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Segment revenue |
5,883 | 157,678 | 20,337 | 126,048 | 134,913 | 17,401 | ||||||||||||||||||
Segment result |
1,945 | 140,134 | 18,075 | 112,802 | 103,844 | 13,394 | ||||||||||||||||||
Corporate (including digital investments business and digital media, content, and marketing business) |
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Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL |
19,319 | 43,592 | 5,623 | (1,933 | ) | 28,870 | 3,724 | |||||||||||||||||
Segment result |
19,062 | 43,291 | 5,584 | (2,060 | ) | 28,839 | 3,720 | |||||||||||||||||
Total segment result |
22,870 | 188,190 | 24,273 | 115,958 | 133,120 | 17,170 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Note:
(1) | Segment result represents segment revenue and changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPLs less direct cost attributable to the applicable segment. |
Nine Months Ended January 31, 2021 Compared to Nine Months Ended January 31, 2020
Digital financial services segment
The segment revenue of the digital financial services segment increased from HK$7.3 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$10.6 million (US$1.4 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021. The segment profit decreased from HK$5.2 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$0.4 million (US$0.1 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021, primarily due to an increase in employee benefits expense and depreciation and amortization expense incurred and offset by the increase in revenue in the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment
The segment revenue of the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment increased from HK$126.0 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$134.9 million (US$17.4 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 and the segment profit decreased from HK$112.8 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$103.8 million (US$13.4 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021, primarily due to our expansion of the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business by increasing the number of customers and offset by the increase in employee benefits expense incurred in the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
Corporate
The segment profit of corporate segment, which mainly consisted of changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL from our investments in innovative companies, was HK$28.8 million (US$3.7 million) for
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the nine months ended January 31, 2021, compared to the segment loss of HK$2.1 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020, primarily due to the increase in the fair value of our investments portfolio driven by the business growth of the investees as of January 31, 2021.
For reconciliation of segment revenue to consolidated revenue and reconciliation of segment results to consolidated profit before tax, see note 4 to our consolidated financial statements for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 and 2021 included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Nine Months Ended January 31, 2021 Compared to Nine Months Ended January 31, 2020
Revenue
Our revenue from contracts with customers increased from HK$133.3 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$145.5 million (US$18.8 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021, primarily due to the expansion of our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business.
| Digital financial services. Our commission income from the digital financial services segment increased from HK$7.3 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$10.6 million (US$1.4 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021, primarily due to the acquisition of PolicyPal during the nine months ended January 31, 2021. |
| SpiderNet ecosystem solutions. Our fee income from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment increased from HK$126.0 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$134.9 million (US$17.4 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021, primarily due to our expansion of the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business and a 80% increase in the number of customers in the nine months ended January 31, 2021. |
The level of membership fee for joining the SpiderNet ecosystem solution services is a bilateral fixed fee negotiated individually and agreed-upon with each particular customer covering a defined period of time. The factors influencing the level of annual fee include the depth of cooperation and relationship, expected spectrum of services required, expected near term and long-term benefits from participating in the SpiderNet ecosystem, and the relative bargaining power of respective customers taking into consideration the reputation, stage of growth, future revenue potential from other services which can be rendered, and other factors.
The average contract sum of the membership contracts increased from HK$15.9 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$19.3 million (US$2.5 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 mainly because the weighted average contract terms of membership increased from 18.7 months for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to 24.7 months for the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL
Our changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL was a gain of HK$28.9 million (US$3.7 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021, compared to a loss of HK$1.9 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020, primarily due to the increase in the fair value of our investments portfolio driven by the business growth and expansion of the investees as of January 31, 2021.
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The table below shows the details of our investment portfolio as of April 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021 and corresponding investment gains or losses for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 and 2021.
Summary of investments | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of investments |
Purchase price |
Carrying value | Corresponding investment gains (losses) |
Key factors of fluctuation in gains (losses) | ||||||||||||||||||
As of April 30, 2020 |
As of January 31, 2021 |
For the Nine Months Ended January 31, |
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2020 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
(HK$ in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Investment A |
19.6 | 22.7 | 63.6 | (0.3 | ) | 40.9 | During the nine months ended January 31, 2020, the change in fair value of the investment was due to exchange rate fluctuation. During the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the fair value of the investment increased mainly due to the progress of its initial public offering. The investee of Investment A was subsequently listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on March 30, 2021. | |||||||||||||||
Investment B |
78.5 | 77.5 | 92.3 | (0.8 | ) | 14.8 | During the nine months ended January 31, 2020, the change in fair value of the investment was due to exchange rate fluctuation. During the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the fair value of the investment increased mainly due to the financial performance and business development of the investee. | |||||||||||||||
Investment C |
78.5 | 108.5 | 82.1 | (0.8 | ) | (26.4 | ) | During the nine months ended January 31, 2020, the change in fair value of the investment was due to the exchange rate fluctuation. During the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the fair value decreased by reference to the recent transaction price of shares issuance of the investee. | ||||||||||||||
Investment D |
6.2 | | 6.2 | | | The investment was acquired in November 2020. The fair value of the investment was close to its acquisition cost as of January 31, 2021 and reference to recent transaction price. |
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Summary of investments | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of investments |
Purchase price |
Carrying value | Corresponding investment gains (losses) |
Key factors of fluctuation in gains (losses) | ||||||||||||||||||
As of April 30, 2020 |
As of January 31, 2021 |
For the Nine Months Ended January 31, |
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2020 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
(HK$ in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Investment E (cross-border payment platform) |
2.2 | | 2.2 | | | The investment was acquired in December 2020. The fair value of the investment was close to its acquisition cost as of January 31, 2021. | ||||||||||||||||
Investment F (digital format movie production) |
16.5 | | 18.8 | | 2.3 | The fair value of the investment increased by HK$2.3 million during the nine months ended January 31, 2021 by reference to the latest box office performance. | ||||||||||||||||
Investment G (digital format movie production) |
4.2 | | 1.5 | | (2.7 | ) | The fair value of the investment decreased by HK$2.7 million during the nine months ended January 31, 2021 by reference to the estimated box office performance. | |||||||||||||||
Investment H (digital format movie production) |
59.8 | | 59.8 | | | The investment was acquired in January 2021. The fair value of the investment was close to its acquisition cost as of January 31, 2021. | ||||||||||||||||
Total |
265.5 | 208.7 | 326.5 | (1.9 | ) | 28.9 | ||||||||||||||||
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Employee benefits expense
Our employee benefits expense increased by 218.6% from HK$10.2 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$32.5 million (US$4.2 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021, primarily due to an increase in staff cost, and number of staff in connection with our business growth.
Premises and office expenses
Our premises and office expenses increased by 19.4% from HK$3.6 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$4.3 million (US$0.6 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 mainly due to our business expansion in the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
Legal and professional expenses
Our legal and professional expenses increased by 75.0% from HK$0.8 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$1.4 million (US$0.2 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 mainly due to legal and professional fee incurred in preparation for our listing.
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Depreciation and amortization
Our depreciation and amortization expenses increased significantly by 100% from nil for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$3.3 million (US$0.4 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 mainly related to amortization of intangible asset acquired as part of the business acquisition that took place in the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
Advertising and promotion expense
Our advertising and promotion expense increased significantly from HK$22 thousand for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$2.4 million (US$0.3 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 mainly due to increase in promotion activities to cope with our business expansion in the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
Other expenses
Our other expenses aggregated increased significantly by 128.6% from HK$1.4 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$3.2 million (US$0.4 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 mainly due to our business expansion in the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
Income tax expense
We incurred income tax expense of HK$18.2 million and HK$17.9 million (US$2.3 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively. The decrease in our income tax expense resulted from decrease in assessable profits in the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
Profit for the period
As a result of the foregoing, our profit increased from HK$91.7 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$109.9 million (US$14.2 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021.
Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2020 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2019
Digital financial services segment
The segment revenue of the digital financial services segment increased from HK$8.7 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$9.9 million (US$1.3 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 and the segment profit increased from HK$1.9 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$4.8 million (US$0.6 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, primarily due to a new corporate customer who contributed an income of HK$1.5 million (US$0.2 million) in the year ended April 30, 2020.
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment
The segment revenue of the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment increased significantly from HK$5.9 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$157.7 million (US$20.3 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 and the segment profit increased from HK$1.9 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$140.1 million (US$18.1 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, primarily due to our expansion of the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business and increase in number of customers in the year ended April 30, 2020.
Corporate
The segment profit of corporate segment, which mainly contributed by changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL from our investments in innovative companies of HK$43.6 million (US$5.6 million)
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for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 compared to HK$19.3 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019, was HK$43.3 million (US$5.6 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, compared to HK$19.1 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019, primarily due to the increase in the fair value of our investments portfolio driven by the business growth of the investees as of April 30, 2020.
For reconciliation of segment revenue to consolidated revenue and reconciliation of segment results to consolidated profit before tax, see note 7 to our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020 included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2020 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2019
Revenue
Our revenue from contracts with customers increased significantly from HK$14.6 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$167.5 million (US$21.6 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, primarily due to the expansion of our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020.
| Digital financial services. Our fee income from the digital financial services segment, which is mainly contributed by corporate customers in the insurance business, increased from HK$8.7 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$9.9 million (US$1.3 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, primarily due to the addition of a new corporate customer who contributed an income of HK$1.5 million (US$0.2 million) in the year ended April 30, 2020. |
| SpiderNet ecosystem solutions. Our fee income from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment increased significantly from HK$5.9 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$157.7 million (US$20.3 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020. The growth of the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment was attributable to the fact that the SpiderNet ecosystem solution service was a relatively new business during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 when we were undergoing the formation of the SpiderNet ecosystem with an increase in the numbers of customers by 266.7% for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 compared to that in the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019. As a result of the deep connections established by us and our shareholders with various business partners, financial institutions, academic institutes, bilateral organizations, institutional investors, and other reputable families in Asia and other regions, the SpiderNet ecosystem was established with a strong foundation and reputation as a valuable solution to assist entrepreneurs in growing their business and various other expansion strategies. Since its launch, the SpiderNet ecosystem solution service has been highly sought after by customers and became one of our core business lines since the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020. |
The level of membership fee for joining the SpiderNet ecosystem solution services is a bilateral fixed fee individually negotiated and agreed-upon with each particular customer covering a defined period of time. The factors influencing the level of annual fee include the depth of cooperation and relationship, expected spectrum of services required, expected near term and long-term benefits from participating in the SpiderNet ecosystem, and the relative bargaining power of respective customers taking into consideration the reputation, stage of growth, future revenue potential from other services which can be rendered, and other factors.
The average contract sum of the membership contracts increased from HK$4.0 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$15.7 million (US$2.0 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 mainly because the weighted average contract terms of membership increased from 7.6 months for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to 20.1 months for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 and more contracts were entered into during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 with higher membership fee negotiated and agreed with the customers for expected deeper of cooperation and higher expected benefits from participating in the SpiderNet ecosystem.
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL
Our changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL was HK$43.6 million (US$5.6 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, compared to HK$19.3 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019,
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primarily due to the increase in the fair value of our investments portfolio driven by the business growth and expansion of the investees as of April 30, 2020.
The table below shows the details of our investment portfolio and corresponding investment gains or losses for fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 and 2020.
Summary of investments | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of investments |
Purchase price |
Carrying value | Corresponding investment gains (losses) |
Key factors of fluctuation in gains (losses) | ||||||||||||||||||
As of April 30, | For the Year Ended April 30, |
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2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
(HK$ in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Investment A (artificial intelligence technology services) |
19.6 | 24.5 | 22.7 | 4.9 | (1.8 | ) | During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019, the fair value increased mainly due to the financial performance and business development of the investee. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, the fair value decreased mainly due to the impact of market downturn caused by the COVID-19 on the investees performance. | |||||||||||||||
Investment B (content-driven lifestyle platform) |
78.5 | 78.5 | 77.5 | | (1.0 | ) | The fair value of the investment decreased by HK$1.0 million during the year ended April 30, 2020 due to exchange rate fluctuation. | |||||||||||||||
Investment C (technology-enabled health-care solutions platform) |
78.5 | 80.5 | 108.5 | 2.1 | 28.0 | The fair value of the investment increased during the year ended April 30, 2019 and the year ended April 30, 2020 mainly due to the financial performance and business development of the investee. | ||||||||||||||||
Investment I (communication software) |
7.8 | 10.4 | | (1.0 | ) | 8.3 | The fair value of the investment decreased by HK$1.0 million during the year ended April 30, 2019 mainly due to the financial performance and business development of the investee. The investment was fully disposed during the year ended April 30, 2020 with realized gain of HK$8.3 million. | |||||||||||||||
Investment J (online lending platform) |
296.5 | 317.1 | | (2.2 | ) | | The fair value of the investment decreased by HK$2.2 million during the year ended April 30, 2019 according to the recent transaction price of the shares of the investee. The investment was fully disposed during the year ended April 30, 2020 without gain or loss. | |||||||||||||||
Investment K (digital financing solutions platform) |
7.8 | 7.8 | | | 10.1 | The investment was fully disposed during the year ended April 30, 2020 with realized gain of HK$10.1 million. |
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Summary of investments | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of investments |
Purchase price |
Carrying value | Corresponding investment gains (losses) |
Key factors of fluctuation in gains (losses) | ||||||||||||||||||
As of April 30, | For the Year Ended April 30, |
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2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
(HK$ in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Investment L (digital financing solutions platform) |
7.8 | | | 10.3 | | The investment was fully disposed during the year ended April 30, 2019 with realized gain of HK$10.3 million. | ||||||||||||||||
Investment M (used cars online retailing platform) |
54.4 | | | 5.2 | | The investment was fully disposed during the year ended April 30, 2019 with realized gain of HK$5.2 million. | ||||||||||||||||
Total |
550.9 | 518.8 | 208.7 | 19.3 | 43.6 | |||||||||||||||||
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Employee benefits expense
Our employee benefits expense increased by 65.2% from HK$9.2 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$15.2 million (US$2.0 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, primarily due to an increase in staff cost, and number of staff in connection with our business growth.
Premises and office expenses
Our premises and office expenses increased by 213.3% from HK$1.5 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$4.7 million (US$0.6 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 mainly due to our business expansion in the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020.
Legal and professional fee
Our legal and professional fee decreased by 25.9% from HK$2.7 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$2.0 million (US$0.3 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 mainly due to legal and professional fee incurred for our restructuring in the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019.
Other expenses
Our other expenses increased by 128.6% from HK$0.7 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$1.6 million (US$0.2 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 mainly due to our business expansion in the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020.
Income tax expense
We incurred income tax expense of HK$0.6 million and HK$23.7 million (US$3.1 million) for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, respectively. The increase in our income tax expense resulted from an increase in revenue derived from our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business.
Profit for the year
As a result of the foregoing, our profit increased significantly from HK$21.5 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$158.3 million (US$20.4 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Prior to this offering, our principal sources of liquidity to finance our operating and investing activities have been net cash provided from operating activities, funding from our Controlling Shareholder, and historical equity financing activities. As of January 31, 2021, we had HK$450.9 million (US$58.2 million) in cash and cash equivalents, out of which HK$283.7 million (US$36.6 million) was held in U.S. dollars, HK$133.9 million (US$17.3 million) was held in Hong Kong dollars, HK$33.3 million (US$4.3 million) was held in Singapore dollars. Our cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of cash on hand and general bank balances excluding fiduciary bank balances representing clients cash, which are unrestricted for withdrawal or use.
Our total indebtedness was nil as of January 31, 2021.
Our net cash generated from operating activities for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the nine months ended January 31, 2021 was HK$24.6 million, HK$213.8 million (US$27.6 million), and HK$60.7 million (US$7.8 million), respectively. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents and our anticipated cash flows from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures at least for the next 12 months from the date of this prospectus. After this offering, we may decide to enhance our liquidity position or increase our cash reserve for future operations and investments through additional financing. The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in further dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in an increase in fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that would restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.
Cash Flows
The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods presented.
For the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, | For the Nine Months Ended January 31, |
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2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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HK$ | HK$ | US$ | HK$ | HK$ | US$ | |||||||||||||||||||
Summary Consolidated Cash Flows Data |
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Net cash generated from operating activities |
24,556 | 213,755 | 27,570 | 178,032 | 60,740 | 7,834 | ||||||||||||||||||
Net cash (used in)/from investing activities |
(3,071,469 | ) | (674,500 | ) | (86,997 | ) | (62,399 | ) | 110,190 | 14,212 | ||||||||||||||
Net cash from financing activities |
2,682,623 | 651,191 | 83,991 | 560,952 | 82,497 | 10,641 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents |
(364,290 | ) | 190,446 | 24,564 | 676,585 | 253,427 | 32,687 | |||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year/period |
370,054 | 5,764 | 743 | 5,764 | 196,210 | 25,307 | ||||||||||||||||||
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes |
| | | | 1,280 | 165 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year/period |
5,764 | 196,210 | 25,307 | 682,349 | 450,917 | 58,159 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Operating activities
Net cash generated from operating activities for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 was HK$60.7 million (US$7.8 million), which consists of our profit before tax of HK$127.8 million (US$16.5 million) as adjusted for non-cash items and the effects of changes in operating assets and liabilities. Adjustments for non-cash items included HK$28.9 million (US$3.7 million) of changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL in connection with our digital investments business and digital media, content, and marketing business included in the corporate segment, HK$3.3 million (US$0.4 million) of depreciation and
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amortization, and HK$0.6 million (US$0.1 million) of share-based payment. The principal items accounting for the changes in operating assets and liabilities were (i) HK$57.1 million (US$7.4 million) of increase in account receivables primarily attributable to the increase in SpiderNet ecosystem solutions income, (ii) HK$6.3 million (US$0.8 million) of increase in prepayments and other receivables primarily attributable to the increase in deposit paid, and (iii) HK$22.3 million (US$2.9 million) of increase in contract liabilities primarily attributable to the receipts in advance of SpiderNet ecosystem solutions income.
Net cash generated from operating activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 was HK$213.8 million (US$27.6 million), which consists of our profit before tax of HK$182.0 million (US$23.5 million) as adjusted for non-cash items and the effects of changes in operating assets and liabilities. Adjustments for non-cash items included HK$43.6 million (US$5.6 million) of changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL in connection with our digital investments business and HK$5.9 million (US$0.8 million) of fair value change from derivative financial liability. The principal item accounting for the changes in operating assets and liabilities was HK$60.6 million (US$7.8 million) of increase in contract liabilities primarily attributable to the receipts in advance of SpiderNet ecosystem solutions income.
Net cash generated from operating activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 was HK$24.6 million, which consists of our profit before tax of HK$22.2 million as adjusted for non-cash items and the effects of changes in operating assets and liabilities. Adjustments for non-cash items included HK$19.3 million of changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL in connection with our digital investments business. The principal items accounting for the changes in operating assets and liabilities were (i) HK$28.1 million of decrease in prepayments and other receivables primarily attributable to the settlement of other receivables, and (ii) HK$5.3 million of decrease in other payables and accruals primarily attributable to the settlement of balances.
Investing activities
Net cash from investing activities for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 was HK$110.2 million (US$14.2 million), which was attributable to (i) HK$36.4 million (US$4.7 million) of collection of proceeds receivable from disposal of investments taken place in the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 and HK$20.7 million (US$2.7 million) of payments for additions of financial assets at fair value through profit or loss, (ii) net cash inflow from acquisition of subsidiaries of HK$20.7 million (US$2.7 million), and (iii) HK$73.9 million (US$9.5 million) of movement in amounts due from group companies in connection with intra-group treasury fund allocation.
Net cash used in investing activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 was HK$674.5 million (US$87.0 million), which was attributable to (i) HK$318.1 million (US$41.0 million) of proceeds from disposal of financial assets at fair value through profit or loss, and (ii) HK$1,008.2 million (US$130.0 million) of movement in amounts due from group companies in connection with intra-group treasury fund allocation.
Net cash used in investing activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 was HK$3,071.5 million, which was attributable to (i) HK$78.8 million of net increase in financial assets at fair value through profit or loss primarily attributable to the net addition of investments, and (ii) HK$2,977.2 million of movement in amounts due from group companies in connection with intra-group treasury fund allocation.
Financing activities
Net cash from financing activities for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 was HK$82.5 million (US$10.6 million), which was attributable to (i) HK$27.1 million (US$3.5 million) through ordinary shares issuance, and (ii) HK$55.4 million (US$7.1 million) of movement in amounts due to group companies in connection with intra-group treasury fund allocation.
Net cash from financing activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 was HK$651.2 million (US$84.0 million), which was attributable to (i) HK$987.8 million (US$127.4 million) through ordinary shares issuance
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and exercise of warrants, and (ii) HK$316.6 million (US$40.8 million) of movement in amounts due to group companies in connection with intra-group treasury fund allocation.
Net cash from financing activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 was HK$2,682.6 million, which was attributable to movement in amounts due to group companies in connection with intra-group treasury fund allocation.
Capital Expenditure
Our capital expenditure was nil for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and HK$0.2 million (US$25.8 thousand) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021. We will make capital expenditure to meet the expected growth of our business. We intend to fund our future capital expenditure with our existing cash and bank balances.
Contractual Obligations
Our subsidiary, AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd., entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with Xiaomi Corporation, SP Group, and Funding Societies to establish a consortium in which we expect AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. to be the largest shareholder. The consortium intends to pursue opportunities in Singapore through Singa Bank, a digital wholesale banking platform to be established to provide comprehensive services to SME and corporate clients in Singapore, the launch of which is subject to obtaining a digital wholesale banking license from the MAS and other regulatory requirements.
In June 2020, we entered into a binding term sheet pursuant to which we expect to acquire 55% of CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd.s equity interest. We expect to complete the acquisition through CapBridge Group Limited in 2021. The completion of our acquisition of CapBridge is subject to a number of conditions, including final negotiation of terms of the transaction, MAS approval, and satisfaction of our closing obligations.
We entered into several movie income right agreements with third party independent production houses, pursuant to which we are entitled to benefits generated from the distribution of certain film programs. Under the agreements, we are obligated to make further contributions in case of budget overrun of film programs and the amount of contribution is subject to the terms of the agreements.
Off-Balance Sheet Commitments and Arrangements
Except for those disclosed under Contractual Obligations, we have not entered into off-balance sheet commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. Except for the warrants issued in December 2019 and fully exercised in March 2020, we have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholders equity or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity, or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk, or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging, or product development services with us.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with IFRS issued by the IASB, which requires us to make judgments, estimates, and assumptions. We continually evaluate these estimates and assumptions based on the most recently available information, our own historical experience, and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, actual results could differ from our expectations as a result of changes in our estimates. Some of our accounting policies require a higher degree of judgment than others in their application and require us to make significant accounting estimates.
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The following descriptions of significant accounting policies, judgments, and estimates should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and other disclosures included in this prospectus. When reviewing our financial statements, you should consider (i) our selection of significant accounting policies, (ii) the judgments and other uncertainties affecting the application of such policies, and (iii) the sensitivity of reported results to changes in conditions and assumptions.
Fair value measurement
We measure our derivative financial instruments and equity investment at fair value through profit and loss at the end of each reporting period. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date, regardless of whether that price is directly observable or estimated using another valuation technique. In estimating the fair value of an asset or a liability, we take into account the characteristics of the asset or liability if market participants would take those characteristics into account when pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date.
For financial instruments which are transacted at fair value and a valuation technique that unobservable inputs are to be used to measure fair value in subsequent periods, the valuation technique is calibrated so that at initial recognition the results of the valuation technique equals the transaction price.
In addition, for financial reporting purposes, fair value measurements are categorized into Level 1, 2 or 3 based on the degree to which the inputs to the fair value measurements are observable and the significance of the inputs to the fair value measurement in its entirety, which are described as follows:
| Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity can access at the measurement date; |
| Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1, that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly; and |
| Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. |
For assets and liabilities that are recognized in the consolidated financial statements on a recurring basis, we determine whether transfers have occurred between levels in the hierarchy by reassessing categorization (based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement as a whole) at the end of each reporting period.
Financial instruments
Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognized when a group entity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. All regular way purchases or sales of financial assets are recognized and derecognized on a trade date basis. Regular way purchases or sales are purchases or sales of financial assets that require delivery of assets within the time frame established by regulation or convention in the market place.
Financial assets and financial liabilities are initially measured at fair value except for accounts receivable arising from contracts with customers which are initially measured in accordance with IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Transaction costs that are directly attributable to the acquisition or issue of financial assets and financial liabilities (other than financial assets or financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss, or FVTPL) are added to or deducted from the fair value of the financial assets or financial liabilities, as appropriate, on initial recognition. Transaction costs directly attributable to the acquisition of financial assets or financial liabilities at FVTPL are recognized immediately in profit or loss.
The effective interest method is a method of calculating the amortized cost of a financial asset or financial liability and of allocating interest income and interest expense over the relevant period. The effective interest rate
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is the rate that exactly discounts estimated future cash receipts and payments (including all fees and points paid or received that form an integral part of the effective interest rate, transaction costs and other premiums or discounts) through the expected life of the financial asset or financial liability, or, where appropriate, a shorter period, to the net carrying amount on initial recognition.
Financial assets
Our financial assets consist of cash and cash equivalents, fiduciary bank balance, accounts and other receivables, amounts due from immediate holding company and from fellow subsidiaries, and financial asset at FVTPL.
Classification and subsequent measurement of financial assets
Financial assets that meet the following conditions are subsequently measured at amortized cost:
| the financial asset is held within a business model whose objective is to collect contractual cash flows; and |
| the contractual terms give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding. |
Financial assets that meet the following conditions are subsequently measured at fair value through other comprehensive income, or FVTOCI:
| the financial asset is held within a business model whose objective is achieved by both selling and collecting contractual cash flows; and |
| the contractual terms give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding. |
All other financial assets are subsequently measured at FVTPL.
A financial asset is held for trading if:
| it has been acquired principally for the purpose of selling in the near term; or |
| on initial recognition it is a part of a portfolio of identified financial instruments that we manage together and have a recent actual pattern of short-term profit-taking; or |
| it is a derivative that is not designated and effective as a hedging instrument. |
In addition, we may irrevocably designate a financial asset that is required to be measured at the amortized cost or FVTOCI as measured at FVTPL if doing so eliminates or significantly reduces an accounting mismatch.
(i) | Amortized cost and interest income |
Interest income is recognized using the effective interest method for financial assets measured subsequently at amortized cost. Interest income is calculated by applying the effective interest rate to the gross carrying amount of a financial asset, except for financial assets that have subsequently become credit-impaired. For financial assets that have subsequently become credit-impaired, interest income is recognized by applying the effective interest rate to the amortized cost of the financial asset from the next reporting period. If the credit risk on the credit-impaired financial instrument improves so that the financial asset is no longer credit-impaired, interest income is recognized by applying the effective interest rate to the gross carrying amount of the financial asset from the beginning of the reporting period following the determination that the asset is no longer credit-impaired.
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(ii) | Financial assets at FVTPL |
Financial assets that do not meet the criteria for being measured at amortized cost or FVTOCI or designated as FVTOCI are measured at FVTPL.
Financial assets at FVTPL are measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period, with any fair value gains or losses recognized in profit or loss. The net gain or loss recognized in profit or loss includes any dividend or interest earned on the financial asset and is included in the changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL line item.
Revenue from contracts with customers
Revenue are derived from the commissions and fees from the insurance brokerage services and membership fee from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services.
Insurance Brokerage Services
We earn commission income by acting as an agent in facilitating the arrangement between insurance company partners and individuals/businesses. The service promised to the customer is obtaining on a best-effort-basis the quotation and subsequent placement (if quotation is accepted by the customer) of an effective insurance or reinsurance policy. Commission revenue are usually a percentage of the premium ultimately paid by the customer and generally depend upon the type and amount of insurance, the insurance company partner and the nature of the services provided. Revenue is recognized at a point in time upon execution and effectiveness of insurance contracts. The term for the insurance product sold by us is typically one month to three years. We allow a credit period of 15 days to our customers.
We act as broker for insureds, insurance underwriters, and other brokers in the areas of insurance and reinsurance broking services and earns commission. Commission rates and fees vary in amount and can depend upon a number of factors, including the premium rate levels in the insurance/reinsurance markets, type of insurance or reinsurance coverage provided, the particular insurer or reinsurer selected, the capacity in which the broker acts and negotiates with clients, the value of the insured risks, the amount of risk retained by insurance and reinsurance clients themselves, and volume, growth, and total retention of clients placed by us. The trends and comparisons of revenue from one period to the next can be affected by changes in premium rate levels, fluctuations in client risk retention, and increases or decreases in the value of risks that have been insured, as well as new and lost business, and the volume of business from new and existing clients.
We do not determine the insurance premiums on which our commissions are generally based. Our revenues and profitability are subject to change to the extent that premium rates fluctuate or trend in a particular direction. The potential for changes in premium rates is significant, due to the normal cycles of pricing in the commercial insurance and reinsurance markets. As traditional insurance companies continue to rely on non-affiliated brokers or agents to generate premium, those insurance companies may seek to reduce their expenses by lowering their commission rates. The reduction of these commission rates, along with general volatility or declines in premiums, may significantly affect our revenue and profitability. Because we do not determine the timing or extent of premium pricing changes, it is difficult to accurately forecast our commission revenues, including whether they will significantly decline. As a result, we may have to adjust our plans for future acquisitions, capital expenditures, dividend payments, loan repayments and other expenditures to account for unexpected changes in revenues, and any decreases in premium rates may adversely affect the results of our operations.
Demand for many types of insurance and reinsurance generally rises or falls as economic growth expands or slows. This dynamic affects the level of commissions and fees generated by us. It is affected by, among other things, global economic conditions, including changes in clients particular industries and markets. To the extent our clients become adversely affected by declining business conditions, they may choose to limit their purchases
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of insurance and reinsurance coverage, as applicable, which would inhibit our ability to generate commission revenue. Also, the insurance they seek to obtain through us may be impacted by changes in their assets, property values, sales, or number of employees, which may reduce our commission revenue and inhibit our ability to generate fee revenue. Moreover, insolvencies and combinations associated with an economic downturn, especially insolvencies and combinations in the insurance industry, could adversely affect our brokerage business through the loss of clients or by limiting our ability to place insurance and reinsurance business.
In addition to movements in premium rates, our ability to generate premium-based commission revenue may be challenged by disintermediation and the growing availability of alternative methods for clients to meet their risk-protection needs. This trend includes a greater willingness on the part of corporations to self-insure, the use of captive insurers, and the presence of capital markets-based solutions for traditional insurance and reinsurance needs. Further, our business depends on our ability to obtain payment from our clients of the amounts they owe us for the work we perform. Macroeconomic or political conditions could result in financial difficulties for our clients, which could cause clients to delay payments to us, request modifications to their payment arrangements that could increase our receivables balance or default on their payment obligations to us. In addition, we compete principally on sophistication, range, quality, and cost of the services and products we offer to clients. We encounter strong competition from other insurance and reinsurance brokerage firms that operate on a global, regional, national, or local scale, from insurance and reinsurance companies that market, distribute, and service their insurance and reinsurance products without the assistance of brokers or agents and from other businesses, including commercial and investment banks, accounting firms, consultants, and online platforms, that provide risk-related services and products or alternatives to traditional insurance brokerage services. In addition, third-party capital providers have entered the insurance and reinsurance risk transfer market offering products and capital directly to the Companys clients. Their presence in the market increases the competitive pressures that the Company faces. Certain insureds and groups of insureds have established programs of self-insurance (including captive insurance companies) as a supplement or alternative traditional third-party insurance, thereby reducing in some cases their need for insurance placements. Certain insureds also obtain coverage directly from insurance providers. There are also many other providers of managing general agency, affinity programs, and private client services, including specialized firms, insurance companies, and other institutions.
SpiderNet Ecosystem Solutions Services
We provide our corporate clients exclusive access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem for a membership fee, under the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services segment, which provides its members networking opportunities with prestigious corporate members, prominent business executives and partners. Contract terms generally ranged from two months to three years. Revenue from such service is recognized over time as the customers simultaneously receive and consumes the service provided by us. We generally require customers to provide partial upfront payments of total service fees. Upfront payment is due immediately at the point our customer entered into the service contracts. The remaining payments will be settled according to the repayment schedules stated in the service contracts. When we receive an upfront payment, this will give rise to contract liabilities at the time of the initial sales transaction and revenue is recognized ratably over the membership service period.
A contract liability represents our obligation to transfer goods or services to a customer for which we have received consideration (or an amount of consideration is due) from the customer.
Business acquisition under fusion-in program
As part of our fusion-in program, we may acquire controlling interests in leading companies in the digital financial industry with cash consideration and share swap (i.e. issuance of our ordinary shares in exchange for the equity interests of the acquiree). The acquisitions are accounted for using the acquisition method. The consideration transferred is measured at fair value, which is calculated as the sum of the fair values of the assets (i.e. cash consideration) on the acquisition date transferred by us and the ordinary shares issued by us in exchange for control of the acquiree.
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At the acquisition date, the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed are generally recognized at their fair value. Goodwill is measured as the excess of the sum of the consideration transferred, the amount of any non-controlling interests in the acquiree over the net amount of the identifiable assets acquired, and the liabilities assumed on the acquisition date. If, after re-assessment, the net amount of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed exceeds the sum of the consideration transferred, the excess is recognized immediately in profit or loss as a bargain purchase gain.
Non-controlling interests that are present ownership interests and entitle their holders to a proportionate share of the relevant subsidiarys net assets in the event of liquidation are initially measured at the non-controlling interests proportionate share of the recognized amounts of the acquirees identifiable net assets or at fair value.
Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal control. Our management has not completed an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control and procedures over financial reporting and our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting. In the course of auditing our consolidated financial statements as of April 30, 2019 and 2020. For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified one material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of April 30, 2019 and 2020. As defined in the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our companys annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
The material weakness identified is relating to lack of internal audit function and audit committee to monitor, evaluate and communicate internal control deficiencies. Neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm undertook a comprehensive assessment of our internal control under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for purposes of identifying and reporting any weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. We and they are required to do so only after we become a public company. Had we performed a formal assessment of our internal control over financial reporting or had our independent registered public accounting firm performed an audit of our internal control over financial reporting, additional control deficiencies may have been identified.
To remediate our identified material weakness subsequent to April 30, 2019 and 2020, we have appointed two independent directors and established an audit committee, and plan to adopt measures to improve our internal control over financial reporting, including, among others: establishing an internal audit department with sufficient resources and experienced personnel to design, review and monitor internal control over financial reporting.
However, we cannot assure you that all these measures will be sufficient to remediate our material weakness in time, or at all. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and IndustryWe have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and if we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal control to remediate our material weakness over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations, or prevent fraud.
As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an emerging growth company pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in the assessment of the emerging growth companys internal control over financial reporting.
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Holding Company Structure
AMTD Digital Inc. is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through its subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our subsidiaries. If our existing subsidiaries or any newly formed subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us.
Inflation
To date, inflation in Singapore and Hong Kong has not materially affected our results of operations. According to the Singapore Department of Statistics, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for April 30, 2019 was increase of 0.9%, for April 30, 2020 was decrease of 0.7%, and for January 31, 2021 was increase of 0.2%. According to the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for April 30, 2019 and 2020, and January 31, 2021 were increases of 2.9%, 1.9%, and 1.9%, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation in the past, we may be affected if Singapore or Hong Kong experiences higher rates of inflation in the future.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Foreign exchange risk
Most of our revenue and expenses are denominated in Hong Kong dollars or U.S. dollars. Certain of our transactions are denominated in foreign currencies and therefore we are exposed to foreign currency risk. We do not believe that we currently have any significant direct foreign exchange risk and have not used any derivative financial instruments to hedge exposure to such risk. Although our exposure to foreign exchange risks should be limited in general, the value of your investment in the ADSs will be affected by the exchange rate between U.S. dollars and Hong Kong dollars or between Singapore dollars and Hong Kong dollars because the value of our business is mainly denominated in Hong Kong dollars, while the ADSs will be traded in U.S. dollars.
In addition, foreign exchange risk also arises from the possibility that fluctuations in foreign exchange rates can impact the value of financial instruments. We are exposed to minimal foreign exchange risk since Hong Kong dollars are pegged against U.S. dollars. The impact of foreign exchange fluctuations in our earnings is included in foreign exchange differences, net in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
To the extent we need to convert U.S. dollars into Hong Kong dollars for our operations, appreciation of Hong Kong dollars against U.S. dollars would reduce the amount in Hong Kong dollars we receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert Hong Kong dollars into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares or ADSs, servicing our outstanding debt, or for other business purposes, appreciation of U.S. dollars against Hong Kong dollars would reduce the U.S. dollar amounts available to us.
Equity price risk
We are exposed to equity price risk through our investments in equity securities measured at FVTPL. We invested in certain unquoted equity securities for investees operating in digital and technology industry sectors for long term strategic purposes which had been measured as FVTPL. We have appointed a special team to monitor the price risk and will consider hedging the risk exposure should the need arise.
Interest rate risk
Our exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates variable-rate cash held on behalf of customers and bank balances. Our exposure to interest rate risk is limited because the current market interest rates on bank deposits are relatively low and stable.
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Credit risk
Our credit risk exposures are primarily attributable to accounts receivable, other receivables, bank balances, cash held on behalf of customers, and amounts due from immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries. We do not hold any collateral or other credit enhancements to cover our credit risks associated with our financial assets.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
A list of recently issued accounting pronouncements that are relevant to us is included in note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
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Overview of the Digital Financial Services Industry in Asia
Digital financial services represent the use of digital channels to deliver financial services, such as deposits, lending, remittances, payments, and insurance. Digital financial services are rapidly transforming traditional financial services, serving as the foundation to support the growth of the entire digital economy by providing a convenient and efficient way for consumers and businesses to access financial services and carry out transactions digitally.
Mainland China is leading the development of digital financial services in Asia in terms of number of users and market size. Other major Asian countries and regions such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia have also experienced robust growth in recent years.
The penetration rate of mobile wallet is often used as a key indicator of the development stage of a digital financial services industry. In 2020, Mainland China had the highest penetration rate of mobile wallet in Asia at 12.5%. Although the mobile wallet penetration rates in other Asian countries and regions, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, were much lower, they have increased rapidly in recent years. The penetration rate of mobile wallet in Hong Kong increased from 2.3% in 2017 to 7.2% in 2020, primarily driven by strong government support, increasing interaction with Mainland China and evolving consumer preferences for faster and more convenient services. The penetration rate of mobile wallet in Hong Kong is expected to reach 11.6% by 2024. The penetration rate of mobile wallet in Singapore increased from 0.1% in 2017 to 3.0% in 2020, primarily driven by a steadily growing economy, favourable government policies, and growing adoption of smartphones and Internet. The penetration rate of mobile wallet in Singapore is expected to reach 8.7% by 2024.
Penetration Rate of Mobile Wallet*, Major Asian Countries and Regions, 2017 2024E
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Note: |
* | Penetration rate of mobile wallet refers to the transaction value of payment via smartphone applications (so-called mobile wallets) as a percentage of the total retail consumption. Well-known providers of mobile wallets are Alipay, Wechatpay, ApplePay, Google Wallet and Samsung Pay. |
Source: China Insights Consultancy
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Key Drivers of the Digital Financial Services Industry in Asia
Digital financial services in Asia have experienced robust growth and are expected to continue to grow rapidly, driven by the following factors:
Favorable Government Policies and Initiatives
Governments in major Asian countries and regions have been proactively promoting digital financial services in recent years, and have launched various initiatives to streamline the process of issuing digital banking licenses and digital insurance licenses, accelerate approval process for FinTech patents and products, and strengthen supervisory framework for digital financial services. For example, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority has launched several smart banking initiates, including the introduction of digital banking licenses, while the Hong Kong Insurance Authority has launched pilot measures to support digital insurance services. The MAS has announced its objective to create a smart financial center, releasing digital banking licenses, and introducing initiatives to improve the national payments infrastructure. The following table sets forth a summary of key initiatives regarding digital financial services.
Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies |
Key Contents | ||
Mainland China | Plan for Promoting the Development of Financial Inclusion (2016-2020) | The issuance of the plan aims to help the financial sector better serve the building of a moderately prosperous society in Mainland China, benefitting the development of vulnerable areas and groups including micro and small enterprises.
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The plan primarily promotes the concept of financial inclusion from several perspectives, including establishing a diversified and extensive network of financial institutions, innovating financial products and services, accelerating financial infrastructure development, and improving legal framework. | ||||
FinTech Development Plan (2019-2021) | The plan outlines the guidance ideology, basic principles, development targets, key missions, and guarantee mechanisms for FinTech work over the upcoming three years since 2019.
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Under the guidance of the plan, Chinas FinTech development will be strongly supported by strengthening FinTech application capability, in-depth integration and coordinated development of finance and technology, and enhanced level of satisfaction of the public regarding digitized, Internet, smart financial products and services. |
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Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies |
Key Contents | ||
Guiding Opinions of the Peoples Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission on Enhancing the Financial Support for New Consumption Areas | The guiding opinions are released in order to satisfy the financial needs of the key new consumption areas in a better way and make innovation on the modes of financial support and services.
The measures include optimizing online consumer credit management models, encouraging banking financial institutions to explore the use of the Internet and other technical means to carry out remote credit, promoting the integration of consumer credit and Internet technology, and encouraging banking financial institutions to employ big data analysis and other technologies to develop standardized online small credit loans and create self-service consumer loan platforms. | |||
Guiding Opinions Concerning Further Strengthening Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Financial Services | The Opinions points out the use of financial technology to empower financial services for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and encourages commercial banks to use big data and AI to establish risk pricing and management and control models, and reform the credit approval and issuance process. | |||
The Opinions affirms the application value of the above technologies in related scenarios, and also points out the direction of implementation, as well as provides policy advice for the target group transformation of the AI+ financial industry, which is from consumers to enterprises. | ||||
Interim Measures for the Administration of Internet Loans of Commercial Banks | The Measures regulates commercial banks Internet loan business operations from multiples levels such as commercial banks, loan assistance platforms, and borrowers, to promote Internet loan business compliance development in customer acquisition, product design, risk control, and cash collection. | |||
Financial Technology Development Indicators (JR/T 0201-2020) Financial Industry Standards | The Standards is composed of three major indicators: institutional indicators, industry indicators, and regional indicators. It aims to form a set of scientific, comprehensive, and quantifiable evaluation standards for financial technologies development, which are applicable to the development of financial technologies in different institutions, industries, and regions. | |||
Hong Kong | Stored Value Facilities (SVF) and Retail Payment Systems | In November 2015, the regulatory regime for stored value facilities and retail payment systems under the Payment Systems and Stored Value Facilities Ordinance (the Ordinance) commenced operation. | ||
As of the date of the prospectus, 18 SVF licenses (including 3 licensed banks that are regarded as SVF licensees) has been granted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. |
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Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies |
Key Contents | ||
Seven Smart Banking Initiatives | The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced a series of initiatives in September 2017 to prepare Hong Kong to move into a new era of smart banking, including: | |||
full connectivity of digital retail payments through the Faster Payment System; | ||||
upgrading existing FinTech Supervisory Sandbox 1.0 to Version 2.0; | ||||
facilitating the introduction of virtual banking in Hong Kong; | ||||
introducing a new Banking Made Easy initiative to reduce regulatory frictions and improve customer experience; | ||||
developing an Open Application Programming Interface framework; | ||||
stepping up cross-border cooperation in FinTech; and | ||||
enhancing research and talent development. | ||||
Guideline on Authorization of Virtual Banks | The Hong Kong Monetary Authority published a revised Guideline on Authorization of Virtual Banks, which sets requirements for the authorization criteria of virtual banks, including the roles of controllers, senior management, capital amounts, risk control, reserve requirements, disclosure mechanisms, and exit plans. | |||
Eight virtual banking license recipients were ultimately approved as of the date of the prospectus. | ||||
Fast Track for Applications AuthorizationsNew Insurers Owning and Operating Solely Digital Distribution Channels | The fast track provides a dedicated queue for new authorization applications from applicants, which would own and operate solely digital distribution channels, without the use of any conventional channels involving agents, banks, or brokers. | |||
The Insurance Authority had granted authorization under the fast track to four virtual insurers as of the date of the prospectus. |
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Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies |
Key Contents | ||
Open API Framework for the Hong Kong Banking Sector | This framework takes a risk-based principle and a four-phase approach to implement various Open API functions, and recommends prevailing international technical and security standards to ensure fast and safe adoption. It also lays out detailed expectations on how banks should onboard and maintain relationship with TSPs in a manner that ensures consumer protection. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority believes that this framework will serve as an important guide for the banking industry in Hong Kong to adopt APIs effectively and strike a good balance between innovation and risks. | |||
Fintech Supervisory Sandbox (FSS) & FSS2.0 | The Fintech Supervisory Sandbox (FSS), launched by the HKMA in September 2016, allows banks and their partnering technology firms to conduct pilot trials of their fintech initiatives involving a limited number of participating customers without the need to achieve full compliance with the HKMAs supervisory requirements.
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In light of the experience obtained in operating the FSS, the HKMA has upgraded the FSS to FSS 2.0. FSS 2.0 has several new features, such as Fintech Supervisory Chatroom to provide feedback to banks and technology firms at an early stage of their fintech projects, and single point of entry to connect SFC and HKIA. | ||||
Singapore | Digital Bank (DFB and DWB) Licenses | MAS announced on June 28, 2019 that it will issue up to two digital full bank (DFB) licenses and three digital wholesale bank (DWB) licenses. On December 4, 2020, the MAS announced an initial batch of four successful digital bank applicants. Two applicants were selected for the award of digital full bank licenses, while another two applicants were selected for the award of digital wholesale bank licenses. The MAS will review and consider granting more such licenses in the future.
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The digital bank licenses will allow entities, including non-bank players, to conduct digital banking businesses in Singapore. These new digital bank licenses mark the new chapter in Singapores banking liberalization journey, and ensure that Singapores banking sector continues to be resilient, competitive, and vibrant. |
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Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies |
Key Contents | ||
Payment Services Act | The act provides for the licensing and regulation of payment service providers, and the oversight of payment systems, which aims at improving the regulatory framework for payment services, enhances consumer protection, and increases awareness of the use of electronic payments in Singapore. | |||
Fast-Track Initiative for FinTech Innovations | FinTech Fast-Track (FTFT) has been launched on April 26, 2018 by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, aiming at providing an initiative to advance the file-to-grant process for FinTech patents, which include electronic payment, blockchain, banking, and insurance technology in Singapore.
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Once the technologies meet the requirements of FinTech inventions, the qualified applications could be granted as fast as 6 months, thereby enabling businesses to market and commercialize their products and services more rapidly. | ||||
Open Banking/APIs Guidelines | The MAS has, among other provided open banking/APIs guidelines, set out a framework, which currently operates the Financial Industry API Register and tracks APIs by functional category as they are launched. | |||
The MAS, the International Finance Corporation, and the ASEAN Bankers Association jointly established AFIN, with AMTD Foundation as its first corporate founding member, which launched Industry Sandbox and APIX that sit between banks and FinTechs. This interoperable and scalable infrastructure will act as a method to standardize banking infrastructure and data while also allowing institutions to test applications and fast prototype. | ||||
Sandbox Express | Sandbox Express provides firms with a faster option to test certain innovative financial products and services in the market. Eligible applicants can begin market testing in the pre-defined environment of Sandbox Express within 21 days of applying to the MAS. PolicyPal is the first startup to graduate from MAS FinTech Regulatory Sandbox, promoting the development of digital insurance in Singapore. | |||
Statement-of-Intent Committing to Promote Digital Insurance Innovation in the ASEAN | The MAS, the U.K. Department for International Trade and Investment, and 15 insurance industry representatives have signed a statement of intent committing in February 2017 to promote digital innovation in the Asian insurance sector and introduce ASEAN InsurTech Launchpad.
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The ASEAN InsurTech Launchpad, which is the first in the world, allows startup insurers to run pilots and proof-of-concepts with Singapore-based insurers, leverage on their networks, and create successful partnerships in the region, thereby further advancing Singapore to the forefront of digital revolution in insurance. |
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Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies |
Key Contents | ||
Financial Sector Technology & Innovation Scheme (FSTI2.0)
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The MAS provides support for the creation of a vibrant ecosystem for innovation. The Scheme aims at accelerating the development of technologies and innovations in the financial industry, supporting large-scale innovation projects, and cultivating local financial technology talents. | |||
FinTech Service Prover (FSP) Compliance Readiness Framework | The Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) announced the launch of a digital self-assessment framework and toolkit for fintech companies to accelerate the process of establishing partnerships between fintech companies and financial institutions, and promote the digital reform of Singapores financial industry. | |||
Malaysia | Exposure Draft on Licensing Framework for Digital Banks | This exposure draft sets out the proposed framework to allow entry of digital banks with innovative business models that seeks to serve the underserved and unserved market segments, enabling innovative application of technology in the financial sector. It aims to enable admission of digital banks with strong value propositions whilst safeguarding the integrity and stability of the financial system as well as depositors interest. | ||
Digital Free Trade Zone | The digital free trade zone aims to encourage SMEs to engage in cross-border trading. In addition, it supports online and digital services that promote e-commerce and innovation globally, creating opportunities for FinTech businesses. | |||
India | Guidelines for Licensing of Payments Banks | The guidelines are published to create a framework to license small banks and other differentiated banks that serve niche interest, local area banks, and payment banks, satisfying the needs of small businesses and low income households. | ||
Union Budget of India (2019-2020) | The Budget amends the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007 to include the policy that no bank or system provider shall impose any charge for using electronic modes for payments to a business that has total turnover exceeding INR500 million. | |||
Vietnam | Circular No. 23/2019/TT-NHNN | The State Bank of Vietnam releases new guidance on the customer identification and verification on e-wallet services, the Electronic Clearing System and the opening of payment guarantee accounts, which aims to develop digital financial services in Vietnam. | ||
Vietnam National E-commerce Development Program 2014-2020 | The program aims to build a national e-commerce payment system, set online shopping as a popular trading tool, and encourage to develop e-commerce infrastructure, products and solutions. | |||
Scheme on Development of Non-cash Payment in Vietnam 2016-2020 | The scheme improves the legal and policy framework regarding online payment, upgrades and expands the inter-bank electronic payment system, and promotes the overall development of retail payment systems and services. |
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Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies |
Key Contents | ||
Indonesia | Gerbang Pembayaran Nasional (GPN) | In December 2017, the Bank of Indonesia launched the GPN, which is a national payment gateway that has integrated system for all transactions between banks.
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The GPN aims to provide an efficient and secure payment system for banking customers by allowing all electric money, debit and credit cards of any issuers to be accepted at any automatic teller machine, electronic data capture device or payment gateway in the archipelago once the regulation is fully implemented. | ||||
Regulation on Information Technology-Based Lending Service | The regulation is expected to support the growth of FinTech peer-to-peer lending platforms, and provide opportunities for local FinTech providers to grow and expand for the contribution of the national economy. | |||
Japan | Japanese Banking Act | The amended banking act introduces a legal regulatory framework for electronic payment intermediate service providers as outlined by PSD2. It also calls for 80 Japanese banks to open their APIs by 2020. |
Source: PRC State Council, Peoples Bank of China, China Banking Regulatory Commission, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Hong Kong Insurance Authority, MAS, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, Otoritas Jasa Keuangan, National Payments Corporation of India, The Reserve Bank of India, India Ministry of Finance, State Bank of Vietnam, Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade, Bank of Indonesia, and China Insights Consultancy
Increase in Demand for Digital Financial Services
The continued advancement of information technology has laid the foundation and opened up new possibilities for the development of digital financial services.
In 2020, smartphone penetration rates, referring to the number of people possessing smartphones as percentage of total population, in several Asian countries and regions, such as Mainland China, Singapore, and Hong Kong, have reached 64.6%, 88.4%, and 78.0%, respectively, compared to a global average of 44.9%. Such high smartphone penetration rates paved the way for the fast adoption of digital financial services in those regions.
Smartphone usage was also a key driver for the growth of internet economy, which covers a range of businesses in daily life with the adoption of digitized technologies, including e-commerce, digital social media, and digital entertainment. The rapid growth of the Internet economy has shaped consumers preferences and behaviors, and is expected to continue to drive the increasing demand for digital financial services in the future. Mainland China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and various countries in Southeast Asia are among the fastest growing Internet economy markets in the world in terms of gross merchandise value.
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The following diagram sets forth the gross merchandise value of Internet economy in major countries and regions in Asia.
The GMV of Internet Economy, Major Countries and Regions in Asia, 2015-2024E
|
Source: China Insights Consultancy
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 has further accelerated digital transformation in all aspects of peoples lives, making a large proportion of Asian population switch to digital tools to shop and bank. Consumers are now accustomed to the convenience of mobile wallets and contactless payment methods to avoid the exchange of paper money or checks during the pandemic.
After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, awareness and acceptance of digital banking, digital insurance, and digital wealth management has greatly increased, resulting in rapid development of digital financial services industry. In Mainland China, the monthly active users of digital financial services apps have experienced a sharp growth, especially for online stock trading and digital banking services, achieving a year-on-year growth rate of over 20% between December 2019 and December 2020.
Monthly Active Users Growth Rate of the Smartphone Applications Providing Digital Financial Services, Mainland China, December 2019 December 2020
Source: China Insights Consultancy
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Overview of Digital Banking Industry in Asia
Asian retail consumers and SMEs are quickly adopting digital banking services. Non-bank tech companies, such as Alibaba, Tencent, and Grab, are key players providing payments, loans, and other financial services in digital forms that have traditionally been offered by banks. These companies, generally from the high-tech, telecommunication, and e-commerce sectors, are often more innovative than incumbent financial institutions and are more flexible and efficient in corporate decision-making process. However, if these non-bank technology companies want to provide digital banking services, they must first obtain regulatory permission and license in the relevant jurisdiction. As a result, the digital banking licenses issued or to be issued will have a great impact on the landscape of the digital financial service industry. The graph below shows key players and their respective main characteristics in major countries and regions in Asia as of December 31, 2020.
Key Players and Their Characteristics in Digital Banking Industry in Major Countries and Regions in Asia, as of December 2020
Source: China Insights Consultancy
Overview of the Digital Banking Industry in Hong Kong
To facilitate the introduction of digital banking, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority published a revised Guideline on Authorization of Virtual Banks on May 30, 2018, which distinctly proclaimed the principles for authorizing digital banking businesses. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority received a total of 29 applications for the digital banking licenses, with applicants ranging from telecommunications operators and financial technology companies to multinational banks. Eight virtual banking licenses were ultimately granted in 2019. All eight virtual banks have launched operations in 2020.
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The following table sets forth the eight digital banking license recipients.
Competitive Landscape of Digital Banking Industry, Hong Kong, as of December 2020
Source: Hong Kong Monetary Authority and China Insights Consultancy
Key Drivers of the Digital Banking Industry in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of the fastest-growing regions in the digital banking industry in Asia, primarily driven by the following factors:
Government Policies and Initiatives
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority believes that the development of digital banking will promote FinTech and innovation in Hong Kong and offer new customer experiences. In November 2015, the regulatory regime for stored value facilities and retail payment systems under the Payment Systems and Stored Value Facilities Ordinance went into effect. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has granted 8 virtual bank licenses as of May 2019. To date, 18 Stored Value Facilities (SVF) licenses (including 3 licensed banks that are regarded as SVF licensees) have been granted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to an effort to supervise and regulate the rapidly expanding electronic payment industry.
Close Proximity to Mainland China
The completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Express Rail Link further improved the transportation infrastructure in the Greater Bay Area and enhanced the flow of capital, talents, goods, and
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services between Mainland China and Hong Kong. Consumers in Mainland China are generally more accustomed to digital payment and banking services, which is expected to further accelerate Hong Kongs digitization process given the frequent interactions between people from Mainland China and Hong Kong. Given Hong Kongs close proximity to Mainland China, market players in Hong Kong have the unique advantage of serving a broader group of customers in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and Mainland China, and therefore would accelerate their technology adoption to satisfy customer demands.
Shift in Consumer Behavior and Growth in e-Commerce
Hong Kong has seen significant growth in e-commerce in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the adoption of e-commerce as people try to minimize in-person contacts through online shopping. Online consumers are expected to continue to increase post the pandemic, and digital banking services are an essential part of this growth.
Continued Improvements in Technology and Risk Management
Continued technological advancement will improve customer experiences, enable more comprehensive service options, and drive down costs. As more consumers are enjoying the products and benefits of digital banking, their behavior data will in turn help improve banks overall product offering as well as its risk management system. Digital banks are believed to be better at collecting and understanding such data than their traditional counterparts.
Market Size of the Digital Banking Industry in Hong Kong
It usually takes several years for digital banks to acquire critical mass of customers. Given that the first batch of digital banks in Hong Kong were only launched in 2020, the market size of virtual banking industry is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. The following graphs set forth the projected market size of the digital banking industry in Hong Kong in terms of loan outstanding, deposit balance, transfer value, and other services revenue during the period from 2020 to 2030.
Market Size1 of the Virtual Banking Industry, Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area2, 2020E-2030E
Loans outstanding3 | Deposits balance | Transfers value4 | Other services revenue5 | |||
Notes: |
(1) | The market size projection is based on reasonable assumptions and comprehensive estimates of the development of virtual banking development in other regions and other digital financial services development in Hong Kong. |
(2) | In the projection model, it is assumed that virtual banks in HK are expected to expand their businesses to the Greater Bay Area in the near future. |
(3) | The index for measuring the market size of loans is outstanding value, the loan outstanding refers to the unpaid, interest-bearing balance of a loan or loan portfolio averaged over a period of time. |
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(4) | Projected transaction value of transfers includes both the transaction value of cross-border transfers among GBA regions and the transaction value of domestic transfers in HK, considering the future expansion of HK virtual banks business across the GBA. |
(5) | Other services include insurance, wealth management, investment, etc. |
Source: China Insights Consultancy
Overview of the Digital Banking Industry in Singapore
Shortly after the issuance of Hong Kongs digital banking licenses, Singapore followed suit immediately to announce their plans to launch licensing operations. The MAS announced on June 28, 2019 that it will issue up to two digital full bank (DFB) licenses and three digital wholesale bank (DWB) licenses:
| A DFB license holder can take deposits from, and provide banking services to, retail and non-retail customer segments in Singapore; and |
| A DWB license holder can take deposits from, and provide banking services to, SMEs and other non-retail customer segments in Singapore. |
The MAS announced that it had received 21 applications for digital banking licenses as of the application deadline on December 31, 2019, including seven applications for the DFB license, and 14 applications for the DWB license. Candidates that have publicly announced their applications consist of several types, including FinTech companies such as the AMTD Digital-led consortium, Ant Financial, and ByteDance, Singapore-based internet service providers such as Sea and Razer, as well as telecom operators such as Singtel and ride hailing services provider such as Grab. On June 18, 2020, the MAS announced that five DFB applicants and nine DWB applicants were shortlisted to the next stage of assessment. On December 4, 2020, the MAS announced an initial batch of four successful digital bank applicants. Two applicants were selected for the award of digital full bank licenses, namely (i) a consortium comprising Grab Holding Inc. and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.; and (ii) an entity wholly-owned by Sea Ltd. Two applicants were selected for the award of digital wholesale bank licenses, namely (iii) a consortium comprising Greenland Financial Holdings Group Co. Ltd, Linklogis Hong Kong Ltd, and Beijing Co-operative Equity Investment Fund Management Co. Ltd.; and (iv) an entity wholly-owned by Ant Group Co. Ltd. The MAS will review and consider granting more such licenses in the future.
Key Drivers of Digital Banking Industry in Singapore
The growth of the digital banking (digital wholesale banks) industry in Singapore is expected to be primarily driven by the following factors:
Rapid Growth of Digital Economy
The high smartphone penetration rate makes customers adoption of digital services such as e-commerce and ride hailing easier in Singapore than in other markets, presenting a favorable landscape for Singapores banks to embed and cross sell financial services through these digital transactions. In addition, the growing demands for e-commerce and digital financial services in ASEAN will also increase demand for digital banking services in Singapore, the financial hub for ASEAN.
Development of FinTech Industry
The development of Singapores FinTech industry has attracted a large amount of capital and a great number of talents to this sector. The emerging growth of FinTech industry will accelerate the upgrade of banking infrastructures, improvement in banks risk management, and digitalization of banking system, which all make digital banking services more accessible for more SMEs.
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Supportive Government Policies
The Singapore government has implemented a series of supportive policies facilitating Singapores transformations to a cashless society. Such policies include introducing a new payment regulatory regime, identifying key areas of development, launching a public platform, and establishing strategic plans.
Inter-bank Collaborations that Strengthen Market Infrastructure
Inter-bank collaborations in Singapore cover the critical areas of technology infrastructure, digital identity access, national e-payment infrastructure, cross-border payments, and data governance. These collaborations facilitate the construction of a market infrastructure with enhanced risk controls.
Supports and Anchors to the FinTech Community from Strategic Investors
A large number of financial institutions, including AMTD Group, HSBC, and Standard Chartered, are making investments to support Singapores and ASEANs FinTech companies. Their efforts include sponsoring FinTech events, collaborating with universities to nurture FinTech talent, establishing FinTech focused investment funds, and supporting and empowering FinTech companies. Investment in the FinTech industry has increased significantly from U$0.2 billion in 2015 to US$1.1 billion in 2019 in the ASEAN.
Market Size of the Digital Banking (Digital Wholesales Banks) Industry in Singapore
The granting of digital banking licenses in Singapore are expected to accelerate the development of Singapores banking sector by allowing more innovative business models and strengthening digital capabilities. Singapores development strategy of digital banking has been focusing on the underserved or unbanked market segments, such as SMEs, as well as providing further impetus for existing banks to accelerate the innovation of their digital offerings.
The following diagram sets forth the expected market size of digital banking services in terms of loans outstanding, deposit balance, transfer value, and other services revenue during the period from 2020 to 2030.
Market Size1 of the Digital Banking (Digital Wholesale Banks) Industry, Singapore and ASEAN2, 2020E-2030E
Loans outstanding3 | Deposits balance | Transfers value4 | Other services revenue5 | |||
Notes: |
(1) | The market size projection is based on reasonable assumptions and comprehensive estimates of the development of virtual banking development in other regions and other digital financial services development in Singapore. |
(2) | In the projection model, it is assumed that virtual banks in Singapore are expected to expand their businesses to the ASEAN in the near future. |
(3) | The index for measuring the market size of loans is outstanding value, the loan outstanding refers to the unpaid, interest-bearing balance of a loan or loan portfolio averaged over a period of time. |
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(4) | Projected transfer value will include both cross-border trade settlement value among ASEAN and domestic transfer value in Singapore considering the expansion of Singapore virtual banks business to ASEAN. |
(5) | Other services include insurance, wealth management, investment, etc. |
Source: China Insights Consultancy
Overview of the Digital Insurance Industry in Asia
Value Chain of the Digital Insurance Industry in Asia
The insurance industry in Asia faces challenges of enhancing customer experience, improving business processes, and offering innovative products and services. In response to these challenges, market players are investing in digitalization to better serve customers and streamline business processes. To drive digital transformation, some intermediaries in the insurance industry have begun to distribute the insurance products sourced from insurance companies through online channels to clients. Online distribution channels in the insurance industry include digital insurance brokerage platforms, as well as digital banks and agents with online presence.
The following diagram sets forth the value chain of the digital insurance industry in Asia.
Source: China Insights Consultancy
Key Players and Their Characteristics in the Digital Insurance in Major Countries and Regions in Asia
The high expectations of consumers in Asia for seamless and personalized digital experiences have inspired innovation in the insurance industry. CIC expects that the insurance industry will be transformed by digital technologies and that digital usage will grow to become the dominant channel for insurance purchase in Asia. Insurers will have to stage their preparation for different levels of demand in different regions. In each geographic region, the degree of digitalization varies widely among insurers and insurance brokers. For example, Mainland China and Hong Kong have launched digital insurance license schemes and have already attracted a number of applicants for digital insurance licenses. Singapore has not granted such licenses but will start accepting applications in the near future.
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The following diagram sets forth the key players and their characteristics in the digital insurance industry in major countries and regions in Asia.
Key Players and Their Characteristics in Digital Insurance Industry in Major Countries and Regions in Asia, as of December 2020
Source: China Insights Consultancy
Key Drivers of the Digital Insurance Industry in Asia
Advantages of Digital Insurance over Traditional Insurance Companies and Brokers
In the setting of traditional insurance companies and brokers, customers must meet with an insurance agent or broker onsite and complete cumbersome documentation. Insurers also need to pay relatively high insurance premium and go through tedious process to file a claim. In contrast, for digital insurance customers, it is much more convenient and efficient to purchase insurance products and settle insurance claims online. Digital insurance can also significantly reduce the channel cost and improve geographical coverage.
Government Support
A large number of government bodies in Asia, including the Hong Kong Insurance Authority and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, have supported digital insurance as a means to strengthen the competitiveness of their insurance industries. For example, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority launched the initiative of InsurTech Sandbox and implemented the fast track authorization system.
Technology Advancements
The improvement and maturity of key technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), block chain, cloud computing, and big data has brought about a major opportunity to reshape the value chain of the insurance industry. Insurance technologies can help insurance companies and brokers improve their risk control capabilities, cost structure, marketing efficiency, and overall user experience including purchase and claims experience.
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Overview of the Digital Insurance Industry in Hong Kong
Development of the Digital Insurance Industry in Hong Kong
To improve the competitiveness of its insurance industry, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority has launched various initiatives to promote InsurTech development in Hong Kong. In September 2017, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority upgraded the InsurTech Sandbox, which allows InsurTech companies to test InsurTech initiatives and gain real market data and user feedback in a controlled environment before their commercial launch. The Hong Kong Insurance Authority also implemented a fast-track approval system for new insurers that operate solely through digital channels, attracting a number of applicants for virtual insurers authorized under the fast track. The virtual insurers will be allowed to sell insurance products directly over the internet, instead of through channels such as insurance agents and bancassurance. As of May 31, 2020, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority has granted authorization under the fast track to four virtual insurers, namely Bowtie Life Insurance (launched in December 2018), Avo Insurance (launched in October 2019), OneDegree Hong Kong (launched in April 2020), and ZA Insure (launched in May 2020). Multinational insurance companies have also tapped into the digital insurance market. For example, Aviva, a British multinational insurance company set up a joint venture with Hillhouse Capital and Tencent. The joint venture, Blue, leveraged Avivas insurance license to become the first digital life insurer in Hong Kong.
As of December 31, 2020, there were 827 authorized insurance brokers in Hong Kong. Among the local corporate insurance brokers in Hong Kong, AMTD Risk Solutions ranked top in terms of revenue in 2019. Since the 1940s, international insurers and insurance brokers have started business in Hong Kong and have then further expanded to other parts in Asia, especially Southeast Asia and Mainland China. The technological change and shifts in consumer behaviors have also resulted in a new wave of competition. Most established companies in the insurance industry in Hong Kong have been slow in adopting digital tools and business models. Meanwhile, a growing number of tech-oriented start-ups and emerging growth firms continue to chip away at insurance markets. Leading insurance brokers in Hong Kong have been heavily investing in InsurTech and transforming their business processes to improve customer experience and expand customer base.
Market Size Projection of the Digital Insurance Industry in Hong Kong
The penetration rate of the digital insurance market as a percentage of the total insurance market measured by premium is lower than 1% in 2019. The virtual insurers in Hong Kong are in their early stage of development with a penetration rate of only 0.3% in 2020. The penetration rate of digital insurance in Hong Kong is expected to reach approximately 6.0% in 2030.
The following diagram sets forth the projected penetration rate of the digital insurance market among total insurance market measured by premium in Hong Kong during the period from 2020 to 2030.
Penetration Rate of the Digital Insurance Market Among Total Insurance Market,
Measured by Premium, Hong Kong, 2020E-2030E
Source: China Insights Consultancy
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Overview of the Digital Insurance Industry in Singapore
Development of the Digital Insurance Industry in Singapore
In recent years, FinTech has established itself as a key sector in Singapores financial industry. Singapore launched the FinTech Sandbox in 2016, allowing financial companies to test their innovative products and services in the market, which accelerated digitalization of the insurance industry in Singapore.
Insurance coverage is higher in Singapore than the rest of Asia. Relatively two-thirds of the population in Singapore are insured, which result in a high demand for insurance technology advancement and better insurance services. Considered as one of the best places in the world for tech start-ups, Singapore has welcomed many InsurTech players who seek for strategic opportunities in the insurance industry, and has already seen the emergence of several high-performing insurance technology start-ups.
Competitive Landscape of the Digital Insurance Brokerage Market in Singapore
As of the December 31, 2020, there were 91 registered insurance brokers in Singapore. Among these brokers, fewer than 20 are equipped with digital insurance capabilities that enable clients to purchase, acknowledge and organize their insurances online.
One of the most notable digital insurance platform in Singapore is PolicyPal. As the first startup to successfully graduate from MAS FinTech Sandbox, PolicyPal is a one-stop online insurance platform and a mobile-first assurance on insurance, providing financial literacy, advisory of financial planning, and policy portfolio, for a range of customers. PolicyPal leads the InsurTech scene by being the first to digitize SME group employee benefits in Singapore in 2019, reflecting its dedication to offering direct group insurance to small and medium businesses.
The following table sets forth the ranking of digital insurance brokerage platforms measured by the number of website visits in Singapore in 2020.
Ranking of the digital insurance brokerage platforms, measured by website visits, Singapore, 2020
Rank |
Company code |
Website visits* |
Brief introduction | |||
1 | PolicyPal | ~14,743 | The first graduate from MAS Fintech Sandbox, PolicyPal, is a one-stop online insurance brokerage solutions provider with strong support from MAS, distributing data-driven products for different customers. | |||
2 | Company A | ~9,766 | An insurance broker platform licensed by the MAS since 2015, it provides 7 insurance products from 20 insurance companies in Singapore. | |||
3 | Company B | ~5,186 | A MAS-licensed online financial advisor that provides an easy comparison framework for customers to compare key insurance features between insurers. | |||
4 | Company C | ~433 | An online insurance broker that covers special business insurance products such as cyber insurance, D&O insurance, and professional indemnity. | |||
5 | Company D | ~232 | A digital platform that generates customized, direct and transparent insurance solutions with zero commissions that is available online 24/7. |
Note: Website visits here refer to the total visits to insurance brokerage platforms website during a 3-month period from February 2020 to April 2020, monitored by SimilarWeb.
Source: China Insights Consultancy
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Market Size Projection of the Digital Insurance Industry in Singapore
The penetration rate of the digital insurance market as a percentage of the total insurance market measured by premium is lower than 1% in 2019. The following diagram sets forth the projected penetration rate of the digital insurance market among the total insurance market measured by premium in Singapore during the period from 2020 to 2030.
Penetration Rate of the Digital Insurance Market Among Total Insurance Market,
Measured by Premium, Singapore, 2020E-2030E
Source: China Insights Consultancy
Overview of the Digital Payment Industry in ASEAN Countries
Digital payment services have different implications on countries and regions at different stages of development of their financial systems. In countries and regions with developed financial systems, such as Singapore, traditional payment services are already widely adopted, making it difficult for digital payment services to outright replace traditional payment services. Under such circumstances, digital payment services often serve as a complement to existing traditional payment services, thus providing a more diversified payment ecosystem. In countries and regions with emerging financial systems, such as Indonesia, digital payment services would have larger potential of development since such services are gradually replacing traditional payment services due to high efficiency and convenience.
The digital payment industry in ASEAN countries experienced significant development over the past three years. The market size of the digital payment industry in ASEAN countries as measured by transaction value increased from US$0.6 billion in 2017 to US$6.4 billion in 2019, translating to a robust CAGR of 219.1%. Driven by the changing consumer behaviors, increasing smartphone and internet penetration, and supportive regulatory and policy environment, the market size is expected to further increase at a CAGR of 43.7% between 2019 and 2024, to reach US$39.4 billion by 2024. The graph below sets forth the market size of the digital payment industry in ASEAN countries as measured by transaction value from 2017 to 2024.
Market Size of the Digital Payment Industry, as Measured by Transaction Value, ASEAN Countries, 2017-2024E
Sources: CIC report
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Third-party payment, a transaction method in which third-party operators act as intermediary between buyers and sellers to non-cash payment, can be divided into traditional payment services and digital payment services. Traditional payment refers to the services for merchants to accept non-cash payments without digital channels, including card payments with traditional payment terminals. Digital payment refers to the services for merchants to accept payment using internet channels such as PCs or mobile apps, or consumers to pay merchants through third-party e-wallets.
With the advancement of technologies, digital payment can nowadays be further divided into internet-based bank card payment and QR code-based payment with mobile devices. Internet -based bank card payment refers to transactions paid with debit or credit card and settled through bank websites or mobile apps. QR code-based payment refers to transaction paid through QR code, whether it is an aggregated QR code channeling the payment to multiple issuers or not. The aggregated QR code-based payment is beneficial for merchants to reduce the costs and improve the operating efficiency when accessing and maintaining multiple payment and settlement services.
Overview of the Aggregated QR Code-based Payment
As a type of QR code-based payment, the aggregated QR code-based payment refers to the provision of comprehensive online payment solutions for merchants with the integration of payment tools through PCs or mobile apps among multiple banks in cooperation, third-party payment platforms and other payment service providers. Four levels of aggregation are reflected in the aggregated QR codebased payment, including application scenarios, paying methods, funds to the accounts, and value-added services for merchants. The table below sets forth the segmentation of the aggregated QR code-based payment industry.
Segmentation of the Aggregated QR Code-based Payment Industry
Value Proposition of the Aggregated QR Code-based Payment
Empowering Merchants
The aggregated QR code-based payment empowers merchants from various perspectives, including bringing convenient experience of collecting money, along with value-added services based on data such as digital management, loan services with lower thresholds, and more precise marketing services.
| Convenient experience of collecting money: For merchants, the aggregated QR code-based payment is a one-stop access to various e-wallets. Compared with other payment methods such as cash and card payment, the aggregated QR code-based payment brings greater convenience, improves the merchants efficiency, and lowers operating costs. |
| Digital management: Aggregated QR code-based payment service providers perform statistical analysis of the merchants daily operating data through the associated Apps and present it in a visualized way, which carries out the digital upgrading of daily operation management for many small and medium-sized merchants. |
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| Loan services with lower thresholds: The service providers can truly record the daily operating data of merchants, which can help financial institutions improve the credit evaluation effect on the small and micro-sized merchants, and also lower the threshold for small and micro-sized merchants to obtain loans. |
| More precise marketing services: Depending on the large traffic of payment platforms, the service providers integrate marketing services such as membership systems, loyalty systems, and social advertising to provide merchants with a comprehensive marketing solution, thus enhancing customer acquisition effects for merchants. |
Assisting in Expansion of Merchants for Acquiring Agencies
The expansion of offline merchants requires a large amount of costs from sales staffs onsite business development to connection with merchants and after-sales services. Aggregated QR code-based service providers are able to leverage the cost advantages to reach more small and micro-sized merchants, which is difficult for acquiring agencies due to relatively higher customer acquisition costs. Thus, the service providers undertake part of the responsibility of offline merchant expansion.
Facilitating Financial Inclusion
The habits of mobile payment for people in ASEAN countries are gradually being developed to provide a good foundation for the development of the aggregated QR code-based payment industry. In addition, with the wider geographical coverage, more individual business owners with small operating scales will access such services. Aggregated QR code-based payment is committed to exploring merchants, especially those in small and micro sizes, and continuously promoting the process of financial inclusion with payment as an entry point in ASEAN countries.
Policies Regarding the Aggregated QR Code-based Payment Industry in ASEAN Countries
The government sectors in ASEAN countries have been actively promoting the standardized development of the payment industry respectively. The table below sets forth the policies to support a more healthily developing payment industry in ASEAN countries.
Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies | Issuing Year and Issuing Institutions |
Key Contents | |||
Singapore |
The Payment Services Act 2019 (PS Act) | 2020
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) |
The PS Act adopts an activity-based licensing framework in recognition of the different kinds of activities and new developments in payment services.
The Act can enhance the regulatory framework for payment services in Singapore, strengthen consumer protection and promote confidence in the use of e-payments. | |||
The Singapore Quick Response Code (SGQR) | 2018
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) |
SGQR is a single payment QR code that combines the payload details of different electronic payment schemes that a merchant or business accepts. Up to now, there are 37 SGQR members in Singapore.
SGQR makes QR code-based mobile payments simple for both consumers and merchants, accelerating the increase of digital payment penetration rate in Singapore. |
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Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies | Issuing Year and Issuing Institutions |
Key Contents | |||
Thailand |
The Payment Systems Act 2017 (The PSA) | 2018
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) |
The Act sets out the framework for a new licensing and registration regime to regulate electronic payment business operators and puts in place several provisions for a stable and reliable e-payment ecosystem.
The Act enhances e-payment systems risk management and security, financial stability, good governance, customer protection and efficiency, and competitiveness.
| |||
The Quick Response Code payment system | 2017
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) |
The BOT has approved the launch of the QR Code Payment by commercial banks in Thailand. Under this system, customers are able to use mobile phone applications to scan standardized merchant QR codes.
The system enhances the digital payment framework in Thailand, providing for public confidence, stability and security of digital payment systems. | ||||
PromptPay Program | 2017
Thailand government |
The PromptPay system allows registered customers to transfer funds using a mobile phone with only the mobile number or national ID number of the recipient.
The program is aimed at supporting financial inclusion and the roll-out of electronic payments in Thailand. | ||||
Indonesia |
Indonesian Standard QR Code (QRIS) | 2020
Indonesias central bank, Bank Indonesia (BI) |
QRIS is an integrated payment system that allows users from one payment service to transfer funds to any rival service within BIs ecosystem.
QRIS facilitates and integrates payment transaction, improving the efficiency and safety of digital payments in Indonesia. | |||
The National Payment Gateway (NPG) Regulation | 2017
Bank Indonesia (BI) |
Upon the full implementation of this regulation, all domestic cashless transactions made within Indonesian territory must be processed through the NPG as the states integrated payment system.
The regulation promotes the development of digital payments system in Indonesia. Consumers no longer need to match their cashless payment instruments to the electronic data capture (EDC) machine available in the merchants store. |
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Major Countries/ Regions |
Policies | Issuing Year and Issuing Institutions |
Key Contents | |||
Philippines |
The National Payment Systems Act (the NPSA) | 2018
Philippines government |
Under the NPSA, all existing operators of payment systems are required to register with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (the Philippines central bank and monetary authority) within six months from effectivity of the NPSA.
The Act is intended to promote the safe, secured, efficient and reliable operation of payment system and the development of cashless economy within Philippines. | |||
The National Retail Payment System (NRPS) | 2015
Philippines government |
Under the NRPS, the BSP launched two automated clearing houses, the PESONet in 2017, and InstaPay in April 2018. NRPS also provided the framework for the governance of payments in the Philippines.
The system is designed to prompt the cashless economy and encourage innovation and growth of payment services and FinTech in Philippines. | ||||
Vietnam |
QR code Project | 2019
Vietnam government |
Under the project, all commercial banks and payment intermediary providers must also apply QR code standards before the third quarter of 2019.
The project is aimed at encouraging non-cash payments, enhancing the system of electronic wallets and digital payments in Vietnam. | |||
Malaysia |
Interoperable Credit Transfer Framework (ICTF) | 2018
Malaysias Central Bank, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) |
The ICTF enabled the interoperability of credit transfer services and promoting collaborative competition between banks and non-bank e-money issuers through fair and open access to shared payment infrastructure.
The policy is intended to foster an efficient, competitive and innovative payment landscape and accelerate the Malaysias ambitions of becoming a cashless society. | |||
Financial Sector Blueprint 2011- 2020 | 2010
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) |
The blueprint highlighted electronic payments as one of the nine key focus areas. BNM is expected to accelerate the migration to e-payments, and QR Payment has been identified as the catalyst towards achieving that goal.
The blueprint primarily promotes the digital payments and broadens financial inclusion in Malaysia. |
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Source: Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Ministry of Finance (MOF), Bank of Thailand (BOT), Thailand government, Indonesias central bank, Bank Indonesia (BI), Philippines government, Vietnam government, Malaysias Central Bank, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM)
Overview of Digital Primary Shares Exchange Platforms in Asia
Attractive investment market and high digital level in Asia has led to the emergence of a vibrant start-up environment across the region. Over the past two years, the rapid growth in venture capitalists and private equity investment in Asia has produced the first set of Unicorns, which are private companies valued at US$1 billion or more. China boasts the most Unicorn companies in Asia, with 217 in 2020. In ASEAN, rapid development of economy and the ecosystem of investors have led a large number of entrepreneurs to build their brands and businesses in this region. Some of the well-known Unicorn companies in ASEAN include Go-Jek, Grab, and Revolution Precrafted.
Unicorn companies are not listed but have huge investment potential. However, the market lacks platforms or systems that allow trading of shares in these Unicorns. Consequently, demand for a digital primary shares exchange platform has grown rapidly in recent years.
Several governments have announced policies to support the growth of Unicorn companies and private market ecosystem. For instance, MAS has committed to allocate US$5.0 billion of its own funds to invest in the private markets asset class and support the growth of Unicorns. In January 2019, Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong approved the operation of pre-IPO equity exchanging FinTech firm and granted the company with dealing in security license. Besides, the Outline Department Plan for Greater Bay Area initiatives the establishment of regional private equity trading market. The favorable policies facilitate the development of private equity and exchanging in Hong Kong.
Key Market Players in the Digital Primary Shares Exchange Platforms in Asia
With the advancement of technology, a growing number of digital marketing platforms have emerged. The following table sets forth the key digital platforms in Asia.
Examples of Digital Primary Shares Exchange Platforms in Asia
Company |
Headquarters |
Year of establishment |
Profile | |||
CapBridge | Singapore | 2015 | An online private equity investment syndication platform approved by the MAS and Government of Singapore, which provides private markets securities exchange and primary capital raising | |||
Fundnel | Singapore | 2015 | A private investment platform that leverages technology and data to curate opportunities in growth and pre-IPO companies in ASEAN and provides the equity exchanging services online | |||
Investa X | Singapore | 2015 | Its ecosystem provides the key infrastructure required for the new digital economy, with digital financing for alternative investments including private equity | |||
iSTOX | Singapore | 2017 | Focusing on private capital market and offering an innovative, flexible, inclusive, and efficient system for an emerging generation of investors and issuers |
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Company |
Headquarters |
Year of establishment |
Profile | |||
Moonfare Asia Ltd | Hong Kong | 2018 | A subsidiary of Moonfare GmbH and SFC-licensed FinTech platform designed to give qualified Asian investors access to top-tier, pre-vetted private equity funds |
Source: China Insights Consultancy
Key Drivers of the Digital Primary Shares Exchange Platforms in Asia
The growth of the digital primary shares exchange platforms industry in Asia is primarily driven by the following factors.
Continued Growth and Increasing Number of Unicorn Companies
The growth of Unicorn companies would require vast amounts of capital injection and supportive policies. Asias vibrant business environment offers space for new businesses and start-ups to thrive, as business investors are presented with opportunities to generate lucrative returns on their investments within the region; therefore the number and valuation of unicorns in Asia have continued to increase over past two years.
Demand for Liquidity from Shareholders
Well-capitalized Unicorn companies may choose to stay private due to less regulatory oversight in order to compete more effectively in their markets. However, its investors and employees with shares in the company may need to exit the investment or obtain cash through sale of shares.
Investors Seeking High Return of Private Equity Investment
The private equity investments can be very profitable, thereby attracting a vast number of potential investors. If interested investors have missed the opportunity to participate in company fund raisings, they may still invest in the company through these platforms at a later time.
Favorable Policies and Supports from Governments
Several government bodies in Asia, including SGX, MAS, and Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong, have approved the establishment and authorization of the trading exchange and platforms of private securities, thereby strengthening the growth of digital private equity exchanging industry.
Development of Advanced Technology
The advancement and maturity of technologies, such as Ethereum network and blockchain with immutable and highly distributable nature, has provided basic infrastructure for online private securities trading and ensured security and high transparency.
Total Addressable Market of the Digital Primary Shares Exchange Platforms in Asia
The total addressable market size of Asian digital primary shares exchange platforms is largely driven by valuation of Unicorns, number of sellers, and number of interested buyers. Based on a typical percentage of shares that are owned by investors and employees prior to initial public offerings, the addressable market of primary shares exchange platforms is estimated to be approximately US$15 billion in 2019.
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Overview of Digital Ecosystems
Digital Revolution Giving Rise to a New Generation of Industry Leaders
The digital revolution has transformed the way business is being conducted and has given rise to a new generation of industry leaders. The proliferation of digital technology, in particular, the prevalence of digital means of communication and electronic commerce, has changed the way of life for people around the globe, and, as a result, also changed the landscape of global business.
Digital revolution has brought about the following trends in the business world across continents:
| Globalization. With the advent of digital media and digital communication, information can be disseminated across the world rapidly. Whereas, historically, there are significant variations across different regions in terms of their cultural preferences, these preferences have become much more aligned, particularly in terms of media, entertainment, and products, as people can now access the same information regardless of their locations. The total number of cross-border consumers is forecasted to be more than 1.1 billion by the end of 2021. |
| Instant Fulfillment. With the significantly upgraded telecommunications and logistics network, consumers are now able to make purchases and receive their goods much more conveniently and speedily. Advanced telecommunications networks, such as 4G and 5G, enable consumers to download and access digital content much more rapidly and easily around the world. Driven by the expanded global shipping and delivery capacity as well as better operations management through the use of technology, logistics networks have evolved to support much faster delivery and fulfillment of orders made by consumers. As a case in point, the adoption of telecommunications technologies and the volume of online shopping have both achieved exponential growth in recent years and increased even more sharply in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19. More than 800 million people have adopted telecommunications technologies for work globally in 2020. As of the end of 2020, the number of online shopping platform users reached 2.1 billion and 78.9% of smartphone users would choose online shopping software for daily shopping. |
| Scale. Due to the aforementioned factors, businesses can now operate without geographical constraints and can access a much larger potential client base constituted by individuals and entities sharing the same set of preferences. This has resulted in the Matthew effect in consumer and user behaviors, where popular products tend to become even more popular. Online social media platforms have also achieved rapid growth. In 2020, the users of popular social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat, and Instagram have reached 2.4 billion, 1.6 billion, 1.2 billion, and 1.0 billion, respectively. |
| Integrated Solutions. Digital technologies allow business partners, suppliers, distributors, and end retailers to share customer data and analytics, enabling them to tailor offerings suited to the needs of the customers and easily cross-sell different products and services. Improvements in customer analytics have also given rise to Super Apps such as Wechat, Grab, etc. |
The Birth of Digital Ecosystems
The digital revolution has given rise to a new generation of industry leaders. As these industry leaders expand through investments, mergers and acquisitions and business cooperation with other companies, they have developed synergistic digital ecosystems, creating multifarious consumer touch-points across many sectors of the economy. Many of these digital ecosystems have developed into a massive scale that makes it difficult for others, except the largest giants, to compete with them.
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Structure of the Global Digital Ecosystem in 2021
Source: CIC Report
Digital Ecosystems Dominate the Global Business Landscape Today and Their Investments Have Achieved Significant Returns
Today, eight out of the top 10 companies by market value in the world are ecosystem enterprises, which include Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Tencent and Alibaba. In total, these ecosystem enterprises have invested in and acquired more than 2,000 companies and around 15% of these companies are already listed. According to the CIC Report, the average investment return of these ecosystem enterprises over the past three years accounted for as high as 40% of their net profits. Investments were mainly made in the sectors of live streaming, big data, social media, Fin-tech, AI, healthcare, and retail. Case studies of Amazon, Tencent and Alibaba are listed below:
| Amazon. Since 1998, Amazon has invested in and acquired over 104 companies to build its ecosystem, and 24 of those companies have since been listed. Amazon has continuously been conducting mergers and acquisitions every year. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Amazon acquired four, nine, and three companies respectively. |
| Tencent. Tencent started to build its ecosystem since 2011. Over the past decade, Tencent has invested in and acquired over 800 companies. Among them were more than 70 companies that have been listed. Investment return contributed to over 40% of Tencents net profits. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Tencent reported investment returns of US$5.0 billion, US$3.2 billion, and US$10.8 billion, respectively. |
| Alibaba. Alibaba has invested in and acquired over 430 companies. 62 of those companies have since been listed. Investment returns contributed to almost 50% of Alibabas net profits. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Alibaba reported investment returns of US$4.7 billion, US$6.8 billion, and US$11.3 billion respectively. |
Benefits of Ecosystem Membership
It is increasingly important for businesses, especially those operating in the digital economy where scale, customer data, and financial resources are critical, to benefit from and to have the support of an digital ecosystem. Membership to a digital ecosystem will be increasingly sought after in the future since it can help
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improve customer loyalty and retention, improve risk management capability, lower operation cost and create new revenue sources.
| Improved customer loyalty and retention. Digital technology is one of the most important keys to unlocking customer insights. Having access to a digital ecosystem would enable a company to better understand their existing and target customers as well as their needs. With access to such critical data, companies can create a business strategy that is more customer-centric. Using both structured data (personal customer information) and unstructured data (such as social media metrics and value chain analysis), companies can drive substantial business growth and improve customer loyalty. |
| Improved risk management capability. A robust set of partnerships can help companies better adapt to the rapid economic changes. If demand drops for one product, companies can change their strategies to focus on another product without starting from scratch if they have the support from other partner companies in a digital ecosystem. With combined resources, a company will be able to pivot more quickly to meet changes in demand. For example, Ubers in-house ecosystem consists of both ride-sharing services and other transportation-based services, such as its food delivery service, Uber Eats. The pandemic caused ride bookings to drop by 75%, but at the same time, demand for Uber Eats more than doubled. Having a strong ecosystem enabled the company to withstand what could have been a devastating economic event. |
| Lower operation costs. Companies that have embraced digital transformation and ecosystem integration platforms are experiencing measurable cost savings. Besides improving workflow efficiency, end-to-end integration improves companies relationships with customers and partners and reduces operational costs by automated data handling. According to McKinsey, banks with robust ecosystems see 10%-20% savings on customer acquisition costs. |
| Create new sources of revenues. Data analytics can reveal insights of consumer behaviors and needs that might have otherwise been missed. Having data not just from the company itself but data from all of the customers interactions in an ecosystem enables companies to more quickly identify consumer patterns and better spot opportunities. Empowered by the abundance of data from a digital ecosystem, companies can better connect with consumers, increase the value of their products and services and reduce risks that ordinarily accompany new product launches. This in turn leads to new revenue streams and more opportunities for growth. |
As a result of the above, many companies have become aware of the benefit of becoming part of an ecosystem. Aside from being enrolled in an ecosystem through mergers and acquisitions, more and more companies are willing to pay for ecosystem membership to improve customer loyalty and retention, enhance risk management capabilities, lower operation cost and create new revenue sources.
Overview of the Digital Media Marketing Industry in Asia
Value Chain of the Digital Media Marketing Industry in Asia
Digital media marketing refers to the distribution of various promotional messages via digital media platforms such as websites, mobile apps, and social media, which aims to empower companies through increasing their brand awareness. With advertisers and digital media marketing service providers positioned in the upstream and consumers positioned in the downstream, distribution channel providers are positioned in the midstream of the digital media marketing industry, relying on digital media platforms to display advertisements and shape public opinions.
Key Market Players in the Digital Media Marketing Industry in Asia
The number of digital marketing platforms in Asia has been growing as technology advances. Typical market players include Alibaba, ByteDance, Facebook, Tencent, YouTube, and Google.
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Trends of the Digital Media Marketing Industry in Asia
Transformation to online platforms will be a major trend for the media marketing industry. Instead of focusing on offline media, more diversified forms of digital media marketing will be adopted interactively, involving Internet and mobile activities such as e-commerce advertising, feed advertising, live video advertising, social media advertising, and key opinion leader, or KOL, influence. Furthermore, the online traffic and data analysis can provide customized support for marketing, and enable marketing campaigns to reach targeted customers in a more interactive and convenient way.
The digital media marketing industry in Asia has experienced sound growth over the past six years. The market size of the digital media marketing industry in Asia, as measured by revenue, increased from US$53.3 billion in 2015 to US$150.7 billion in 2020, representing a CAGR of 23.0%, even though the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative influence on marketing expenditures across industries in 2020. After the pandemic, the wider adoption of smartphones and communication technology, together with the changing consumption patterns in prosperous industries and the development of advanced technology, will result in a rapid rebound of the market size of the digital media marketing industry. The market size of the digital media marketing in Asia, as measured by revenue, is expected to reach US$208.3 billion in 2024 with a CAGR of 8.4% between 2020 and 2024.
Market Size of the Digital Media Marketing Industry, as Measured by Revenue, Asia, 2015-2024E
Source: China Insights Consultancy
Drivers of the Digital Media Marketing Industry in Asia
The growth of the digital media marketing industry in Asia is primarily driven by the following factors.
Wider Adoption of Smartphones and Communication Technology
The wider application of smartphones and Internet platforms demonstrates a shift in attention from offline media to digital media. As consumers spend more time on mobile devices and gain growing access to digital media in the near future, the digital media marketing industry in Asia is estimated to reach an ever-larger consumer pool and continue to grow.
Changing Consumption Patterns in Prosperous Industries
Consumers daily activities, such as communicating, commuting, dining, health, shopping, and entertainment, have been closely associated with various mobile applications, cumulatively creating a mobile Internet eco-system that caters to a variety of consumer needs. Digital media marketing is expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping brand images, conveying product information, and stimulating purchases from modern consumers who frequently use these applications.
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Development of Advanced Technology
The application of big data and Internet-related technology has driven the expansion and innovation of digital media marketing through features such as market positioning, programmatic advertising purchase, performance evaluation, and customer relationship management, enabling the precise targeting of specific audience and enhancing the marketing conversion rate.
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Our Mission
There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if we could become something more.
Nick Fury, Avengers
Our mission is to act as a fusion reactor for the best entrepreneurs and ideas, fusing synergistically all elements within the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, and harnessing and magnifying the power from each partner to create a force with meaningful social, technological, and economic impact.
Overview
Our Fusion-in Program
Through our unique business model, we develop leading digital businesses organically and seek to empower other entrepreneurs through our fusion-in program. By equity swap (i.e. issuing our ordinary shares to acquire the equity interests) with promising digital financial players, we align their business interests with ours. We further benefit from gaining access to new talents, capabilities, licenses, and technologies, while our business partners gain the ability to unlock their potential and accelerate growth by joining the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem.
We identify potential business partners through our vast network of relationships and programs, including the various industry forums and events that we sponsor, various academic programs that we support, and through referrals from various entrepreneurs and industry organizations that we or our Controlling Shareholder is a member of. We seek for early-stage to mid-stage start-up businesses that complements our existing business and where the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem can add tangible value and accelerate their growth. We sometimes swap equity with business partners (issuing our shares to acquire the equity interests of the investees) after we have developed a good business relationship and have a deep mutual understanding. The discussions around equity swap can be initiated by either party, and would involve exchanging our shares in exchange for stakes in the business partners. We typically seek to acquire majority stakes in such businesses. Normal commercial due diligence must be completed and the relevant board and investment committee approvals must be obtained before the execution of such transactions. We will devote the resources of our entire network to help the business grow following the equity swap, including customer cross-referrals, business partnerships, as well as the appointment of board member or secondment of staff pursuant to the terms of the corresponding agreement. The timing of when we spin-off such businesses depends on a number of factors, including whether they meet the requirements for the main board of a leading stock exchange, prevailing market conditions, and the amount and timing of their capital needs.
Core of the AMTD SpiderNet
AMTD Digital is a comprehensive digital solutions platform and the fusion reactor at the core of the AMTD SpiderNet. We harness the digital capability of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem to empower Asias entrepreneurs. We link and empower partners from digital and traditional financial industries, technology industries, academic institutions, and industry associations, combining and magnifying the best of each partner while providing one-stop solutions to our clients. We also unlock greater potential and accelerate the growth of our business partners by leveraging AMTD SpiderNets diverse connections and resources in product, talent, capital, and strategic guidance.
The AMTD SpiderNet was created by our Controlling Shareholder, AMTD Group, a leading and fast-growing financial services and digital-focused conglomerate in Asia, with businesses in investment banking, asset management, digital finance, education, and real estate. The AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, embedded with
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multi-faceted business relationships, is formed by our Controlling Shareholders diverse and enriching initiatives and network of connections, together with the large client base to which AMTD Group provides a broad range of financial services. The AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem is an ever-extending network in which AMTD Group, together with its clients, shareholders, business partners, and investee companies, actively explore business collaboration opportunities. We benefit from being a core member of AMTD Groups extensive network. By embracing the AMTD SpiderNet culture, we empower innovation and collaboration among multiple stakeholders to create greater synergies, and stronger connections and economic benefits for us and all of our stakeholders.
Innovative and disruptive thinking have been part of AMTD Groups DNA since it came under our founder Mr. Calvin Chois leadership in 2016, and have driven AMTD Group to bring the best IDEA into each segment of its businesses:
| I for AMTD Internationala leading Hong Kong-headquartered comprehensive financial institution, and the first dual-listed company on both the NYSE and SGX-ST; |
| D for AMTD Digitala leading one-stop digital solutions platform and fusion reactor for entrepreneurs with business exposure and operations in Singapore and Hong Kong; |
| E for AMTD Educationa platform focused on investment and development of world-class educational institutions in Asia and beyond; and |
| A for AMTD Assetsa global property investment platform with current footprints in Hong Kong and Singapore. |
We, together with the other members of AMTD Group, strive to unlock and maximize the value embedded within each partner. By linking every partner to a multi-dimensional web of business relationships, the value that each partner creates can be compounded, setting off a chain reaction that leads to significant value growth that reverberates throughout the entire ecosystem. This forms the foundation of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, an ever-expanding network of partners that magnifies synergies and value creation for all participants in the system.
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Our Business
As the fusion reactor at the core of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, we are one of the most comprehensive digital solutions platforms in Asia with businesses spanning multiple verticals, including digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing, and digital investments.
Digital transformation is a new normal to real economies and peoples daily life, and we believe that a multi-dimensional and integrated digital solutions platform is fundamental to our ability to empower and integrate the various digital businesses within our ecosystem. We aspire to understand and anticipate the needs of clients, and provide them tailored digital solutions with a collaborative overlay. We acquire innovative technological capabilities by selectively cooperating with and investing in technology partners across Asia. The purpose is to build a solid foundation for our various business endeavors.
Our one-stop digital solutions platform operates four main business lines:
| Digital Financial Services. Primarily through our controlled entities, investees, and business partners, we provide one-stop, cross-market and intelligent digital financial services for retail and corporate clients in Asia. We possess some of the most scarce digital financial licenses in Asia and provide a variety of digital financial services through the following: |
| AMTD Risk Solutionsthe largest Hong Kong-based corporate insurance solution provider in terms of revenue of corporate insurance business in Hong Kong, according to the CIC Report. AMTD RSG, our wholly-owned subsidiary, was a member of the Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers since October 2004 and was granted an insurance brokerage license issued by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority in September 2019, pursuant to the newly established statutory regime for regulation of insurance intermediaries which took over regulation of insurance agents and brokers from the self-regulatory bodies including Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers. See RegulationHong KongInsurance Brokerage Regulatory Regime for details on the new regulatory regime. |
| PolicyPala one-stop digital insurance technology platform for consumers and SME clients in Singapore. We have acquired a controlling interest in PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. via our fusion-in program in August 2020. BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd., the wholly-owned subsidiary of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., is a registered insurance broker with respect to direct insurance and an exempt financial advisor in relation to advising on and arranging of investment products that are life policies in Singapore, other than for reinsurance. BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. is the first company to graduate from the MASs FinTech regulatory sandbox. |
In addition, we have entered into agreements to acquire or apply for some of the most scarce digital financial licenses in Asia and provide a variety of digital financial services through the following:
| Singa Bank (in application)a digital wholesale banking platform to be established to provide comprehensive services to SME and corporate clients in Singapore. Our subsidiary, AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd., entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with Xiaomi, SP Group, and Funding Societies to establish a consortium in which we expect AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. to be the largest shareholder. The consortium intends to pursue digital banking opportunities in Singapore through Singa Bank, the launch of which is subject to obtaining a digital wholesale banking license from the MAS and other regulatory requirements. |
| Applaud (in application)in July 2020, one of our subsidiaries, AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd., together with PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., incorporated Applaud, which is applying for a direct insurer (composite) license from the MAS. |
| CapBridgea leading online private markets integrated capital raising and secondary liquidity platform for global growth companies and funds based in Singapore. We entered into a binding |
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term sheet in June 2020 to acquire a controlling interest in CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd. The transaction is subject to final negotiation of terms of the transaction, as well as MAS approval. Through CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd.s subsidiary, 1exchange, Singapores first MAS-regulated private markets securities exchange, CapBridge provides a holistic approach that enhances capital flow for growth companies and improve liquidity options for private investors. 1exchange is a recognized market operator in Singapore. CapBridge Pte. Ltd., another subsidiary of CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., holds a capital markets services license in respect of dealing in capital markets products that are securities and collective investment schemes, and is an exempt financial advisor in respect of advising on investment products and issuing or promulgating analyses/reports on investment products that are securities and collective investment schemes. |
To further enrich our comprehensive suite of financial services, we intend to continue to acquiring complementary capabilities and/or licenses through acquiring and/or incubating FinTech companies.
| SpiderNet Ecosystem Solutions. We serve as a super connector and digital accelerator for Asia-based entrepreneurs and corporates by connecting them to resources and technologies, and providing them with access to our unique AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Centered on our ecosystem-powered strategy, we empower entrepreneurs and corporates with capital, technologies, mentorship, connectivity, and other resources essential to accelerating and enhancing their business digital transformation and corporate development journeys. |
Through a membership fee scheme, we provide our corporate clients with exclusive access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem and its prestigious corporate members, prominent business executives and partners, creating strategic and synergistic opportunities. In addition, our digital solutions initiatives and programs in partnership with industry leaders and academic institutions serve to support industry professionals and foster next generation entrepreneurs in the region by equipping them with the latest trends and knowledge in the digital space. Our services help our ecosystem members to enhance connectivity, identify business synergies, and create valuable business propositions. We further deepen our relationship with corporate clients by facilitating synergies between their portfolio companies and other partners in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem.
We have entered into an agreement with our Controlling Shareholder to provide Airstar Bank with the support from our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services, including resources, capital support, and expertise in the financial services industry to support its business development and support them to gradually build up their own ecosystem for an annual service fee. Airstar Bank, a virtual bank jointly-established by our Controlling Shareholder and Xiaomi, is a comprehensive digital banking platform providing services to retail and corporate clients in Hong Kong. Airstar Bank holds one of the only eight virtual banking licenses issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and commenced operations in June 2020. Our Controlling Shareholder holds 10% of equity interest in Airstar Bank as a controller under the Banking Ordinance of Hong Kong and we do not have any equity interest in Airstar Bank.
| Digital Media, Content, and Marketing. We commenced our digital media, content, and marketing business in May 2020. We create and promote digital solutions content by investing and developing multimedia channels to provide users and audiences access to content medium through a comprehensive library of traditional and digital movies, podcasts, webinars and live videos offered by content providers and online media platforms since May 2020. Through our offering of digital media and content, we are able to spearhead industry trends and create effective marketing for our clients and ecosystem partners through innovative content creation, digital marketing platforms and cutting-edge technology. For example, we are a seed round investor of Forkast.News, a digital media platform founded by former Bloomberg News anchor Angie Lau. The platform provides readers stories and analysis on blockchain, cryptocurrency, and emerging technology in the Asia-Pacific region. We will also strategically acquire DigFin, a journalism brand and a content agency established by Jamie DiBiasio, an award-winning financial journalist and author, whose stories analyze business models in |
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digital finance, FinTech, and digital assets. Together with our Controlling Shareholder, we have been the founding grand sponsor of Singapore FinTech Festival, the largest FinTech event in the world with over 60,000 attendees each year for four consecutive years since 2017, and the sole strategic partner of Hong Kong FinTech Week, Hong Kongs annual FinTech event, for three years in a row since 2018. We have organized, hosted and participated in hundreds of sessions, including keynote speeches, panels, and fireside chats, to share our insights and exchange knowledge. Many of our clients, and ecosystem members and partners were able to access these global events through collaboration with us and thus presented valuable marketing opportunities for them. Recently, we have invested in movie productions via digital formats. Shock Wave 2 (拆弹专家2), a movie we invested in and co-produced by Universe Entertainment and Alibaba Picture in 2020, has grossed over RMB1.3 billion of box office as of February 10, 2021. We also invested in The White Storm 3 (扫毒3) and Redemption (咎赎). We intend to continue to invest and participate in more popular movie productions in order to maximize our reach to broader audiences for content sharing and marketing. |
| Digital Investments. We invest directly in various innovative technology companies to leverage, enhance and enrich the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem by including them into our ecosystem. Currently, our investment portfolio includes minority interest holdings in the following: |
| Appiera leading artificial intelligence technology company, which provides AI-based solutions for precision marketing. |
| DayDayCooka leading content-driven lifestyle brand for young food lovers in Asia with over 60 million cumulative users across its online platforms. |
| WeDoctorone of Chinas largest technology-enabled healthcare solutions platforms providing seamless online and offline healthcare services with a mix of general practitioners and specialists. |
| AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund and Solidarity GrantWe also established the AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund in partnership with AFIN in April 2020 with an initial capital of S$50 million to invest in innovative companies spanning across AI (Active.ai), card payment solutions (CardUp), cross-border payment platform (TranSwap), and SME financing solutions (Funding Societies). AFIN is a non-profit entity formed by the MAS, International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and the ASEAN Bankers Association, with the objectives of supporting financial innovation and inclusion around the world. In addition to providing funding, the solidarity fund will offer the FinTech companies full access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, which opens opportunities for them to collaborate with each other across ASEAN countries, Hong Kong, and China. Through the solidarity fund, we hold equity or debt interests in five FinTech companies, representatives of which include Active.ai, a cloud-based conversational AI platform; CardUp, a credit card enablement platform; Funding Societies, a SME digital financing platform, and TranSwap, a cross-border payment platform. We expect to make further investments through the solidarity fund. |
| MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity GrantMAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant was jointly established in May 2020 by the MAS, SFA, and AMTD Charity Foundation with an amount of S$6 million to support FinTech companies in generating new businesses and pursuing growth strategies. As of the date of this prospectus, approximately 190 FinTech companies have benefited from our MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant, which have formed a solid enhancement to our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. |
We generate revenue primarily from fees and commissions from our digital financial services business and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business during the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the nine months ended January 31, 2021. We have achieved tremendous further growth since the launch of our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business in December 2017 as a result of the continued expansion and monetization of AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Our revenue increased significantly from HK$14.6 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$167.5 million (US$21.6 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, and from
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HK$133.3 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$145.5 million (US$18.8 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021. Our net profit increased significantly from HK$21.5 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2019 to HK$158.3 million (US$20.4 million) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, and from HK$91.7 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 to HK$109.9 million (US$14.2 million) for the nine months ended January 31, 2021. We continue to deepen and monetize our relationship with clients by cross-selling solutions that fill their unique needs.
Our Strengths
We believe the following strengths have contributed to our success:
Entrepreneurial and ecosystem centric spirit entrenched in our DNA
We benefit from being a core member of AMTD Group and the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem and most importantly, the entrepreneurial spirit that our founder, Mr. Calvin Choi and our management team have instilled throughout our business. Mr. Choi is a self-made entrepreneur with a proven track record of building, nurturing, and growing leading financial services businesses. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of our Controlling Shareholder, AMTD Group, a leading and fast-growing financial services and digital-focused conglomerate in Asia. AMTD Group offers comprehensive services through its four business units: AMTD International, AMTD Digital, AMTD Education, and AMTD Assets. AMTD International, our sister company, is Asias No. 1 independent investment bank as measured by the number of Hong Kong and U.S. IPOs completed in each of 2018, 2019, and 2020, and the largest independent asset management firm in Asia in serving both PRC regional banks and new economy companies as measured by assets under management as of December 31, 2020. AMTD International was successfully listed on the NYSE on August 5, 2019, and became the first home-grown Hong Kong financial institution and the first independent investment bank in Asia to list in the United States. On April 8, 2020, AMTD International also listed on SGX-ST, becoming the first company to dual-list on both the NYSE and SGX-ST, the first Hong Kong financial institution listed on the SGX-ST and the first company with a weighted voting rights structure listed on the SGX-ST.
Promoting entrepreneurship is at the core of our business expansion strategy. We adopt our fusion-in program to empower those entrepreneurs who have demonstrated extraordinary capabilities of innovation and leadership in the digital finance industry by swapping equity interest with them, and providing them with not only funding support but also access to our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem to create huge synergies and new business opportunities. By linking every entrepreneur to a multi-dimensional web of business partnerships and relationships, the value that each entrepreneur creates can be compounded, setting off a chain reaction that leads to significant value growth that reverberates throughout the entire ecosystem. We aim to spin off these acquired businesses under fusion-in program one by one in due course as they become ready for listing, which enables us to achieve further value growth and benefits other entrepreneurs who hold our equity interests via fusion-in program. As a fusion reactor of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, we benefit from the vast resources that all partners bring to the table, from digital and traditional financial industries, technology industries, academic institutions, and industry associations.
We also endeavor to groom the next generation entrepreneurs. We partnered with Singapore Management University, Institute of Systems Science of National University of Singapore, and Xiaomi Finance to jointly establish the AXSI Program which was approved by Ministry of Education of Singapore and launched its first term in 2020. Our Controlling Shareholder established a S$6 million MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant scheme together with the MAS and Singapore FinTech Association in May 2020 to support Singapore-based FinTech companies amid the challenging business climate caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We launched Hong Kongs first university-industry FinTech center with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University which launched the first doctoral program in FinTech in Hong Kong. We established a post-doctorate fellowship program with the University of Waterloo to support distinguished research into artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and other advanced technologies. We also provide AMTD-GFI Scholarship to selected students to
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complete the Chartered FinTech Professional (CFtP) qualification with internship in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. We also forged a strategic collaboration with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with the objective of cultivating the next generation of digital and innovation leaders.
In Hong Kong, we have supported the Hong Kong Trade Development Council in the capacity of strategic partner to host Hong Kongs entrepreneurship development program, Start-up Express, for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2020. In Singapore, we launched AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund and MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant to support entrepreneurs who seek for support to expand businesses in FinTech area.
Furthermore, AMTD Group established the Greater Bay Young Entrepreneurs Association which unites a large number of outstanding entrepreneurs in the Greater Bay Area to connect, share, resource, and achieve synergies. Mr. Choi, serves as the vice president of China Youth Entrepreneurs Association, being the highest position among all the representatives from Hong Kong and Macau, to groom the entrepreneurship and lead the youth entrepreneurs to connect, grow, and innovate.
Significant growth potential supported by new policies and regulations in digital finance in Singapore, Hong Kong, and elsewhere in Asia
Consumers in Singapore, Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia are rapidly embracing digital banking, insurance, and other digital finance services. We noticed that this shift has been further accelerated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a large part of the Asian population to adopt digital means for work, education, commerce and conduct their financial transactions electronically due to various social distancing measures and travel restrictions. Furthermore, globalization and digitalization has enabled greater movements of people, goods, and services across borders. There has been increasing trade between the economies of Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and the ASEAN region, which will benefit financial institutions that can provide seamless, comprehensive digital finance solutions across borders.
Governments in Singapore, Hong Kong, and elsewhere in Asia have become increasingly proactive in promoting digital financial services. In Singapore, the MAS has been intensively building up the national e-payments infrastructure by streamlining the regulation of payment services under a single legislative framework, the Payment Services Act 2019, or the PS Act, as well as expanding the regulatory ambit to over new types of payment services. In 2018, the MAS launched the Singapore Quick Response Code, or the SGQR, a unified payment QR code that combines the payload details of different electronic payment schemes. In late 2020, the MAS issued two digital full bank licenses and two digital wholesale bank licenses, and announced that it would consider issuing more similar licenses. The MAS also launched the FinTech Regulatory Sandbox in 2016, a program that enables FinTech players to experiment with innovative financial products or services in a live environment. In Hong Kong, the government has rigorously promoted financial innovation in recent years. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority issued the first batch of Stored Value Facility licenses in 2016, which aims to develop the digital payment sector in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has also promoted a series of digital banking initiatives, including the launch of the Faster Payment System in September 2018, and the issuance of eight virtual bank licenses in May 2019. On the insurance side, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority has launched various initiatives to promote insurance technology, or InsurTech, development in Hong Kong, including, InsurTech Sandbox, which is a fast track application for the authorization of new insurers owning and operating solely digital distribution channels to carry on insurance business. As of the date of this prospectus, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority has issued four virtual insurance licenses. The Hong Kong Insurance Authority had also established the InsurTech Facilitation Team to help insurers, FinTech companies and start-ups in Hong Kong to gain better understanding of the current regulatory landscape and to serve as a platform for the exchange of ideas related to InsurTech initiatives. In addition, governments in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam are also contemplating or in the process of issuing digital banking licenses.
AMTD Digital is a front runner in the digital finance space, which makes us well-positioned to benefit from the significant growth in the digital finance sector in Singapore, Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and Southeast Asia.
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One of the most comprehensive digital financial services platforms equipped with scarce digital financial licenses in Asia, and is widely recognized as a leader and pioneer globally in digital financial services
We are one of the most comprehensive digital financial services platforms in Asia to provide one-stop, cross-regional digital financial services. With the requisite licenses to conduct digital finance operations in multiple lines across various geographies, we create a strong network effect, enabling us to achieve significant synergies from cross-selling the financial services within our ecosystem as well as with business partners in other industries. Through our network effect, we unlock the power of our entire ecosystem and facilitate each business unit to scale up faster than operating in a standalone manner. The vast amount of data from our network also enables us to improve our products and expedite product development cycles through knowledge sharing and joint development.
We believe that the licenses we and our Controlling Shareholder own in different markets and verticals are scarce assets in the FinTech industry. AirStar Bank holds one of the eight digital banking licenses in Hong Kong issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. We hold an insurance brokerage license issued by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority. PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. is a registered insurance broker with respect to direct insurance and an exempt financial advisor in relation to advising on investment products that are life policies and arranging of life policies in Singapore, other than reinsurance. Upon finalization of terms of the transaction and MAS approval, we will hold a capital market service license in respect of dealing in capital markets products that are securities and collective investment schemes, a recognized market operator license in Singapore through CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd. We are also pursuing digital wholesale bank license and direct insurer (composite) license from the MAS.
Leading position and close collaboration with top partners in digital financial services
We hold leading positions and closely collaborate with top-tier business partners in various verticals of our digital financial services. We were the largest Hong Kong-based corporate insurance brokerage provider in terms of revenue during 2017-2019 in Hong Kong, according to the CIC Report. We have a strong network of over 120 global business partners with a variety of global insurers, re-insurers, and brokers and a large database of over 500,000 corporate and individual clients. PolicyPal is the first and a prominent graduate of the MAS FinTech Regulatory Sandbox, and its innovative digital insurance brokerage solutions will be a key propellant to the digital transformation effort of our traditional insurance brokerage businesses. 1exchange, a subsidiary of CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., is Singapores first MAS-regulated private markets securities exchange. The completion of our acquisition of CapBridge is subject to a number of conditions, including final negotiation of terms of the transaction, MAS approval, and satisfaction of our closing obligations. Airstar Bank holds one of the only eight virtual bank licenses granted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and is the second digital bank to officially launch operation in Hong Kong. Xiaomi serves as a strong partner in operating Airstar Bank, where it not only brings in technology and operational experience from co-founding XW Bank, a digital bank in China, and its own micro-lending business, but also shares with Airstar Bank its existing user-base where appropriate, from its smart devices and clients from its upstream and downstream supply chain. These business partners bring in not only local knowledge, but also a substantial addressable client base and operating track record.
Unique SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business offering valuable propositions to entrepreneurs and corporates
AMTD Groups unique position as an influencer, connecter, operator, and investor in FinTech and technology businesses, as well as our strong network in global capital markets, new economy industries, academic institutions, and industry associations, has given us acute insights into the needs of connectivity of entrepreneurs. Our unique SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business provides our corporate clients with exclusive, paid membership access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, offering them strategic and synergistic opportunities by linking them with top tier investors, business partners or academic professionals, et al. and access to our prestigious digital finance educational programmer. Our services help them enhance connectivity, identify business synergies, and create visibility in both domestic and international markets.
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The ability of our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services is rapidly gaining recognition amongst Asias corporate clients, especially clients in new economy sectors and investors, leading to rapid growth in our client base and revenue. For the nine months ended January 31, 2021, our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business income was HK$134.9 million (US$17.4 million).
Attractive investment portfolio of promising digital companies in Asia
Our deep involvement in the development of Asias digital economy gives us unparalleled access and insight to promising digital economy companies in the region. Our investment team takes advantage of such access and insights to identify companies with great potential to enrich our ecosystem offering and one-stop digital platform. Our investment portfolio consists of some of the most promising digital economy companies in Asia, including minority interest holdings in:
| Appiera leading artificial intelligence technology company, which provides AI-based solutions for precision marketing. |
| DayDayCooka leading content-driven lifestyle brand for young food lovers in Asia with over 60 million cumulative users across its online platforms. |
| WeDoctorone of Chinas largest technology-enabled healthcare solutions platforms providing seamless online and offline healthcare services with a mix of general practitioners and specialists. |
We also established a solidarity fund in partnership with AFIN in April 2020 with an initial capital of S$50 million, and established a S$6 million MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant partnering with the MAS and SFA in May 2020 to invest in and provide support to innovative companies. Through the solidarity fund, we hold equity or debt interests in five FinTech companies, representatives of which include Active.ai, a cloud-based conversational AI platform; CardUp, a credit card enablement platform; Funding Societies, a SME digital financing platform, and TranSwap, a cross-border payment platform.
We continuously focus on expanding the breadth and depth of our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem by investing in digital economy companies. We evaluate potential investees not only in terms of their financial performance, but also the capabilities and connections that each company brings to our ecosystem. We employ our ecosystem strategy in managing our portfolio companies by deepening our relationships with their founders and providing them with comprehensive resources within the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. In return, they add their capabilities and value to the ecosystem, thus creating a virtuous cycle.
Our Strategies
We intend to achieve our mission and further grow our business by pursuing the following strategies:
Continue to expand into new Asian markets and new digital financial sectors through obtaining new licenses and capabilities
Digital financial services is a highly regulated industry, and digital financial licenses are generally regulated separately across different product types and different regions. In order to provide one-stop, cross-regional digital financial services that meet the evolving needs of clients, it is important for us to obtain licenses from multiple regulatory regimes. We will consider to apply for banking licenses in ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia, as regulations allow, and will also consider to obtain financial licenses in other digital finance areas.
Continue to identify and fusion-in promising digital financial players in Asia and beyond that complements our current services and capabilities
Our fusion-in strategy is the essence of our business model. We will continue to pursue this strategy to empower promising digital financial players in Asia and beyond. Through swapping equity interests with these
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companies, we align their business interests with ours and build them into AMTD SpiderNet. These young companies are able to unlock greater potential and accelerate business growth by leveraging the extensive network and resources in AMTD SpiderNet. We will focus on investing companies that we believe will complement and bring value to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem.
Further improve inter-connectivity between various digital financial businesses to maximize operational and economic values
We will continue to integrate the products and services of our various digital financial businesses to maximize synergies from cross-selling and improve user experience. For example, our insurance solutions arm in Hong Kong can leverage PolicyPals technology capabilities to roll out a digital insurance platform and potentially integrate its insurance offerings into Airstar Banks digital banking platform.
Continue to deepen cooperation and monetization with other members of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem
We are the core of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Enhancing cooperation among all stakeholders in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem is critical to strengthening the depth and breadth of our ecosystem. We link and empower partners from digital and traditional financial industries, technology industries, academic institutions, and industry associations, combining and magnifying the best of each partner while providing one-stop solutions to our clients. We will continue to identify opportunities to drive the scale and reach of the ecosystem, facilitate cross-selling efforts, and exploit growth and cooperation possibilities. We will also continue to increase our industry initiative and social efforts to ensure the healthy and sustainable development of our own ecosystem.
Expand our media content and distribution channels for content promotion and marketing
We plan to expand the media distribution channels for our digital media, content, and marketing business by acquiring or investing in various formats of media, such as newspapers, self-media, digital magazines et al. Our ability to manage the media channels is critical to the success of our digital media, content, and marketing business and the value creation of AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem.
Continue to attract and retain top talents
We believe that our people are our most valuable asset and form the cornerstone of our business, and we will continue to invest in attracting and retaining experienced and well-connected professionals at all levels and across all functions to support our growth and ensure quality services to our clients. In particular, we are investing to grow our SpiderNet ecosystem solutions team to meet our intensifying business needs.
Our Ecosystem Approach
AMTD Groups diverse and enriching initiatives and network of connections have contributed to the formation of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosysteman ever-extending network in which AMTD Group, together with its clients, shareholders, business partners, and investee companies, actively explore business collaboration opportunities.
Many of AMTD Groups leading businesses have been built upon collaboration with clients and business partners in the AMTD SpiderNet. For example, AMTD Group established relationships with Xiaomi when AMTD Global Markets Limited acted as a joint bookrunner in Xiaomis initial public offering. Thereafter we partnered with Xiaomi to form Gravitation Fintech HK Limited, a joint venture aiming to identify investment opportunities globally and create a network of digital banks. This further led to the collaboration between our Controlling Shareholder and Xiaomi in co-founding Airstar Bank, one of the eight virtual banks in Hong Kong, and the planned Singa Bank with other proposed shareholders. AMTD Group and Xiaomi also jointly hold a foreign-invested investment management firm, AMTD Capital Co., Ltd., which possesses the Qualified Foreign
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Limited Partnership (QFLP) license in China. Most recently, we have announced plans to partner with Airstar Digital (the Fintech subsidiary of Xiaomi), 36Kr (Nasdaq: KRKR), and AMTD International to establish AK73 Capital, which is intended to engage in the offering of strategic consulting, data analytics and insights, brand management, ecosystem building, and capital market services to Chinas new economy enterprises. AMTD Group also deepens its relationship with partners in the AMTD SpiderNet through investments and collaborations. For example, Xiaomi became a shareholder of AMTD International through participating in its pre-IPO financing.
AMTD Digital is the core fusion reactor that is the AMTD SpiderNet, building a digital foundation to accelerate the growth of AMTD SpiderNet and unlocking greater synergies for all stakeholders. We are dedicated to building a cross-border digital solutions platform that provides comprehensive digital services with industry-leading technologies. Our various solutions are divided into four business units, which enable us to create various touchpoints to a broad range of clients. We deepen our relationship with clients by cross-selling solutions that fulfill different needs of clients and expanding opportunities for collaboration with partners in AMTD SpiderNet.
Digital Financial Services
Digital Banking
Airstar Bank provides comprehensive digital banking services to retail and corporate clients in Hong Kong, and we expect to rely on Singa Bank to provide similar services to SMEs and other corporate clients in Singapore in the future. Airstar Bank and Singa Bank provide an entry point for prospective clients to gain access to AMTD Digitals ecosystem. We envisage to integrate our other businesses into Airstar Bank and Singa Banks digital banking platforms and vice versa, which will allow us to cross-sell various solutions to our client base as it diversifies and grows.
Airstar Bank
Airstar Bank is a virtual bank jointly-established by our Controlling Shareholder and Xiaomi in which our Controlling Shareholder holds 10% of its equity interest. Airstar Bank is a digital banking platform aiming to provide streamlined, automated, and cost-effective online banking services to clients. Airstar Bank holds one of the only eight digital banking licenses in Hong Kong issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. With its digital banking platform open for pilot trial since March 31, 2020, Airstar Bank is the second digital bank launched in Hong Kong, and it officially launched to the public in June 2020. We have entered into an agreement with our Controlling Shareholder to enable Airstar Bank to access our SpiderNet ecosystem and support them to gradually build up their own ecosystem.
Airstar Bank is critical to our business, we also help enhance the business development of Airstar Bank through providing resources, capital support, and expertise in the financial services industry with the support from our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services. Xiaomis technical expertise makes it a strong partner for Airstar Banks digital platform, and it also supplies a significant portion of Airstar Banks client base from its existing user base. Xiaomis cutting-edge technological capabilities in operating a digital banking platform have been proven by its experience in co-founding and providing scalable technology support to XW Bank, one of the five digital banks in China approved by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and runs its own micro-lending business.
Airstar Bank aims to address the pain points of traditional banks and provide streamlined, automated, and cost-effective online banking services to retail and corporate clients.
Airstar Banks Services
The services that Airstar Bank provides or plans to provide include:
| Deposit. Airstar Bank provides customized deposits at attractive interest rates with flexibility in maturity dates. The process will be driven by e-KYC procedures to allow account opening within |
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5 minutes. Airstar Bank currently offers two types of deposit services: (i) tiered-pricing savings deposits where clients will enjoy a deposit rate of up to 5.0% per annum for Hong Kong dollar saving deposits and (ii) time deposits where clients enjoy favorable interest rate, compared to traditional banks. |
| Personal Loan. Airstar Bank offers loans to clients based on automated credit assessment capabilities utilizing big data analytics, models, and algorithms. Airstar Banks credit assessment system analyzes a clients background information, including financial status, behavior patterns, and credit history to determine loan amount, loan tenor, and interest rate. Airstar Bank currently offers (i) personal loan with efficient application process and attractive annual percentage rate as low as 1.85%; and (ii) debt consolidation loan with the first repayment prolonging up to 45 days. |
| Virtual Credit Card. Airstar Bank intends to offer virtual credit cards through its automated online application system. The virtual credit cards may be used in various online and offline payment channels. |
| Fund Transfer. Airstar Bank offers inter-bank fund transfer services through Faster Payment System and Real Time Gross Settlement with no service fee charged. |
| Corporate Services. Airstar Bank will provide integrated services to corporates covering a full range of corporate operations, including transaction settlement services, payroll services, transfers, and remittance. To facilitate tailor-made credit and financing services for corporates, Airstar Bank will adopt blockchain technology to gain real-time access to the corporates information, such as cash flows, sales and purchase transactions, and inventory information. |
| Cross Border Remittance. Airstar Bank will collaborate with third-party FinTech companies to offer low cost cross-border remittance services. |
| Near Field Communication (NFC) Payment. Airstar Bank will offer NFC payment services, which allow clients to make payments via their mobile phone at local retail shops. |
In order to build up its client base, Airstar Bank currently does not charge any service fees for its retail banking services and intends to continue such practice in the next three years. Airstar Bank may offer additional digital banking services to its clients in the future.
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Airstar App
Airstar Bank offers its digital banking services primarily through its Airstar app. The Airstar app features a user-friendly interface through which clients can use a variety of services. In 2020, the Airstar App won the bronze prize of International Design Excellence Award as well as Good Design Award, which are some of the worlds most rigorous annual design competition. The screenshots below illustrate some of the digital banking services available on the Airstar app.
Airstar Bank targets retail and corporate clients in Hong Kong. Airstar Bank seeks to take advantage of Xiaomis existing user-base from its smart devices, Xiaomis corporate clients from its supply chain, and resources in AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem to quickly scale its client base. Airstar Bank will also grow its client base by utilizing advanced data analytic skills to reach target clients and will retain clients by offering a superior banking experience through various cutting-edge and reliable service offerings on its platform.
Airstar Banks Critical Role to Our Business
| Airstar Bank is critical to our digital financial services business. Airstar Banks digital banking platform utilizes cutting-edge technologies to provide comprehensive banking services, which serve as the gateway for clients to access other services and solutions offered on our platform. We will continue to build and integrate other digital financial services that support Airstar Banks services to strengthen Airstar Banks digital banking platform, enhance client stickiness, and ensure Airstar Banks sustainable profitability. |
| Airstar Bank demonstrates our capability in supporting next-generation digital banking services. It demonstrates our capability to support the operation of next-generation digital banking services empowered by technological innovation. |
| Airstar Bank reinforces our role in the AMTD SpiderNet. The synergies created by partners in AMTD SpiderNet will support Airstar Banks digital banking services and expand the resources available in the AMTD SpiderNet with clients acquired through Airstar Bank. The future success of Airstar Banks digital banking services will reinforce AMTD Digitals role in connecting capabilities and resources in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. |
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Singa Bank (in application)
Our subsidiary, AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd., entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with Xiaomi, SP Group, and Funding Societies to establish a consortium in which we expect AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. to be the largest shareholder. The consortium intends to pursue digital banking opportunities in Singapore through Singa Bank, the launch of which is subject to obtaining a digital wholesale banking license from the MAS and other regulatory requirements. SP Group is Singapores largest energy utilities provider and has a large network of SME clients. Funding Societies is the largest digital peer-to-peer lending platform in Southeast Asia, focused on connecting SME borrowers with investors. The planned Singa Bank aims to leverage the support of its shareholders to grow its client base by taking advantage of SP Group and Funding Societies large SME client base, Xiaomis SME clients from its supply chain, and business partners in AMTD SpiderNet. We intend to consolidate Singa Banks financial results into our financial statements following its establishment. The MAS had previously announced that they planned to grant up to five digital banking licenses. As of the date of this prospectus, four had been granted to other applicants and MAS will review and consider granting more such licenses in the future. We and Xiaomi are pursuing to obtain the fifth digital banking license.
The planned Singa Bank expects to provide an easy-to-access, automated digital banking platform targeted to SME, corporate, and FinTech clients and in Singapore and other markets in Southeast Asia. Similar to our approach with Airstar Bank, we will provide resources and capital support from the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, and Xiaomi will provide technology expertise for the digital banking platform. The planned Singa Bank will leverage the technology skills and digital solutions from API Exchange platform, a cross-border, open architecture platform launched by AFIN, to operate its digital banking platform. Singa Banks proposed services will be similar to services provided by Airstar Bank with a focus on services for SME, corporate and FinTech clients. Subject to obtaining the relevant regulatory license and government approval, Singa Bank and Airstar Bank will work together closely to jointly develop new product offerings and services in the near future.
More than Banking
We aim to provide comprehensive solutions that go beyond banking services and provide an unrivalled client experience. The cohesiveness of our business units strengthens our value proposition to significantly reduce client acquisition costs, increase the efficiency with which we can cross-sell our solutions and boost client stickiness.
| Comprehensive Corporate Solutions. Apart from offering digital financial services for corporates, our corporate solutions will integrate payment gateway, taxation, accounting, risk management, digital marketing, business intelligence, capital market advisory, and talent training services, all while leveraging the capabilities of our ecosystem, our portfolio companies and partners in the AMTD SpiderNet. |
| Personal Lifestyle Banking. Our service offerings to retail clients will not be limited to personal financial needs. We will integrate online banking services, wealth management, insurance solutions, and asset exchange into our ecosystem, as well as incorporate the capabilities of AMTD Groups long-term strategic partners to optimize our services. |
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Comprehensive Solutions that Go Beyond Banking
Insurance Solutions
Our Controlling Shareholder started our insurance brokerage business in 2004. AMTD RSG, a non-wholly-owned subsidiary of our Controlling Shareholder prior to the transfer to us in December 2019 (in which it became our wholly-owned subsidiary after the transfer), was a member of the Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers since October 2004. Pursuant to the new statutory regime for regulation of insurance intermediaries established in September 2019, AMTD RSG was granted an insurance brokerage license issued by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority. We plan to continue to offer insurance brokerage services through a one-stop, digitalized insurance solutions platform.
Traditional Insurance Brokerage
We offer a wide spectrum of general and life insurance solutions to clients in various industries. Our services are led by a team of experienced members in the insurance industry, and we have established long-standing cooperation with a variety of global insurers, re-insurers, and insurance solution provider partners.
We provide customized insurance products and solutions primarily underwritten by our insurance partners mainly in the following four risk categories:
| Property Risk. Property risk relates to physical loss, destruction, or damage to physical property. For example, we provide property all-risk and construction all-risk solutions that may include relevant insurance products underwritten by our insurance partners. |
| Liability Risk. Liability risk relates to claims resulting from injuries or damages to a third party. For example, we provide directors and officers liability, professional indemnity, and employee compensation risk solutions that may include relevant insurance products underwritten by our insurance partners. |
| Financial Loss Risk. Financial loss risk relates to actions or events that may impact business operations and result in financial loss. For example, we provide business interruption risk solutions that may include relevant insurance products underwritten by our insurance partners. |
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| Personal Risk. Personal risk relates to injury, illness, or death of individuals or a group of individuals. For example, we provide life and health risk solutions that may include relevant insurance products underwritten by our insurance partners. |
We continually optimize insurance offerings on our platform through cooperation with new insurance, channel, and service partners to meet our clients evolving needs. For example, we recently offered various cyber insurances on our platform underwritten by our insurance partners. Cyber insurance solution typically provides analysis, recommendations, and coverage for a variety of risks, including: first-party coverage against losses related to cyber-attacks, such as data destruction, hacking, theft, and extortion; and indemnification against lawsuits related to cyber-attacks and errors and omissions that may have caused such cyber-attacks, such as failure to safeguard data. Cyber risks are still in a relatively new and evolving stage, and there is increasing demand for bespoke, innovative insurance solutions from clients operating in sectors with potential exposure to cyber risks. With our extensive connections in the insurance industry, we are well-positioned to provide clients with cyber insurance that meets their needs.
Our comprehensive insurance service can be provided with flexibility and typically covers the following stages:
| Comprehensive Risk Identification. In consultation with clients, we leverage our expertise in the insurance industry to conduct a comprehensive analysis and determination of total risk exposure and risk tolerance. For insurable risks, we also conduct a mapping of existing risk coverage across industries, types, and geographical regions. |
| Optimal Solution and Coverage Structure Design. Based on our extensive knowledge in the insurance industry, we conduct tailored consultation and optimal insurance program structure and solution design to meet the demands of clients. |
| Insurance Placement for Insurable Risks. For identified and requested insurable risks, we leverage proprietary industry resources, experience, expertise, and influence to provide tailored design of underwriting syndicate, for example, primary and excess insurance layer design, and select and negotiate with optimal insurers. On behalf of our clients, we then calibrate quotation and key insurance solution terms and conditions, and ultimately proceed to facilitate the inception of cover. |
Our clients for insurance consist primarily of corporate clients and, to a lesser extent, retail clients. As of the date of this prospectus, we possess a database of over 500,000 corporate and retail clients.
Note:
(1) | Selected solutions only. Insurance solutions can be highly tailored according to evolving needs. |
PolicyPal
We have acquired a controlling interest in PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., a digital insurance technology platform for consumers and SME clients in Singapore via our fusion-in program in August 2020. The acquisition has been accounted for using the acquisition method and we expect to consolidate PolicyPals financial results into our
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financial statements. The amount of provisional goodwill arising as a result of the acquisition was HK$58.7 million. As part of our fusion-in approach, we invested in PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. with equity swap combined with cash investment and added PolicyPal into AMTD SpiderNet. BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. the wholly subsidiary of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., is a registered insurance broker with respect to direct insurance and an exempt financial advisor in relation to advising on investment products that are life policies and arranging of life policies in Singapore, other than for reinsurance.
PolicyPal is dedicated to creating a simplified and mobile-first process to provide customized insurance products to consumer and SME clients. It is a data-driven company that leverages on the combination of AI, machine learning, and data analytics to gather insights from a customers behavioural traits, gathered through predictive analytics to create curated content to enhance consumers financial literacy. In addition, these insights also facilitate the provision of feedback to users such as their existing insurance coverage which is relevant towards providing tailor-made portfolio financial advisory based on specific data from the past. Customer profiles, purchase patterns and histories, brand interactions, and social data all create a detailed map of each customers mindset and preferences from where appropriate content creation begins, to the acquisition of registered users and to the conversion of providing of financial advice and insurance services. PolicyPal collaborates with over 30 insurance companies globally to provide general insurance and life insurance products. To expand its service coverage, PolicyPal has been working with insurance partners to develop white-label insurance products based on registered users demand aggregated through the digital platforms.
The following diagram illustrates the full-cycle of PolicyPals services:
PolicyPals App Interface
PolicyPal offers its digital insurance services primarily through its PolicyPal app. The app features an intuitive interface through which registered users can choose to scan and upload existing insurance policies using AI technology, aggregate policies from different insurance carriers, view summaries of health and life insurance coverage, purchase insurance from different insurance carriers via PolicyPal, pay premiums, request for financial advisory from partnered financial advisory representatives, and accumulate rewards points from insurance purchases. PolicyPal will continue to enrich its insurance and other ecosystem offerings to further enhance and deepen user engagement.
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Applaud
Applaud Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. was incorporated by AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. together with PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. in July 2020 to apply for a direct insurer (composite) license from the MAS. Applaud aims to be Singapores first homegrown digital composite insurer, providing seamless and modular protection and wealth products to Singaporeans and beyond through its open insurance platform, the license of which is subject to the MASs final approval.
Applaud aims to empower mass market consumers access to affordable wealth products and seamless, modular, and relevant protection covers. Applaud seeks to deliver simple, transparent, and innovative insurance products that leverage on state-of-the-art insurance technology, deep understanding of Singapores markets and consumers, and effective online distribution to enhance market penetration.
Applauds mission is to support the Singapore community to be more resilient, and empower people for a better life. Applaud aims to provide long-term support to Singapore as an international FinTech, wealth management, and financial center, and the Smart City of tomorrow.
Applauds core modular insurance offering will be the first of its kind in Asia, offering unprecedented flexibility and freedom of choice for policyholders. Applaud will also lead innovation in insurtech through its best-in-class UX journey and experience and automated servicing. Applaud will enable business strategy through digital differentiation and innovative use of technology. It will facilitate strong integration across partners in AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem via an Open Insurance Platform. Technology will also be leveraged to build superior risk management and robust compliance frameworks.
Proposed Acquisition of CapBridge
We have entered into a binding term sheet in June 2020 pursuant to which we will acquire a controlling interest in CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., the holding company of a leading online private markets integrated capital raising and secondary liquidity platform in Asia for growth companies and funds. The acquisition is subject to final negotiation of terms of the transaction, as well as MAS approval. We expect to consolidate CapBridges financial results into our financial statements following the completion of the acquisition. As part of our fusion-in approach, we will invest in CapBridge through an equity swap combined with cash investment and will add CapBridge into the AMTD SpiderNet. CapBridge Pte. Ltd. was formed in partnership with SGX and is licensed by the MAS. It holds a capital markets services license in respect of dealing in capital markets products that are securities and collective investment schemes, and is an exempt financial advisor in respect of advising on investment products and issuing or promulgating analyses/reports on investment products that are securities and collective investment schemes. Its subsidiary, 1exchange, Singapores first MAS-regulated private markets securities exchange, is a recognized market operator. See RegulationSingapore for further details.
If we complete the proposed acquisition of a controlling interest in CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., we expect to leverage CapBridges capabilities to help companies at various stages of development in our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem raise private capital, as well as to conduct direct private listings and employee share trading. We believe that by becoming part of our unique SpiderNet ecosystem, CapBridge will expand our network and resources, further empowering the ecosystem with its global community of business owners and investors.
SpiderNet Ecosystem Solutions
We serve as a super connector and digital accelerator for Asia-based entrepreneurs and corporates by connecting them to resources and technologies and providing them with access to our unique AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Centered on our ecosystem-powered strategy, we empower entrepreneurs and corporates with capital, technologies, mentorship, connectivity, and other resources essential to accelerating and enhancing their business digital transformation and corporate development journeys.
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Through a membership fee scheme, we provide our corporate clients with exclusive access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem and its prestigious corporate members, prominent business executives and partners, creating strategic and synergistic opportunities. In addition, our digital solutions initiatives and programs in partnership with industry leaders and academic institutions serve to support industry professionals and foster next generation entrepreneurs in the region by equipping them with the latest trends and knowledge in the digital space. Our services help our ecosystem members to enhance connectivity, identify business synergies, and create valuable business propositions. We further deepen our relationship with corporate clients by facilitating synergies between their portfolio companies and other partners in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem.
We cultivate next generation entrepreneurs by continuously fueling up our business model and enlarging our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. We empower startups, entrepreneurs and innovative talents with capital resources and knowledge through various educational programs. We invite university professors, successful entrepreneurs, and Nobel Prize winners to provide professional guidance for entrepreneurs. These programs are built to provide advanced courses and social networking opportunities for university students to entrepreneurs and senior management of technology companies, and include the following:
| AXSI Digital Finance Leadership Program. AMTD Charity Foundation jointly established the AXSI Digital Finance Leadership Program in January 2020 with Xiaomi Finance, Singapore Management University, and the Institute of Systems Science at the National University of Singapore to hone the management and leadership capabilities of aspiring digital finance leaders in Singapore and other places across Asia. The AXSI Digital Finance Leadership Program extends AMTD SpiderNets insights into Southeast Asias developments in the FinTech industry. |
| AMTD-SFA Global FinTech Fellowship Program. Singapore FinTech Association joined forces with AMTD Group to establish an AMTD-SFA Global FinTech Fellowship Program in Singapore to connect local entrepreneurs with Singapores capital markets and strengthen their long-term competitiveness. The program, once established, plans to select 10 outstanding FinTech |
entrepreneurs with social impact and vision to be admitted into a five-year program, in which they will be connected to the global FinTech community including those in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, Middle East, Europe, and North America through various events initiated by both parties. In addition, an honorary advisor committee will be established. Each winner will be assigned with an honorary advisor who will advise and guide the entrepreneurs on strategic planning, management skills, and help them ride through challenging time. |
| AMTD FinTech Centre of PolyU Faculty of Business. AMTD Group and AMTD Charity Foundation launched AMTD Fintech Centre with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in January 2018 to provide FinTech education and training to entrepreneurs and innovative talents in the FinTech industry. This partnership spawned the Doctor of FinTech program which is the first doctoral program in FinTech in Hong Kong. AMTD Fintech Centre also promotes the cooperation and communication between FinTech talents from Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world. |
| AMTD-Waterloo Innovation Hub and Postdoctoral Program. AMTD Group and AMTD Charity Foundation established the AMTD-University of Waterloo Innovation Hub with University of Waterloo in November 2017 to encourage creative and innovative talents at the University of Waterloo to go to Hong Kong, to advance the exchange and connection between the innovative technology of North America and Asia. We also established a post-doctorate fellowship program with the University of Waterloo in March 2019 to support distinguished research into artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and other advanced technology as well as possible commercial applications. |
| Collaboration with Hong Kong University of Science and Technologies. AMTD Group and AMTD Charity Foundation have forged a strategic collaboration with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on December 9, 2020, with the objective of grooming the next generation of innovation leaders and young entrepreneurs and increasing connectivity |
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between the Greater Bay Area and South East Asia. Our Controlling Shareholder and HKUST plan to explore setting up a platform for various innovations and entrepreneurship related programs, providing joint scholarships and fellowships and career placement opportunities, and establishing joint research project collaborations. |
| CFtP Program. We entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with Global FinTech Institute, or GFI, in September 2020 to provide CFtP candidates and CFtP qualification holders with opportunities for mentorship and internship in FinTech firms across the world. We provide AMTD-GFI Scholarship to selected students to complete the Chartered FinTech Professional (CFtP) qualification with internship in the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. |
Moreover, we groom start-up founders and outstanding entrepreneurs by providing network connectivity and business exposure in regional and global stages:
| AMTD-HKTDC Start-up Express. AMTD Group is the strategic partner of HKTDC Start-up Express, a start-up program organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Our founder, Calvin Choi, has served as its panel judge in both 2019 and 2020. The program targets start-ups with products or services suitable for mass consumer market, as well as with strong desire to enter the international market. Through a series of capability building, mentoring sessions and marketing activities, the program aims to assist local start-ups in building connection, exploring markets, seeking partners, and enhancing brand awareness. |
| Greater Bay Young Entrepreneurs Association (GBYEA). AMTD Group established the Greater Bay Young Entrepreneurs Association which unites a large number of outstanding entrepreneurs in the Greater Bay Area to connect, share, resources, and achieve synergies. GBYEA is committed to connecting domestic and overseas resources and channels, promoting start-ups of the Greater Bay Area to seize opportunities, stimulating healthy and rapid developments, improving core competitiveness and extending footprints globally. |
Through our various programs, we engage with entrepreneurs and future leaders from their early development stage and facilitate their growth by providing resources and strategic guidance throughout their business operations. We integrate selected start-ups into AMTD SpiderNet to foster their growth and create value to other stakeholders.
Digital Media, Content, and Marketing
Over the past few years, we have devoted significant resources in working with governmental and quasi-government entities to promote financial service industry in Asia. Such efforts laid the foundation for our digital media, content, and marketing business as these events established our leadership role for providing insightful content to mass audience. Our signature events and initiatives include:
| World Economic Forum Annual Meetings. AMTD Group is the only global strategic partner associate of the World Economic Forum among Hong Kong-headquartered financial institutions as of the date of this prospectus. AMTD Group was the first Hong Kong company to set up a corporate center, or AMTD House, at the World Economic Forums annual meeting in 2018 in Davos, which showcased the achievements of Hong Kong enterprises to global political and business leaders, and continued this set-up in the annual meetings in 2019 and 2020. It also held multiple events officiated by government leaders from China, Hong Kong, and Singapore in the annual meetings in Davos, including Hong Kong Night, AMTD Greater Bay Night, Greater Bay Entrepreneurship Day, and Smart Asia: Connecting Greater Bay Area with ASEAN, to promote innovative enterprises in Asia and connect them with global peers. Our presence at the World Economic Forums annual meetings in Davos has added an important international dimension to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem as it puts AMTD Group and the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem under the international spotlight and connects us with prominent global business leaders. |
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| Singapore Fintech Festival. AMTD Group is one of the founding grand sponsors of the Singapore Fintech Festival hosted by the MAS and has been supporting the event for four consecutive years since 2017. Singapore Fintech Festival is the worlds largest financial technology conference attracting over 60,000 government officials, regulatory representatives and representatives of financial institutions and technology companies from over 100 countries. Through hosting this event, we share our insights and experiences in digital finance industry to the mass audience and capture new business opportunities. The Singapore Fintech Festival adds to AMTD SpiderNet with insights and resources from stakeholders who focus on Southeast Asia financial technology developments. |
| Hong Kong Fintech Week. Hong Kong Fintech Week is the worlds first cross-border financial technology event, taking place each year in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. AMTD Group organized and participated in this event as the sole strategic partner for three years since 2018, together with the Hong Kong government, to showcase Hong Kongs growing financial technology community. As the sole strategic partner of this event, AMTD Group established in-depth cooperation with participants in the FinTech industry. |
Based on our extensive experience, unique insights, and deep knowledge in digital finance industry, we create and promote digital solutions content by investing and developing multimedia channels to provide users and audiences access to content medium through a comprehensive library of traditional and digital movies, podcasts, webinars and live videos offered by content providers and online media platforms since May 2020. Through our offering of digital media and content, we are able to spearhead industry trends and create effective marketing for our clients and ecosystem partners through innovative content creation, digital marketing platforms and cutting-edge technology. For example, we are a seed round investor of Forkast.News, a digital media platform founded by former Bloomberg News anchor Angie Lau in April 2021. The platform provides readers stories and analysis on blockchain, cryptocurrency, and emerging technology in the Asia-Pacific region. We will also strategically acquire DigFin, a journalism brand and a content agency established by Jamie DiBiasio, an award-winning financial journalist and author, whose stories analyze business models in digital finance, FinTech, and digital assets. We have organized, hosted, and participated in hundreds of sessions, including keynote speeches, panels, and fireside chats, to share our insights and exchange knowledge. Many of our clients and ecosystem members and partners were able to access these global events through collaboration with us, and making it an valuable marketing opportunities for them. Recently, we have invested in movie productions via digital formats. Shock Wave 2 (拆弹专家2), a movie invested by us and co-produced by Universe Entertainment and Alibaba Picture in 2020, has grossed over RMB1.3 billion of box office as of February 10, 2021. We also invested in The White Storm 3 (扫毒3) and Redemption (咎赎). We intend to continue to invest and participate in more popular movie production in order to maximize our reach to broader audiences for content sharing and marketing.
Digital Investments
Our digital investments business focuses on long-term equity investments in leading FinTech and technology companies that augment the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem and optimize our business operations. Our portfolio companies allow us to access unique opportunities and resources that complement the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, and we engage the portfolio companies with connections in the AMTD SpiderNet. We also established a S$50 million AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund partnering with the Singapore FinTech Association, or SFA, and S$6 million MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant, partnering with the MAS and the SFA. Both the AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund and the MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant focus on investing in or providing funding and business support to those leading FinTech companies with growth potential and possibility to create synergies with AMTD SpiderNets stakeholders.
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Investment Approach
We source investment opportunities through the AMTD SpiderNet and focus on investing in a small number of select companies that we believe will complement and bring value to our ecosystem, including companies within and outside the digital finance sector.
Leveraging AMTD SpiderNet. We leverage resources in the AMTD SpiderNet throughout the investment process to source investments, evaluate opportunities, and provide value added solutions to our portfolio companies after our investment.
Value Investment. We focus on how the investments can contribute to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, rather than looking for investment returns. Our investments allow us to access the management teams of our portfolio companies and provide us with greater insights and connections in various industries.
Synergy with Portfolio Companies. We have an experienced team for post-investment value creation. We proactively seek opportunities to engage our portfolio companies into our SpiderNet ecosystem.
Equity Swap. We may make investments in the future using cash investment combined with an equity swap (ie. issuance of our ordinary shares in exchange for the equity interests of the investees). Through our equity swap arrangements, we ensure business interests of our portfolio companies are aligned with ours.
Investment Process
Our investment professionals assess the suitability and prospects of potential target companies with a number of factors including the track record of the targets management team, the targets operating market, macroeconomic conditions, market cycle and industry background, business model, and other quantitative financial analyses. And most importantly, we also consider the targets potential synergies with other business partners in AMTD SpiderNet.
We make strategic investment decisions through our investment committee, which consists of key management team members covering finance, investments, and legal and compliance. All investment proposals will be presented to our investment committee following the satisfactory completion of assessment and due diligence investigation. Our investment committee also assesses, reviews and modifies our investment strategies from time to time based on accumulated deal execution experience and the latest developments in the financial market, of the economic conditions, and regarding government policies.
We closely monitor our portfolio companies in accordance with the guidelines set by the investment committee. Specifically, we track business and technology development, competition landscape, latest technological trends, our holding positions, unrealized profit or loss, and our risk exposure of each portfolio company. We will escalate any significant incidents in our portfolio companies to the investment committee and, for material incidents, to our board of directors.
Investment Portfolio
Appier is a leading artificial intelligence technology company, which aims to provide AI-based solutions for precision marketing, and was named by Fortune as one of the 50 companies leading the artificial intelligence revolution. Our Controlling Shareholder invested in Appier in August 2017 with minority interest and transferred to us in December 2019. Appiers services include providing accelerated checkout solutions, AI customer interaction optimization platform, AI data science platform and cross-screen marketing solutions. Appier may provide its services to us and other stakeholders in AMTD SpiderNet to optimize business operations. In March 2021, Appier (TSE: 4180) successfully completed its IPO on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
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DayDayCook is a leading content-driven lifestyle brand for young food lovers in Asia. DayDayCook provides users with attractive content, high-quality products and inspirational experiences via its omni-channel touchpoints. Our Controlling Shareholder invested in DayDayCook in September 2018 with minority interest and transferred to us in December 2019. We support DayDayCooks growth through making additional investments, and AMTD International Inc., our sister company, through its subsidiary, has been providing DayDayCook with capital markets advisory services. We believe that there remains other business opportunities, such as cross-selling and co-branding, between DayDayCook and the partners in AMTD SpiderNet.
WeDoctor is one of Chinas largest technology-enabled healthcare solutions platforms providing seamless online and offline healthcare services with a mix of general practitioners and specialists. During COVID-19 pandemic, WeDoctor launched WeDoctor Global Consultation and Prevention Center to bring together medical resources from over 7,000 Chinese physicians and offers 24/7 real-time online medical services to users around the world, providing online health enquiry service, psychological support, prevention guidelines, and real-time pandemic reports. Our Controlling Shareholder invested in WeDoctor in May 2018 with minority interest and transferred to us in December 2019. The platform has built up an ecosystem connecting leading hospitals, leading doctors and pharmacies, and is equipped with a large active user base. WeDoctor is our first investment portfolio in Chinas rising market in the bio-medical sector, and it provides us with greater insights and connections in the healthcare sector in China.
AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund
AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund is a solidarity fund established in April 2020 by us in partnership with AFIN with an initial capital of S$50 million to invest and anchor eligible FinTech companies in ASEAN countries. AFIN is a non-profit entity formed by the MAS, International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and the ASEAN Bankers Association, with the objectives of supporting financial innovation and inclusion around the world. Through AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund, we invest into eligible FinTech companies in ASEAN countries with leading positions in their respective specialization. In addition to financial support, the solidarity fund offers the FinTech companies full access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, which opens opportunities for them to collaborate with each other across ASEAN countries, Hong Kong, and China. Through the AMTD ASEAN Solidarity Fund, we hold equity or debt interests in five FinTech companies. The representatives include Active.ai, a Singapore based company which provides conversational banking services to banks and credit unions; CardUp, a credit card enablement platform that enables the payment or collection of big expenses using credit card; TranSwap, a cross-border payments platform which allows users to seamlessly manage and execute payments globally while reducing foreign exchange costs and complexity; and Funding Societies, a SME digital financing platform in Southeast Asia with license spanning across Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. We expect to make further investments through the solidarity fund.
MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant
MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant was jointly established in May 2020 by the MAS, SFA, and AMTD Charity Foundation with an amount of S$6 million to support FinTech companies in generating new businesses and pursuing growth strategies. As of the date of this prospectus, approximately 190 FinTech companies have benefited from our MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant, which have formed a solid enhancement to our AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem.
Technology
We integrate multiple innovative technologies to provide comprehensive FinTech solutions on our digital financial platform.
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AFIN
AFIN was jointly established by the MAS, the ASEAN Bankers Association, and International Finance Corporation to foster FinTech development in ASEAN countries. AMTD Charity Foundation is AFINs first corporate founding member.
AFIN launched the API Exchange (APIX) platform in 2018, the worlds first cross-border, open architecture platform for collaboration between FinTech and financing institutions in which participants can integrate and test solutions with each other via a cloud-based architecture. We will leverage the APIX platform launched by AFIN to deploy innovative digital solutions. APIX is built to facilitate collaboration between FinTech companies and financial institutions to design fintech solutions. APIX currently has over 60 financial institutions and over 380 FinTech companies registered on its platform. APIX facilitates financial institutions and FinTech companies to design and build prototypes collaboratively on its platform and experiment in different scenarios through APIs in a short period of time. This allows financial institutions to deploy innovative digital solutions quickly to underserved markets in ASEAN and other parts of the world.
AFIN / APIX will serve as the technology experimental partner of the company.
We will leverage synthetic data on APIX to test new prototypes designed by FinTech companies and financial institutions. With access to APIXs platform, we have a competitive advantage to continuously develop and integrate innovative digital solutions in a cost-effective and timely manner.
Airstar Bank
We leverage our partnership with Xiaomi to provide innovative technology skills in supporting Airstar Banks digital banking platform. Airstar Banks digital banking platform is built on Xiaomis in-house technologies including credit assessment, fraud detection, and personal loan approval with big data analytics, AI and machine learning algorithms. Xiaomi has also provided other in-house technologies, such as document repository, CRM system, system monitoring tool, development system, and key center to ensure the stability, security, efficiency and scalability of Airstar Banks digital banking platform. Xiaomis experience in API integration will support our strategy in embracing open API initiatives in the future.
PolicyPal
We intend to integrate PolicyPals technology skills into our digital insurance platform. PolicyPal employs advanced technological capabilities to operate its digital insurance technology platform. PolicyPal utilizes predictive modeling and algorithmic rules to provide risk analysis and design customized solutions for users and clients. PolicyPal is building towards using open APIs to access clients assets and liabilities in order to analyze client situation and needs and provide solutions and products curated to each client. The open APIs ingest data, assign pricing algorithms and drives with re-engagement targeting and dynamic discounts. In short, with targeted data-driven calculations toward the optimal amount of coverage each consumer should rightfully have, PolicyPal will raise the benchmark of insurance knowledge for the users in Singapore and help highlight to consumers the areas in which there is a coverage shortfall. PolicyPal empowers consumers to understand more about the importance of insurance coverage and increases the accessibility to insurance protection through the digital platform.
Data Security and Protection
We are committed to protecting our clients personal information and privacy. We have established and implemented policy on data collection, processing and usage and disclosure. We collect personal information and other data that is related to the services we provide and use the collected data for our operations, all with our clients consent.
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To ensure the confidentiality and integrity of our data, we maintain a comprehensive and rigorous data security program. We anonymize and encrypt confidential personal information and take other technological measures to ensure the secure processing, transmission and usage of data. We have also established stringent internal protocols under which we grant classified access to confidential personal data only to limited employees with strictly defined and layered access authority.
See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and IndustryWe may be subject to legal or regulatory liability if we are unable to protect the personal and sensitive data and confidential information of our clients.
Licenses
We and our business partners hold multiple licenses in the markets we operate. Airstar Bank holds one of the eight digital banking licenses in Hong Kong issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. We hold an insurance brokerage license issued by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority.
BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. is a digital insurance platform and a registered insurance broker with respect to direct insurance. By virtue of its status as a registered insurance broker, BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. is also an exempt financial advisor in relation to advising on investment products that are life policies and arranging of life policies, other than for reinsurance (and has notified the MAS of the same). CapBridge Pte. Ltd. holds a capital markets services license in Singapore issued by the MAS in respect of dealing in capital markets products that are securities and collective investment schemes. By virtue of its status as a capital markets services licensee, CapBridge Pte. Ltd. is also an exempt financial advisor and has notified the MAS in respect of advising on investment products and issuing or promulgating analyses/reports on investment products that are securities and collective investment schemes. 1exchange is a recognized market operator. The completion of our acquisition of CapBridge is subject to final negotiation of terms of the transaction and a number of conditions, including regulatory approvals from the MAS and satisfaction of our closing obligations. Subject to the regulatory approvals from the MAS, Singa Digital Pte. Ltd. is expected to hold digital wholesale banking license and Applaud Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. is expected to hold direct insurer (composite) license from the MAS. See RegulationSingapore for further details.
Intellectual Property
We regard our trademarks, copyrights, patents, domain names, know-how, proprietary technologies, and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we rely on trademark, copyright and patent law and confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. As of the date of this prospectus, our Controlling Shareholder had five registered trademarks in Hong Kong, including the name and logo AMTD, and granted a license to us to use such name and logo. No other person or entity can register or use the name and logo of AMTD as a prefix for any trademark without the written consent of our Controlling Shareholder. As of the date of this prospectus, we had one trademark registered in Hong Kong and two trademarks registered in Singapore. We maintain four registered domain names, including amtddigital.com, amtdigital.net, amtddigital.net, and policypal.com.
Competition
Our business model is relatively unique, and few companies can compare with us in terms of the breadth of our business sectors spanning from digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing to digital investments. However, we face competition in various business verticals. For example, with respect to digital banking services, our primary competitors include FinTech companies, traditional financial institutions and consumer technology platforms in Hong Kong and Singapore. For our insurance solutions business, we compete with other corporate-focused insurance providers in Hong Kong and other insurance solutions platforms in Hong Kong and Singapore.
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For additional details regarding the competitive landscape of industries in which we operate, see Industry. For additional information concerning the competitive risks that we face, see Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and IndustryOur digital financial services business is subject to intense competition, and we may fail to compete successfully against existing or new competitors, which may reduce demand for our services, reduce operating margins, and further result in loss of market share, departures of qualified employees and increased capital expenditures and Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and IndustryOur digital financial services business is subject to intense competition, and we may fail to compete successfully against existing or new competitors, which may reduce demand for our services, reduce operating margins, and further result in loss of market share, departures of qualified employees, and increased capital expenditures.
Employees
We had 13, 20 and 50 employees as of April 30, 2019 and 2020, and January 31, 2021, respectively. All of our employees were located in Hong Kong and Singapore.
The following tables sets forth the number of our employees by function as of January 31, 2021.
Function |
Number of Employees | Percentage | ||||||
Senior management |
4 | 8.0% | ||||||
Frontline staff |
35 | 70.0% | ||||||
Supporting staff |
11 | 22.0% | ||||||
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|
|
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Total |
50 | 100.0% | ||||||
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Our success depends on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate qualified employees. We offer employees competitive salaries, performance-based cash bonuses, comprehensive training and development programs and other fringe benefits and incentives. We believe that we maintain a good working relationship with our employees, and we have not experienced any material labor disputes or work stoppages. None of our employees are represented by labor unions, and no collective bargaining agreement has been put in place.
As required by Hong Kong laws and regulations, we participate in a pension scheme under the rules and regulations of the Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme Ordinance, or MPF Scheme, for all employees in Hong Kong. The contributions to the MPF Scheme are based on a minimum statutory contribution requirement of 5% of eligible employees relevant aggregate income up to a maximum of HK$1,500 per employee per month. The assets of this pension scheme are held separately from those of our group in independently administered funds. Other than the contributions, we have no further obligation for the payment of retirement and other post-retirement benefits of our employees in Hong Kong. Under the Central Provident Fund Act (Chapter 36 of Singapore), our Singapore subsidiaries are required, among others, to make contributions, as employers, to the Central Provident Fund for our executive officers who are employed by our Singapore subsidiaries and are Singapore citizens or Singapore permanent residents. The contribution rates vary, depending on the age of the executive officers, and whether such executive officer is a Singapore citizen or Singapore permanent resident.
We enter into standard employment agreements with our employees. We also enter into standard confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our senior management in accordance with market practice.
Properties
Our principal executive offices are presently located on leased premises comprising 18,260 square feet in Hong Kong. We lease our premises from our Controlling Shareholder, and we plan to renew our lease from time to time as needed.
We intend to add new premises in Singapore. We believe that suitable additional or alternative space will be available in the future on commercially reasonable terms to accommodate our foreseeable future expansion.
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Insurance
We contribute to the Mandatory Provident Fund in Hong Kong and the Central Provident Fund in Singapore, and provide employee compensation, and benefits and travel insurance for our employees through policies maintained by our Controlling Shareholder. In accordance with the Guideline on Minimum Requirements for Insurance Brokers issued by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority, AMTD Risk Solutions Group maintains professional indemnity insurance for conducting an insurance brokerage business. In accordance with the Insurance (Intermediaries) Regulations (Rg 16) of Singapore, PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. maintains professional indemnity insurance for conducting insurance brokerage business. We also have office (including property, money and public liability) and computer insurance coverage through policies maintained by our Controlling Shareholder. We are in the process of purchasing standalone director and officers liability insurance.
We do not maintain standalone general third-party liability insurance, nor do we maintain standalone property insurance. We consider our insurance coverage to be adequate and in line with that of other companies in the same industry of similar size in Singapore and Hong Kong. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and IndustryIf our insurance coverage is insufficient, we may be subject to significant costs and business disruption.
Legal Proceedings
We may from time to time be subject to various legal or administrative claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not and have not been, and none of our subsidiaries or joint ventures is or has been, a party to any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings that we believe would, individually or taken as a whole, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations, and, insofar as we are aware, no such litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings are pending, threatened, or contemplated.
Litigation or any other legal or administrative proceeding, regardless of the outcome, is likely to result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources, including our managements time and attention. For potential impact of legal or administrative proceedings on us, see Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and IndustryWe may be subject to litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings and may not always be successful in defending ourselves against such claims or proceedings and Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and IndustryWe may face intellectual property infringement claims, which could be time-consuming and costly to defend and may result in the loss of significant rights by us.
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Singapore
Part of our business operations are conducted in Singapore. This section summarizes the most significant rules and regulations that affect our business activities in Singapore. These regulations require us to possess various licenses or approvals in order to carry out our business and operations. See BusinessLicenses for further information on the licenses and permits that we hold or are applying to hold.
Introduction
The Insurance Act (Cap. 142) of Singapore, or the IA, including its subsidiary legislation as well as notices and guidelines published by the MAS, is the principal statute regulating insurance business in Singapore. The latter is divided into life business and general business. Division 2, Part IIB of the IA deals with the registration of insurance brokers. Division 2, Part II of the IA deals with the licensing of direct insurers.
The Securities and Futures Act (Cap. 289) of Singapore, or the SFA, including its subsidiary legislation as well as notices and guidelines published by the MAS, is the principal statute regulating the capital markets industry in Singapore. Part IV of the SFA deals with holders of a capital markets services license and their representatives.
The Financial Advisers Act (Cap. 110) of Singapore, or the FAA, including its subsidiary legislation as well as notices and guidelines published by the MAS, is the principal statute regulating the financial advisory services industry in Singapore. The FAA also regulates registered insurance brokers, licensed direct life insurers, and holders of a capital markets services license as exempt financial advisors where they have duly notified the MAS.
The Banking Act (Cap. 19) of Singapore, or the BA, including its subsidiary legislation as well as notices and guidelines published by the MAS, is the principal statute regulating the banking industry in Singapore. Part III of the BA deals with the licensing of banks.
The IA, SFA, FAA and BA are all administered by the MAS, which is the integrated financial regulatory and supervisory authority that governs the insurance, capital markets, financial advisory and banking sectors in Singapore. The MAS is also the central bank and its powers are set out in the Monetary Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 186) or MAS Act.
The MAS
The MAS is the statutory body that is responsible for regulating the insurance, capital markets, financial advisory and banking sectors, amongst other financial sectors, in Singapore. As an integrated financial regulatory and supervisory authority, MAS mission is to promote sustained non-inflationary economic growth, and a sound and progressive financial center. To fulfil their mission, the MAS has set the following objectives of MAS financial sector oversight:
| a stable financial system; |
| safe and sound financial intermediaries; |
| safe and efficient financial infrastructure; |
| fair, efficient and transparent organized markets; |
| transparent and fair-dealing intermediaries and offerors; and |
| well-informed and empowered consumers. |
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The MAS has four operational groups, being Economic Policy, Markets and Development, Financial Supervision and Corporate Development. The Financial Supervision Group, in particular, comprises the Banking and Insurance Group, which regulates, inter alia, banks through the Banking Departments, and insurers through the Insurance Department, the Capital Markets Group, which regulates, inter alia, capital markets intermediaries (such as securities and derivatives brokers), insurance brokers and financial advisors.
Regulatory Regime Under the IA for Insurance Brokers and Insurers
The functions of the MAS, as regulatory and supervisory authority for individuals and corporations seeking licensing, authorization, approval or registration with respect to insurance business in Singapore, include the following:
| grant licenses, authorization, approvals or registrations to those who meet the relevant criteria to be licensed, authorized, approved or registered, as the case may be, under the IA, and can demonstrate fitness and propriety; |
| monitor the ongoing compliance of regulated entities, and their officers and shareholders (where applicable), with business conduct and other requirements; |
| maintain online a public register of insurance entities (the MAS Financial Institutions Directory); and |
| develop regulatory policies. |
Registration Regime for Insurance Brokers
Under the IA, a person may not carry on business as any type of insurance broker in Singapore unless the person is registered by the MAS as that type of insurance broker or the person is an exempt insurance broker (as referred to in section 35ZN of the IA). Further, a person may not hold himself out to be a registered insurance broker unless he is a registered insurance broker.
In addition to licensing requirements for corporations, any individual appointed as broking staff of a registered insurance broker must comply with the minimum standards and examination requirements for broking staff set out in MAS 502 Minimum Standards and Continuing Professional Development for Insurance Brokers and Their Broking Staff, or Notice 502.
As of the date of this prospectus, BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd is a registered insurance broker with respect to direct insurance. In addition to its status as a registered insurance broker, BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. is also an exempt financial advisor in relation to advising on investment products that are life policies and arranging of life policies, other than for reinsurance (and has notified the MAS of the same).
Registered Insurance Broker
An applicant for registration as a registered insurance broker must be a Singapore-incorporated company with the prescribed minimum paid-up share capital and have a professional indemnity insurance policy, the cover of which is consistent with the prescribed limit and deductible requirements.
In addition, in assessing an application for registration, the MAS will take into account factors such as:
| the applicants track record (which should be at least 3 years in respect of the type of insurance broking business it intends to carry on in Singapore), financial soundness and reputation; |
| whether the applicant has well-developed business plans that reflect the risk profile of the business; and |
| the fitness and propriety of the applicant, its directors and chief executive officer, and all its substantial shareholders and broking staff, or the relevant persons. |
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The key requirements and expectations of the MAS in respect of applications as well as ongoing obligations applicable to registered insurance brokers are contained in the following documents published by the MAS:
| the IA, and its subsidiary legislation, including the Insurance (Intermediaries) Regulations, or the IIR; |
| Notice 501 Quarterly Statement on Ageing of Premiums Owing to Insurers; |
| Notice 502 Minimum Standards and Continuing Professional Development for Insurance Brokers and Their Broking Staff; |
| Notice 504 Reporting of Misconduct of Broking Staff by Insurance Brokers; |
| Notice 505 Reporting of Suspicious Activities and Incidents of Fraud; |
| Notice 506 Notice on Technology Risk Management; |
| Notice 507 Cyber Hygiene; |
| Notice 117 Training and Competency Requirement: Health Insurance; |
| Notice 120 Disclosure and Advisory Process Requirements For Accident and Health Insurance Products; |
| Guidelines on Criteria for the Registration of an Insurance Broker [Guideline No. IA/II-G04]; |
| Guidelines on Standards of Conduct for Insurance Brokers [Guideline No. IA/II-G01]; |
| Guidelines on Market Conduct and Service Standards for Insurance Brokers [Guideline No. IA/II-G02]; |
| Guidelines on Fit and Proper Criteria [Guideline No. FSG-G01], or the Fit and Proper Guidelines; |
| Guidelines on Risk Management Practices; |
| Guidelines on Outsourcing; |
| Notice FAA-N06 on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismFinancial Advisers; and |
| Guidelines to Notice FAA-N06 on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism. |
Validity of Registration
The MAS may cancel the registration of any insurance broker, at its request or on certain grounds set out in section 35ZB(2) of the IA.
Management of Insurance Brokers
The applicant must appoint a chief executive officer and executive directors to manage the broking business. The chief executive officer, who should be employed on a full-time basis and be based in Singapore, should also have at least 5 years of relevant working experience, satisfactory academic and/or professional qualifications and at least 3 years of managerial experience in the relevant field. The executive directors should have at least 5 years of relevant working experience and satisfactory academic and/or professional qualifications.
Broking Staff
The applicant must appoint at least two broking staff, who may be the chief executive officer and/or executive directors, to act on its behalf to provide technical advice to its clients in respect of insurance policies relating to general business and long-term accident and health policies, other than insurance policies relating to reinsurance business. The broking staff must satisfy the minimum standards and examination requirements and the applicant, once registered, must comply with the submission requirements, set out in Notice 502.
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Ongoing Obligations for Registered Insurance Brokers
Once the applicant is registered as a registered insurance broker, in addition to the relevant persons remaining fit and proper at all times, the registered insurance broker must comply with all applicable provisions of the IA, the IIR, as well as the other regulations, notices and guidelines issued by the MAS.
Some of the key ongoing obligations for registered insurance brokers are as follows:
| maintain minimum paid-up share capital of S$300,000 (see regulation 3(3) of the IIR); |
| maintain a standalone non-hybrid professional indemnity insurance policy of at least $1 million, under which the deductible allowed shall not be more than 20% of its paid-up capital (if the registered insurance broker is in its first financial year of operation) or 20% of its net asset value as at the end of its preceding financial year (in any other case) (see regulation 4(3) of the IIR); |
| payment of annual fee of S$7,000 to the MAS by January 1 every year (see section 35ZA(1) of the IA and regulation 16(1)(a) of the IIR); |
| maintain net asset value of not less than 50% of the minimum paid-up share capital (see section 35ZC of the IA and regulation 5 of the IIR); |
| maintain an insurance broking premium account with a licensed bank for monies received from or on behalf of an insured or intending insured for or on account of an insurer in connection with a contract of insurance or proposed contract of insurance or from or on behalf of an insurer for or on account of an insured or intending insured (see section 35ZD(1) of the IA and regulation 7(1) of the IIR); |
| maintain a register of its broking staff containing the prescribed particulars (see regulation 9 of the IIR); |
| submit the prescribed returns to the MAS within 5 months of the end of each financial year (see section 36(1) of the IA and regulation 10 of the IIR); |
| maintain proper records (see section 36(2) of the IA); |
| appoint an auditor and audit financial statements (see sections 36(4) and (5) of the IA); |
| certain business conduct requirements set out in the FAA, including the requirement to disclose material product information, the prohibition against making false or misleading statements, establishing and maintaining a remuneration framework (see section 23(4) of the FAA); and |
| implement appropriate policies and procedures for compliance with the requirements under Notice FAA-N06 on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismFinancial Advisers. |
Restrictions on Take-Over of an Insurance Broker
Under section 35ZI(2) of the IA, no person may enter into an agreement to acquire shares of a registered insurance broker by virtue of which he would, if the agreement is carried out, obtain effective control of that insurance broker without first notifying the MAS of his intention to enter into the agreement and obtaining the approval of the MAS to his entering into the agreement. Such a person must apply for MAS approval prior to entering into such an agreement.
A person shall be regarded as obtaining effective control of a registered insurance broker by virtue of an agreement if the person alone or acting together with any associate or associates would, if the agreement is carried out: (i) acquire or hold, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of the issued share capital of the insurance broker; or (ii) control, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of the voting power of the insurance broker.
This restriction applies to all individuals, whether or not resident in or a citizen of Singapore, and bodies corporate or unincorporate, whether incorporated in or carrying on business in Singapore.
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Supervision by the MAS
The MAS is empowered under section 40(1) of the IA to conduct on-site inspections and under section 40A(1) of the IA to conduct such investigations as it considers necessary or expedient to perform any of its functions and duties under the IA or to determine the truth or otherwise of an alleged or suspected contravention of any provision of the IA or any direction issued under the IA.
Disciplinary Power of the MAS
Under section 35ZB of the IA, the MAS may cancel the registration of any registered insurance broker on the grounds as specified therein, including for failure to comply with any applicable obligations or the contravention of the provisions of the IA. However, this power is subject to section 35ZB(3) of the IA, which provides that the MAS must first: (i) give the registered insurance broker notice in writing of its intention to do so; and (ii) in the notice referred to in paragraph (i), call upon the registered insurance broker to show cause within such time as may be specified in the notice why its registration should not be canceled.
Further, under section 59(1) of the FAA, the MAS may make a prohibition order against an exempt financial advisor that prohibits the person, whether permanently or for a specified period, from providing any financial advisory service, or providing such financial advisory service in specified circumstances or capacities. This power is subject to section 59(3) of the FAA, which provides the person the opportunity to be heard.
Licensing Regime for Insurers
Under the IA, a person may not carry on any class of insurance business in Singapore as an insurer unless the person is licensed under the IA in respect of that class of business. A person may not hold himself out to be a licensed insurer in respect of life business or general business or both, when that person is not licensed under the IA in respect of that business.
Advising on investment products that are life policies, and arranging life policies, are financial advisory services regulated under the FAA. An insurer licensed under the IA is exempt under section 23(1)(c) of the FAA from holding a financial advisors license to carry on any financial advisory service. Such licensed insurer would have to notify MAS before it commences business in any financial advisory service.
As of the date of this prospectus, Applaud Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. is applying for a license to carry on business as a direct insurer in respect of life business and general business (also called composite business).
Direct Insurer License for Composite Business
An applicant for a direct insurer license in respect of composite business must, among other things, be a company incorporated in Singapore, a company incorporated outside Singapore which has an established place of business in Singapore, or a co-operative society, and have a paid-up ordinary share capital of no less than S$5 million or S$10 million, depending on the type of insurance business that the applicant intends to carry on.
In addition, in assessing an application for a direct insurer license, the MAS will take into account factors such as:
| domestic and international rankings of the applicant by factors such as premiums and assets; |
| past and present credit ratings by international rating agencies, including Standard and Poors, A.M Best, Moodys, and Fitch; |
| track record, financial soundness, and reputation of the applicant, including the applicants compliance with its home regulations. In assessing this criteria, MAS will consult the applicants home supervisory authority; |
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| experience in product innovation, use of alternative business distribution channels, and expertise in specialist and niche fields; |
| well-developed business strategy and detailed plans that reflect the risk profile of the business; |
| robust risk management systems and processes that are commensurate with the size and complexity of the business; and |
| fitness and propriety of the applicant, any director or key executive person, all of its substantial shareholders, and all persons having effective control of the applicant. |
The key requirements and expectations of the MAS in respect of ongoing obligations applicable to licensed insurers are contained in the following documents published by the MAS:
| the IA, and its subsidiary legislation, including the Insurance (Valuation and Capital) Regulations, or the I(VC)R; |
| Notice 106 Appointment of Director, Chairman and Key Executive Person; |
| Notice 211 Minimum and Best Practice Training and Competency Standards for Direct General Insurers; |
| Notice 117 Training and Competency Requirement: Health Insurance; |
| Notice 120 Disclosure and Advisory Process Requirements For Accident and Health Insurance Products; |
| Notice 318 Market Conduct Standards for Direct Life Insurer as a Product Provider; |
| Notice 306 Market Conduct Standards for Life Insurers Providing Financial Advisory Services as defined under the Financial Advisers Act; |
| Notice 307 Investment-Linked Policies; |
| Notice 321 Direct Purchase Insurance Products; |
| Notice 122 Asset & Liability Exposures for Insurers; |
| Notice 125 Investments of Insurers; |
| Notice 101 Maintenance of Insurance Funds; |
| Notice 133 Valuation and Capital Framework for Insurers; |
| Notice 129 on Insurance Returns (Accounts and Statements); |
| Notice 132 Cyber Hygiene; |
| Notice 314 Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismLife Insurers; |
| Notice 123 Reporting of Suspicious Activities and Incidents of Fraud; |
| Guidelines on Standards of Conduct for Marketing and Distribution Activities by Financial Institutions [Guideline No. FSG-G02]; |
| Guidelines on Market Conduct and Service Standards for Direct General Insurers [Guideline No. ID 1/03]; |
| Guidelines to MAS Notice 314 Notice on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismLife Insurers; |
| Guidelines on Implementation of Insurance Fund Concept [Guideline No. ID 1/09]; |
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| Guidelines on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismDirect General Insurance Business, Reinsurance Business, and Direct Life Insurance Business (Accident & Health Policies); |
| Guidelines on Risk Management Practices for Insurance BusinessCore Activities; |
| Guidelines on Risk Management Practices for Insurance BusinessInsurance Fraud Risk; |
| Guidelines on Risk Management Practices |
| Guidelines on Outsourcing; and |
| Fit and Proper Guidelines. |
Validity of Insurance License
The MAS may cancel the license of any insurer, either wholly or in respect of a class of business, at the request of the insurer or on certain grounds set out in section 12(3) of the IA.
Management of Direct Insurer for Composite Business
The applicant for a direct insurer license for composite business must appoint a chief executive, an appointed actuary, and a certifying actuary. Where such applicant is incorporated in Singapore, it is also required to appoint a chairman appointed among its directors. Prior MAS approval is required for the appointment of its chairman, any director and any key executive person (being the chief executive, deputy chief executive, appointed actuary, and certifying actuary). Such persons should be fit and proper person to be so appointed.
Insurance Agents and Staff
Licensed insurers may permit insurance agents to arrange insurance contracts as agent for the licensed insurer, subject to conditions set out in the IA. Licensed insurers may also permit licensed or exempt financial advisors to arrange life policies (other than reinsurance contracts of liabilities under life policies) as agent for the licensed insurer. Direct life insurers may also appoint individuals to perform any financial advisory service on its behalf as its representatives.
A direct general insurer must ensure that its insurance agents, staff who sell or provide sales advice in respect of any insurance product, or provide advice relating to insurance claims, and staff of a service provider engaged by the direct general insurer who handle claims for the direct general insurer, where such staff provide advice relating to insurance claims, comply with the training and competency requirements set out in Notice 211.
A direct insurer should also ensure that any individual who is employed by or acts as an insurance agent for the direct insurer and who wishes to provide advice on or arrange insurance contracts or both, in respect of health insurance products and/or shield plans, meets the relevant training and competency requirements in Notice 117.
Where a direct life insurer appoints a representative to perform financial advisory services on its behalf, such representative must be fit and proper.
Ongoing Obligations for Licensed Insurers
Once the applicant is licensed as a direct insurer for composite business, in addition to the relevant persons remaining fit and proper at all times, such licensed insurer must comply with all applicable provisions of the IA, the I(VC)R, as well as the other regulations, notices and guidelines issued by the MAS.
Some of the key ongoing obligations for licensed direct insurers for composite business are as follows:
| maintain minimum paid-up ordinary share capital of S$5 million or S$10 million, depending on the type of insurance business being carried on (see regulations 3 and 5(1) of the I(VC)R); |
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| establish and maintain the relevant insurance funds, and pay into an insurance fund all receipts of the insurer properly attributable to the business to which the fund relates (including the income of the fund) (see Section 17 of the IA, regulation 17 of the I(VC)R and Notice 101); |
| comply with fund solvency requirements and capital adequacy requirements (see regulation 4 of the I(VC)R and Notice 133); |
| obtain prior MAS approval before acquiring or holding a major stake in any corporation (see section 30B of the IA); |
| comply with corporate governance rules in the Insurance (Corporate Governance) Regulations 2013; |
| maintain proper records (see section 36(2) of the IA); |
| prepare and submit prescribed returns to the MAS within the relevant time frames (see section 36(3) of the IA and Notice 129); |
| appoint an auditor and audit financial statements (see sections 36(3A) of the IA); |
| comply with Notice 125 in relation to its investment activities and investments of insurance funds and shareholders funds; |
| comply with business conduct requirements set out in Notice 318 (in relation to life business), Notice 120 (in relation to accident and health insurance products), Notice 307 (in relation to investment linked policies), Notice 321 (in relation to direct purchase life insurance) and 306 (in relation to providing financial advisory services on life insurance); and |
| implement appropriate policies and procedures for compliance with the requirements under Notice 314 Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismLife Insurers and Guidelines on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismDirect General Insurance Business, Reinsurance Business, and Direct Life Insurance Business (Accident & Health Policies). |
Restrictions on Take-Over of a Licensed Insurer
Under section 28 of the IA, no person may obtain effective control of a licensed insurer incorporated in Singapore without the prior written approval of the MAS.
A person shall be regarded as obtaining effective control of a licensed insurer if: (i) the person, whether alone or together with his associates, holds 20% or more of the total number of issued shares in the insurer or is in a position to control 20% or more of the voting power in the insurer; (ii) the directors of the insurer are accustomed or under an obligation, whether formal or informal, to act in accordance with the directions, instructions or wishes of the person (whether acting alone or together with any other person, and whether with or without holding shares or controlling voting power in the insurer); or (iii) the person (whether acting alone or together with any other person, and whether with or without holding shares or controlling voting power in the insurer) is in a position to determine the policy of the insurer.
Supervision by the MAS
The MAS is empowered under section 40(1) of the IA to conduct on-site inspections and under section 40A(1) of the IA to conduct such investigations as it considers necessary or expedient to perform any of its functions and duties under the IA or to determine the truth or otherwise of an alleged or suspected contravention of any provision of the IA or any direction issued under the IA.
Disciplinary Power of the MAS
Under section 12 of the IA, the MAS may cancel the license of any insurer, either wholly or in respect of a class of business, on the grounds as specified therein, including for contravening any conditions of its license or
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any provisions of the IA. However, this power is subject to section 12(4) of the IA, which provides that the MAS must first: (i) give the insurer notice in writing of its intention to do so; and (ii) in the notice referred to in paragraph (i), call upon the insurer to show cause within such time as may be specified in the notice why its license should not be canceled.
The MAS also has the power to direct the licensed insurer to remove a key executive person, chairman, or director from his office, appointment or employment if it appears to the MAS that such person has failed to perform his functions or is no longer a fit and proper person to be so appointed, and it is in the public interest or for the protection of policy owners of the licensed insurer. This power is subject to section 31(12) of the IA, which provides the licensed insurer and the relevant individual with an opportunity to show cause why the individual should not be removed.
Licensing Regime for Capital Markets Services Under the SFA
The functions of the MAS, as regulatory and supervisory authority for individuals and corporations seeking licensing or exemption with respect to regulated activities under the Second Schedule to the SFA, include the following:
| grant a capital markets services license to those who meet the relevant criteria to be licensed under the SFA, and can demonstrate fitness and propriety; |
| monitor the ongoing compliance of regulated entities, and their officers, representatives and shareholders (where applicable), with business conduct and other requirements; |
| maintain online a public register of capital markets services providers (the MAS Financial Institutions Directory); and |
| develop regulatory policies. |
Under the SFA, a person may not, as a principal or agent, carry on business in any regulated activity (defined as an activity specified in the Second Schedule to the SFA) or hold himself out as carrying on such business, in Singapore, unless the person holds a capital markets services license for that regulated activity or is exempted from such licensing requirement (as referred to in section 99 or the Third Schedule of the SFA).
In addition to licensing requirements for corporations, any individual carrying on any such regulated activity on behalf of a corporation must be duly registered as a representative of that corporation, and comply with the minimum standard and examination requirements set out in MAS Notice SFA 04-N09 Minimum Entry and Examination Requirements for Representatives of Holders of Capital Markets Services License and Exempt Financial Institutions, or MAS Notice SFA 04-N09.
As of the date of this prospectus, CapBridge Pte. Ltd. holds a capital markets services license in respect of dealing in capital markets products that are securities and collective investment schemes. By virtue of its status as a capital markets services licensee, CapBridge Pte. Ltd. is also an exempt financial advisor and has notified the MAS in respect of advising on investment products that are securities and collective investment schemes, and issuing or promulgating analyses / reports on securities and collective investment schemes.
Capital Markets Services License for Dealing in Capital Markets Products
An applicant for a capital markets services license for dealing in capital markets products must, among other things, be a corporation operating out of a physical office in Singapore with an established track record in dealing in capital markets products or a related field, or if the applicant intends to deal with retail investors, dealing in the relevant type(s) of capital markets products that the applicant intends to carry on business in Singapore for at least the past 5 years. It must also satisfy the prescribed base capital requirements. It is not mandatory for such applicant to procure professional indemnity insurance when it applies for a capital markets services license for
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dealing in capital markets products. However, an applicant for such a license to carry on business in dealing in capital markets products that are specified products must lodge a security deposit of S$100,000 with the MAS, unless the applicant is a member of an approved exchange or deals only in the specified products with accredited investors, expert investors or institutional investors.
In addition, in assessing an application for registration, the MAS will take into account factors such as:
| fitness and propriety of the applicant, its shareholders and directors; |
| track record and management expertise of the applicant and its parent company or major shareholders; |
| ability to meet the minimum financial requirements prescribed under the SFA; |
| strength of internal risk management and compliance systems; and |
| business model/plans and projections and the associated risks. |
The key requirements and expectations of the MAS in respect of applications as well as ongoing obligations applicable to capital markets services licensees are contained in the following:
| the SFA, and its subsidiary legislation, including the Securities and Futures (Licensing and Conduct of Business) Regulations (SF(LCB)R), and Securities and Futures (Financial and Margin Requirements for Holders of Capital Markets Services Licenses) Regulations (SF(FMR)R); |
| Notice SFA 04-N09 Minimum Entry and Examination Requirements for Representatives of Holders of Capital Markets Services License and Exempt Financial Institutions; |
| Notice SFA 04-N13 Risk Based Capital Adequacy Requirements for Holders of Capital Markets Services Licenses; |
| Notice SFA 04-N12 Sale of Investment Products; |
| Notice SFA 04-N11 Reporting of Misconduct of Representatives by Holders of Capital Markets Services License and Exempt Financial Institutions; |
| Notice CMG-N01 on Reporting of Suspicious Activities and Incidents of Fraud; |
| Notice SFA 04-N02 to Capital Markets Intermediaries on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism; |
| Notice CMG-N02 Technology Risk Management; |
| Notice CMG-N03 Cyber Hygiene; |
| Guidelines on Criteria for the Grant of a Capital Markets Services License Other Than for Fund Management and Real Estate Investment Trust Management [Guideline No. SFA 04-G01]; |
| Guidelines on the Regulation of Short Selling [Guideline No. SFA 07A-G01]; |
| Guidelines to Notice SFA 04-N02 on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismCapital Markets Intermediaries; |
| CMI 01/2011 Due Diligence Checks and Documentation in Respect of the Appointment of Appointed, Provisional, and Temporary Representatives; |
| Guidelines on Risk Management Practices; |
| Guidelines on Outsourcing; and |
| Fit and Proper Guidelines. |
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Validity of Capital Markets Services License
The capital markets services license is valid until the holder stops conducting all the regulated activities on the license, and the license is canceled or revoked by MAS, or the license lapses in accordance with section 95 of the SFA.
Management
The applicant must appoint a minimum of two directors, at least one of whom is resident in Singapore, and a Chief Executive Officer with least ten years of relevant experience and that is resident in Singapore. Prior MAS approval is required for such appointments.
Staff
The applicant must appoint at least two full-time Singapore-based individuals, who may be the chief executive officer and/or executive directors, to act on its behalf for each regulated activity (except providing custodial services and REIT management). Such individuals are required to be appointed as representatives under the SFA, and have to satisfy minimum standards and examination requirements under MAS Notice SFA 04-N09. The applicant must conduct due diligence checks prior to the appointment of representatives. Once appointed, representatives must comply with the continuing professional development requirements under MAS Notice SFA 04-N09.
Ongoing Obligations for Holder of Capital Markets Services License for Dealing in Capital Markets Products
Once the applicant is granted a capital markets services license, in addition to the relevant persons remaining fit and proper at all times, the holder of a capital markets services license for dealing in capital markets products must comply with all applicable provisions of the SFA, the SF(LCB)R, SF(FMR)R, as well as the other regulations, notices and guidelines issued by the MAS.
Some of the key ongoing obligations for a capital markets services license holder for dealing in capital markets products are as follows:
| maintain base capital of S$50,000 to S$5 million (depending on the type of capital markets products, and whether the holder is a member of an approved exchange or clearing house, or an introducing broker) (see section 86(3) of the SFA and regulation 3 and the First Schedule, SF(FMR)R); |
| payment of annual fee of S$2,000 to S$8,000, depending on the type of capital markets products offered and whether the holder is or is not a member of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (see section 85 of the SFA and regulation 6 and the Third Schedule of the SF(LCB)R); |
| not reduce its paid-up ordinary share capital or paid-up irredeemable and non-cumulative preference share capital without the prior written approval of the MAS (see regulation 20, SF(FMR)R); |
| comply with the financial resources requirements and not permit it to fall below its total risk requirement (see Part III of SF(FMR)R and risk based capital adequacy requirements under MAS Notice SFA 04-N13); |
| maintain a register of interests in listed specified products (see regulation 4 of SF(LCB)R); |
| comply with the rules on customers moneys and assets, including rules on segregation and disclosure (see Part III of the SF(LCB)R); |
| maintain proper books and records (see regulation 39 of the SF(LCB)R); |
| provide statements of account and contract notes to customers, and comply with other disclosure requirements under SF(LCB)R; |
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| comply with trading standards and rules under the SF(LCB)R, such as not divulging information relating to a customers orders except in certain circumstances (see regulation 47, SF(LCB)R); and |
| implement appropriate policies and procedures for compliance with the requirements under Notice SFA 04-N02 to Capital Markets Intermediaries on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism. |
Restrictions on Take-Over
Under section 97A of the SFA, no person shall enter into any arrangement in relation to shares in the holder of a capital markets services license that is a company by virtue of which he would, if the arrangement is carried out, obtain effective control of the holder, unless he has obtained the prior approval of the MAS to his entering into the arrangement.
A person is regarded as obtaining effective control of the holder of a capital markets services license by virtue of an arrangement if the person alone or acting together with any connected person would, if the arrangement is carried out: (i) acquire or hold, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of the issued share capital of the holder; or (ii) control, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of the voting power in the holder.
The reference to a person entering into an arrangement in relation to shares includes: (i) entering into an agreement or any formal or informal scheme, arrangement or understanding, to acquire those shares; (ii) making or publishing a statement, however expressed, that expressly or impliedly invites the holder of those shares to offer to dispose of his shares to the first person; (iii) the first person obtaining a right to acquire shares under an option, or to have shares transferred to himself or to his order, whether the right is exercisable presently or in the future and whether on fulfilment of a condition or not; and (iv) becoming a trustee of a trust in respect of those shares.
This restriction applies to all individuals, whether resident in Singapore or not and whether citizens of Singapore or not, and to all bodies corporate or unincorporate, whether incorporated or carrying on business in Singapore or not.
Supervision by the MAS
The MAS is empowered under Part IX of the SFA to conduct on-site inspections and, under section 152 of the SFA, to conduct such investigations as it considers necessary or expedient to exercise any of its powers or perform any of its functions and duties under the SFA, to ensure compliance with the SFA or any written direction issued thereunder, or to investigate an alleged or suspected contravention of any provision of the SFA or any written direction issued thereunder.
Disciplinary Power of the MAS
Under section 95 of the SFA, the MAS may revoke a capital markets services license on the grounds as specified therein, including for the contravention of any condition or restriction in respect of such license or any provision of the SFA. The MAS may choose to suspend a capital markets services license for a specific period instead of revoking it. However, this power is subject to section 95(4) of the SFA, which provides that the MAS may not revoke or suspend a capital markets services license without giving the holder of the license an opportunity to be heard. This right to be heard does not exist under certain circumstances, such as where the holder is in the course of being wound up or otherwise dissolved, or a receiver has been appointed in respect of any of its property.
The MAS also has the power to direct the capital markets services license holder to remove a director or executive officer from his office or employment where the MAS is satisfied that such person has: (i) willfully
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contravened or willfully caused the holder to contravene any provision of the SFA; (ii) without reasonable excuse, failed to secure the compliance of the holder with the SFA, the MAS Act, or any of the written laws set out in the Schedule to the MAS Act; or (iii) has failed to discharge any of the duties of his office. This power is subject to section 97(3) of the SFA, which provides the capital markets services license holder an opportunity to be heard.
Further, under section 101A of the SFA, the MAS may make a prohibition order against a holder of a capital markets services licence, its representative, or an officer of the capital markets services license holder that prohibits the person, whether permanently or for a specified period, from providing any regulated activity, or providing such regulated activity in specified circumstances or capacities. This power is subject to section 101A(4) of the SFA, which provides the person the opportunity to be heard.
Digital Bank Regime Under the BA
MAS announced on June 28, 2019 that it will issue up to two digital full bank licenses and three digital wholesale bank (DWB) licenses. These new digital banks are in addition to any digital banks that Singapore banking groups may already establish under MAS existing internet banking framework. The digital bank licenses will allow entities, including non-bank players, to conduct digital banking businesses in Singapore. Applications for the digital bank licenses closed on December 31, 2019.
Under the BA, no banking business shall be transacted in Singapore except by a company which is in possession of a valid license granted under the BA by the MAS authorizing it to conduct banking business in Singapore. Banking business means the business of receiving money on current or deposit account, paying and collecting cheques drawn by or paid in by customers, and the making of advances to customers.
As of the date of this prospectus, we and Xiaomi are continuing to pursue a DWB license with the MAS. In June 2020, MAS announced that 14 out of 21 digital bank applications (five digital full bank applications and nine DWB applications, including Singa Digital Pte. Ltd.s DWB application) would progress to the next stage of assessment. Although Singa Digital Pte. Ltd. was not ultimately awarded the DWB license (successful applicants were announced in December 2020), the MAS stated that this round of DWB licenses was introduced as a pilot and it would review whether to grant more of such licenses in the future.
Eligibility Criteria for Digital Banks
An applicant for DWB license must be incorporated in Singapore and meet the following requirements:
| at least one entity in the applicant group (being the proposed digital bank and every of its 20% controllers) has three or more years of track record in operating an existing business in the technology or e-commerce field; |
| the following persons are fit and proper: (i) applicant group and their directors; (ii) substantial shareholders and 12% controllers of the proposed digital bank; and (iii) directors and executive officers of the proposed digital bank; |
| demonstrate ability to meet the applicable minimum paid-up capital requirement at the onset and the minimum capital funds requirement on an ongoing basis. This can be done by submitting a written confirmation from shareholders of the proposed digital bank on commitment of funds. |
| provide clear value proposition, incorporating the innovative use of technology to serve customer needs and reach under-served segments of the Singapore market; |
| demonstrate that the proposed digital banks business model is sustainable. The applicant must provide a five-year financial projection of the proposed digital bank, which must show a path towards profitability. The assumptions of the financial projection must be reviewed by an external and independent expert; |
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| submit a feasible plan that can facilitate the orderly exit of the proposed digital bank; and |
| shareholders of the proposed digital bank commit to providing a letter of responsibility and a letter of undertaking that MAS may require in respect of the operations of the proposed digital bank. |
DWBs must meet the same regulatory requirements as existing wholesale banks, including minimum paid-up capital of S$100 million, risk-based capital and liquidity requirements, as well as requirements relating to technology risks, money-laundering and terrorism financing risks, and the conduct of non-financial businesses.
Detailed guidelines on the MAS key requirements and expectations applicable to wholesale banks are contained in the following documents published by the MAS:
| the BA, and its subsidiary legislation, including the Banking Regulations (BR) and the Banking (Corporate Governance) Regulations 2005 (B(CG)R); |
| Notice 637 on Risk Based Capital Adequacy Requirements for Banks Incorporated in Singapore; |
| Notice 758 Minimum Cash Balance; |
| Notice 649 Minimum Liquid Assets and Liquidity Coverage Ratio; |
| Notice 656 Exposures to Single Counterparty Groups for Banks Incorporated in Singapore; |
| Notice 639A Exposures and Credit Facilities to Related Concerns; |
| Notice 643 Transactions with Related Parties; |
| Notice 610 Submission of Statistics and Returns; |
| Notice 615 Appointment of Auditors; |
| Notice 609 Auditors Reports and Additional Information to be Submitted with Annual Accounts; |
| Notice 644 Technology Risk Management; |
| Notice 655 Cyber Hygiene; |
| Notice 626 Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Banks; |
| Guidelines for Operation of Wholesale Banks; |
| Guidelines for E-Payments User Protection; |
| Guidelines on Corporate Governance; |
| Guidelines on Risk Management Practices; |
| Guidelines on Outsourcing; and |
| Guidelines to Notice 626 on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismBanks; and |
| Fit and Proper Guidelines. |
Management of Digital Banks
Singapore-incorporated banks must obtain prior MAS approval for the appointment of: (i) all directors; (ii) the chairman of the board of directors; and (iii) the chief executive officer and deputy chief executive officer. Further, Singapore-incorporated banks are to comply with the B(CG)R and the Guidelines on Corporate Governance, which set out requirements for the composition of the board of directors and board committees, including requirements for independence and qualification.
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To enable the DWB to leverage the strength of its non-financial parent, MAS will allow the DWB to share selected executive officers (e.g. chief technology officer) with its parent or affiliate entities during the initial years. The DWB will have to demonstrate to MAS that the sharing of the executive officer is beneficial to the DWB and the shared role will not compromise the executive officers ability to perform his duty at the DWB. This includes consideration of whether the executive officer would have sufficient time and capacity to perform his duty at the DWB. MAS expects that a DWB should not continue to share executive officers with its non-financial parent beyond five years from the commencement of business.
MAS will not allow the DWB to share the following executive officers with its non-financial parent or affiliate entities: (i) chief executive officer; (ii) head of compliance; (iii) head of risk management, except for cyber security risk and technology risk; and (iv) head of internal audit.
Ongoing Obligations for Digital Wholesale Banks
Once the applicant is licensed as a DWB, in addition to the relevant persons remaining fit and proper at all times, the DWB must comply with all applicable provisions of the BA, the BR, as well as the other regulations, notices and guidelines issued by the MAS.
Some of the key ongoing obligations for DWBs are as follows:
| maintain minimum paid-up capital of S$100 million (see Regulation 6A(1), BR); |
| maintain only one physical place of business (see paragraph 5, Guidelines for Operation of Wholesale Banks and Section IV (Requirements and Permissible Activities for DWB), Eligibility Criteria and Requirements for Digital Banks); |
| not to operate SGD savings accounts, except with the prior approval of MAS (see paragraph 2(a), Guidelines for Operation of Wholesale Banks); |
| only accepting SGD fixed deposits, provided the initial and outstanding deposits are at least S$250,000 at all times (see paragraph 2(c), Guidelines for Operation of Wholesale Banks); |
| not to operate interest-bearing SGD current accounts where the customer is a natural person and a resident of Singapore, except with the prior approval of MAS (see paragraph 2(d), Guidelines for Operation of Wholesale Banks); |
| only offering SGD current accounts (which can be interest-bearing) for business uses, including to sole proprietors and partnerships (see page 8, Eligibility Criteria and Requirements for Digital Banks); |
| not to grant unsecured credit facilities to retail individuals (see Section IV (Requirements and Permissible Activities for DWB), Eligibility Criteria and Requirements for Digital Banks); |
| comply with risk-based capital adequacy, minimum cash balance, minimum liquid assets and liquidity coverage ratio requirements under Notices 637, 758 and 649; |
| comply with privacy obligations with respect to customer information (see section 47, BA); |
| appoint auditors, audit financial statements and submit annual accounts under Notice 615 and MAS 609; and |
| implement appropriate policies and procedures for compliance with the requirements under Notice 626 on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of TerrorismBanks. |
Restrictions on Take-Over
Under sections 15A and 15B of the BA, no person shall become a substantial shareholder, a 12% controller, a 20% controller, or an indirect controller, of a bank incorporated in Singapore without the prior approval of the Minister-in-Charge of MAS.
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A substantial shareholder generally refers to any person who will have a voting interest of at least 5% in the DWB.
A 12% controller is a person, not being a 20% controller, who alone or together with his associates: (i) holds not less than 12% of the total number of issued shares in the DWB; or (ii) is in a position to control voting power of not less than 12% in the DWB.
A 20% controller means a person who, alone or together with his associates: (i) holds not less than 20% of the total number of issued shares in the DWB; or (ii) is in a position to control voting power of not less than 20% in the DWB.
An indirect controller generally refers to any person, whether acting alone or together with any other person, and whether with or without holding shares or controlling voting power in a DWB: (i) in accordance with whose directions, instructions or wishes the directors of the DWB are accustomed or under an obligation, whether formal or informal, to act; or (ii) who is in a position to determine the policy of the DWB.
Supervision by the MAS
The MAS is empowered under section 43 of the BA to conduct on-site inspections of a bank in Singapore, and any non-regulated locally-incorporated subsidiary of a bank incorporated in Singapore. Further, under section 44 of the SFA, the MAS is empowered to conduct an investigation of any bank in Singapore if it has reason to believe that such bank: (i) is carrying on its business in a manner likely to be detrimental to the interests of its depositors and other creditors; (ii) has insufficient assets to cover its liabilities to the public; or (iii) is contravening the provisions of the BA.
Disciplinary Power of the MAS
Under section 20 of the BA, the MAS may revoke any bank license on the grounds as specified therein, including any contravention of the provisions of the BA. Before revoking any bank license, the MAS shall: (i) cause to be given to the bank concerned notice in writing of its intention to do so, specifying a date, not less than 21 days after the date of the notice, upon which the revocation will take effect; and (ii) call upon the bank to show cause to the MAS why the license should not be revoked.
Under section 54(2) of the BA, the MAS may direct a bank incorporated in Singapore to remove a director or a bank in Singapore to remove an executive officer from his office or employment, where the MAS is satisfied that such person is not a fit and proper person. In this connection, the MAS may have regard to whether such person has, amongst other things, willfully contravened or willfully caused the bank to contravene any provision of the BA, or has, without reasonable excuse, failed to secure the compliance of the bank with the BA, the MAS Act or any of the written laws set out in the Schedule to the MAS Act. Before directing a bank in Singapore to remove a person from his office or employment under section 54(2), the MAS will give the bank and the person notice in writing of its intention to do so, and call upon the bank and the person to show cause why the person should not be removed.
Fit and Proper Requirement
The Fit and Proper Guidelines set out the fit and proper criteria applicable to all relevant persons in relation to the carrying out of any activity regulated by the MAS under any written law. Generally, a fit and proper person is one that is competent and honest, has integrity and is of sound financial standing.
The Fit and Proper Guidelines set out a number of matters that the MAS will consider when assessing the fitness and propriety of a relevant person:
| honesty, integrity and reputation; |
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| competence and capability; and |
| financial soundness. |
The above fit and proper criteria serve as the fundamental basis on which the MAS will consider each registration and license application. Detailed guidelines are contained in the Fit and Proper Guidelines published by the MAS.
In particular, institutions are expected to have in place appropriate recruitment policies, adequate internal control systems and procedures that would reasonably ensure that the persons that it employs, authorizes or appoints to act on its behalf (e.g. directors, chief executive officers, executive officers, representatives or employees, as the case may be) meet the fit and proper criteria.
The MAS may refuse an application for registration or licensing if an applicant fails to satisfy the MAS that it is, and the applicable relevant persons are, fit and proper. The onus is on the applicant to establish fitness and propriety.
Resolution Powers of the MAS
Under section 53 of the MAS Act, the MAS may, if it considers it to be in the interests of an affected person of a registered insurance broker, a licensed insurer, capital markets services license holder or a licensed bank, make an order prohibiting such financial institution from carrying on its significant business or from doing or performing any act or function connected with its significant business or any aspect thereof that may be specified in the order.
The General Division of the Singapore High Court has the power, on the application of the MAS, to make one or more orders, including an order that no proceedings shall be commenced or continued by or against the financial institution in respect of any business of the financial institution and/or an order that no steps be taken by any person, other than a person specified in the order, to sell, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of any property of the financial institution, and any such sale, transfer, assignment or other disposition in contravention of such order shall be void. Any such order shall be valid for a period not exceeding 6 months.
Registered insurance brokers, licensed insurers, capital markets services license holders and licensed banks that are incorporated in Singapore are also subject to additional grounds for winding up under section 54 of the MAS Act. On the application of the MAS, the Singapore court may order the winding up of the registered insurance broker, licensed insurer, capital markets services license holder or licensed bank, as the case may be, if, for example, it has contravened any provision of the MAS Act or any of the written laws set out in the Schedule to the MAS Act, which includes the IA, SFA, FAA, and BA.
Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism
Registered insurance brokers, licensed insurers, capital markets services license holders and licensed banks are required to comply with the applicable anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, or AML/CFT, laws and regulations in Singapore. This includes the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (Cap. 65A) of Singapore and Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act (Cap. 325) of Singapore, as well as applicable AML/CFT notices and guidelines.
The various MAS Notices on Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism set out the AML/CFT requirements for the relevant regulated entities, in relation to:
| conducting risk assessments and risk mitigation; |
| conducting customer due diligence (including enhanced due diligence), ongoing monitoring and screening; |
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| relying on third parties; |
| recordkeeping; |
| suspicious transaction reporting; and |
| internal policies, compliance, audit and training. |
Registered insurance brokers, licensed insurers, capital markets services license holders and licensed banks are also subject to sanctions requirements under regulations issued under the MAS Act, which impose obligations in the context of individual transactions.
The extent of the prohibitions varies depending on the sanctions program. The following is a list of current economic sanctions regimes applicable in Singapore: Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.
Protection of Personal Data
Organizations are required to comply with the Personal Data Protection Act 2012, or the PDPA, when collecting, using or disclosing any individuals personal data in Singapore. The PDPA sets out a baseline personal data protection law operating alongside existing sector specific laws, and contains two main sets of provisions, covering data protection and the Do Not Call registry. Under the data protection provisions in the PDPA (Parts III to VIA), organizations generally have to:
| obtain consent for the collection, use or disclosure of personal data; |
| have reasonable purposes for the collection, use or disclosure of personal data and notify the individuals concerned of these purposes; |
| allow individuals to access and correct their personal data; |
| take care of personal data, which relates to ensuring accuracy, protecting personal data (including protection in the case of transfers of personal data outside of Singapore) and not retaining personal data longer than necessary for legal or business purposes, and to serve the purpose for which it was collected; and |
| make appropriate notifications of certain data breaches. |
Further, the PDPA provides that the provisions of other written laws shall prevail to the extent that any provision of the data protection provisions in the PDPA is inconsistent with the provision of that other written law. For instance, licensed banks are subject to privacy obligations with respect to customer information. To the extent that the disclosure of an individuals personal data which constitutes customer information is permitted under the BA, the consent of the individual to the disclosure of such data as prescribed under the PDPA will not apply. However, data protection provisions relating to the personal data (e.g. in respect of notification of purpose, access, correction, protection and transfer limitation) under the PDPA continue to apply to the individuals personal data.
The provisions relating to the Do Not Call Registry are set out in Part IX of the PDPA. An organization that wishes to send a marketing message to a Singapore telephone number must comply with the Do Not Call provisions, such as checking the Do Not Call Registry and confirming that the Singapore telephone number is not listed in the relevant register, before sending a marketing message to that Singapore telephone number, unless the user or subscriber of the Singapore telephone number has given clear and unambiguous consent, or the organization is otherwise exempted.
Hong Kong
Our business operations are primarily conducted in Hong Kong and are subject to Hong Kong laws and regulations. This section summarizes the most significant rules and regulations that affect our business activities
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in Hong Kong. These regulations require us to possess various licenses or approvals in order to carry out our business and operations. See Corporate History and Structure for further information on the licenses that we hold.
Insurance Brokerage Regulatory Regime
On September 23, 2019, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority, or the HKIA took over regulation of insurance agents and brokers from the self-regulatory bodies, or the SROs, which are the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers, Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers, and the Professional Insurance Brokers Association. Intermediaries are and will be subject to statutory licensing and conduct requirements, supplemented by rules, codes, guidelines and circulars issued by the HKIA.
The Insurance Ordinance (along with its subsidiary legislation) (Cap. 41) of Hong Kong, or the HKIO, is the principal legislation to regulate the insurance industry in Hong Kong. The regulatory framework applicable to insurers and insurance intermediaries in Hong Kong is set out in the HKIO. The HKIO sets out the requirements for the authorization / licensing, ongoing compliance and reporting obligations of insurers and insurance intermediaries.
The HKIO provides no person shall carry on any class of insurance business in or from Hong Kong unless authorized to do so. The HKIO prescribes regulated activities and offences for carrying them out without a license. The new regulated activities include:
1. | negotiating or arranging a contract of insurance; |
2. | inviting or inducing a person to enter into a contract of insurance (or attempting to do so); |
3. | inviting or inducing a person to make a material decision in relation to a contract of insurance (or attempting to do so); and |
4. | giving regulated advice. |
The new regime also includes statutory conduct requirements for insurance intermediaries under sections 90 and 91 of the HKIO. The fundamental principles include honesty and integrity, exercising care, skill and diligence, disclosure of information and conflicts of interest. Such principles are consistent with the principle of the fair treatment of customers enunciated by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.
There is a transition period for existing intermediaries for three years. Existing insurance intermediaries who are validly registered with SROs before 23 September 2019 will be deemed licensees during the transition period. For any pending insurance intermediary applications, applicants will need to make a fresh application to the HKIA after commencement of the new regime.
As of the date of this prospectus, our subsidiary AMTD Risk Solutions Group Limited is deemed to be a licensed insurance intermediary.
AMTD Risk Solutions Group Limited was validly registered with an SRO before the commencement of the new regulatory regime for insurance intermediaries (i.e. September 23, 2019), as such, under the HKIO, it is deemed to be a licensed insurance intermediary for a period of 3 years from the commencement of the new regime unless the license is revoked in accordance with the HKIO.
Insurance Brokerage Registration Requirements in Hong Kong Under the Current Regime
Insurance Broker Authorization
An insurance broker means a person who carries on the business of negotiating or arranging contracts of insurance in or from Hong Kong as the agent of the policy holder or potential policy holder or advising on matters related to insurance.
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A person, whether a sole proprietorship, partnership or limited company can apply to become an authorized insurance broker. Authorization is to be sought from the HKIA.
The Responsible Officer, or the RO, and technical representatives of the broker need to be registered as well.
Nomination of Responsible Officer and technical representative
An insurance broker is required to nominate a RO. The RO shall be a fit and proper person that meets the minimum requirements of qualifications and experience. The RO shall be a person assuming responsibilities over the conduct of brokerage business.
Technical representative refers to a person who provides advice to a policy holder or potential policy holder on insurance matters for an insurance broker, or negotiates or arranges contracts of insurance in or from Hong Kong on behalf of an insurance broker for a policy holder or potential policy holder.
Minimum Requirements under the HKIO
In respect of a company which is, is applying to be, or is applying for a renewal of a license to be a licensed insurance broker company, the HKIA must be satisfied that the company concerned is or will be able to comply with the requirements in relation to capital, net assets, professional indemnity insurance, and keeping of separate client accounts and proper books and accounts as set out in the HKIO and any rules made under section 129 of the HKIO.
The HKIA will normally not allow a person to be appointed as a responsible officer of more than one licensed insurance broker company unless the insurance broker companies concerned belong to the same group of companies or have common shareholder(s), or there is any other justification acceptable to the HKIA. The HKIA will consider each application on a case-by-case basis.
The requirements are five-fold as listed in the Minimum Requirements for Insurance Brokers issued by HKIA and Guideline on Fit and Proper Criteria for Licensed Insurance Intermediaries under the HKIO.
(A) | Qualifications and Experience |
The insurance broker or the RO shall:-
1. | have attained the age of 21; |
2. | be a Hong Kong Permanent Resident or a Hong Kong Resident whose employment visa conditions, if any, do not restrict him from being engaged in insurance broking business; |
3. | have the minimum education standard of a bachelor degree from a recognized university or tertiary education institution; and |
4. | have an acceptable insurance qualification, a minimum of 5 years experience in the insurance industry, including at least 2 years of management experience. |
A person who was a Chief Executive registered with the Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers, or the CIB, or Professional Insurance Brokers Association, or the PIBA, at any time before 23 September 2019; or as a Technical Representative registered with the CIB or PIBA at any time before 23 September 2019 and already possessed a minimum of 15 years experience in insurance-related work in the insurance industry in Hong Kong on the commencement date, is exempt from the criteria set out above in relation to an application for approval of the person to become a responsible officer of a business entity which is, is applying to be, or is applying for a renewal of a license to be a licensed insurance broker company.
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(B) | Capital and Net Assets |
For an incorporated insurance broker, it shall maintain a minimum net assets value and minimum paid-up capital of HK$500,000 at all times.
In calculation of net assets value, it will be conducted in accordance to accounting principles generally accepted in Hong Kong. Intangible assets will be excluded.
For an existing licensed insurance broker company, there is a three-year grace period to comply with the capital requirements under the new regime. For the period from the commencement date to 31 December 2023, the amount of paid-up share capital and net assets which a specified insurance broker company must maintain at all times respectively are for the period that begins on the commencement date and ends on 31 December 2021, not less than $100,000; and for the period that begins on 1 January 2022 and ends on 31 December 2023, not less than $300,000.
(C) | Professional Indemnity Insurance |
A professional indemnity insurance policy has to be maintained with a minimum limit of indemnity for any one claim and in any one insurance period of 12 months. The minimum limit of indemnity shall be the greater of the following, up to a maximum of HK$75,000,000:-
1. | For insurance brokers in business for more than 1 year, two times the aggregate insurance brokerage income relating to 12 months immediately preceding the date of commencement of the professional indemnity insurance cover; or |
2. | for insurance brokers in business for less than 1 year, two times the projected brokerage income for 12 months for the period of the professional indemnity insurance cover; or |
3. | HK$3,000,000. |
(D) | Keeping of Separate Client Accounts |
Client money shall be kept in a separate client account. Client money is not allowed to be used for any purposes other than for the clients purposes.
(E) | Keeping Proper Books and Accounts |
The accounting and financial records need to be sufficient to explain its transactions and reflect its financial position of the insurance brokerage business in a true and fair view. Such records shall be kept in a manner that enables audit process to be carried out conveniently and properly.
The records shall be kept in writing, showing the particulars of all transactions by the broker, all income received from brokerage and expenses paid by the broker, and all the assets and liabilities of the broker in sufficient detail. Such records shall be retained for a period for not less than 7 years.
Conduct requirements for licensed insurance broker companies
Section 92(1) of the HKIO sets out the relevant conduct requirements for a licensed insurance broker company as follows:
| it must establish and maintain proper controls and procedures for securing compliance with the conduct requirements set out in section 90 by the broker company and the licensed technical representatives (broker) appointed by the broker company; |
| it must use its best endeavors to secure observance with the controls and procedures established under paragraph (a) by the licensed technical representatives (broker) appointed by the broker company; |
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| it must ensure that its responsible officer has sufficient authority within the broker company for carrying out the responsibilities set out in section 92(2); and |
| it must provide its responsible officer with sufficient resources and support for carrying out the responsibilities set out in section 92(2). |
More detailed Corporate Governance and Controls and Procedures are set out in Code of Conduct for Licensed Insurance Brokers published by the HKIA.
Guideline on continuing professional development for licensed insurance intermediaries
The Guideline on Continuing Professional Development for Licensed Insurance Intermediaries, or the CPD, applies to individual licensees and their principals (insurance agencies, broker companies and also insurers that appoint individual insurance agents). It sets out the new CPD requirements under the new regime. To ensure continued professional competence in carrying out their regulated activities, individual licensees need to stay up-to-date on technical and regulatory knowledge and ethical standards. Failure to comply with the CPD Guideline may have an impact on fitness and probity and potentially lead to disciplinary action by the HKIA.
Principals must ensure individual licensees comply with applicable CPD requirements and have adequate controls and procedures in place to monitor and ensure this compliance, for example, by verifying documentary evidence of the CPD completed by each licensee as reported in the CPD declaration form by the intermediary to the HKIA.
Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) of Hong Kong), or the PDPO
The PDPO imposes a statutory duty on data users to comply with the requirements of the six data protection principles (the Data Protection Principles) contained in Schedule 1 to the PDPO. The PDPO provides that a data user shall not do an act, or engage in a practice, that contravenes a Data Protection Principle unless the act or practice, as the case may be, is required or permitted under the PDPO. The six Data Protection Principles are:
| Principle 1purpose and manner of collection of personal data; |
| Principle 2accuracy and duration of retention of personal data; |
| Principle 3use of personal data; |
| Principle 4security of personal data; |
| Principle 5information to be generally available; and |
| Principle 6access to personal data. |
Non-compliance with a Data Protection Principle may lead to a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (the Privacy Commissioner). The Privacy Commissioner may serve an enforcement notice to direct the data user to remedy the contravention and/ or instigate prosecution actions. A data user who contravenes an enforcement notice commits an offense which may lead to a fine and imprisonment.
The PDPO also gives data subjects certain rights, inter alia:
| the right to be informed by a data user whether the data user holds personal data of which the individual is the data subject; |
| if the data user holds such data, to be supplied with a copy of such data; and |
| the right to request correction of any data they consider to be inaccurate. |
The PDPO criminalizes, including but not limited to, the misuse or inappropriate use of personal data in direct marketing activities, non-compliance with a data access request and the unauthorized disclosure of
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personal data obtained without the relevant data users consent. An individual who suffers damage, including injured feelings, by reason of a contravention of the PDPO in relation to his or her personal data may seek compensation from the data user concerned.
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Directors and Executive Officers
The following table sets forth information regarding our directors and executive officers as of the date of this prospectus.
Directors and Executive Officers |
Age |
Position/Title | ||
Timothy Wai Cheung Tong |
67 | Chairman of the Board of Directors and Independent Director | ||
Nimil Rajnikant Parekh |
58 | Independent Director | ||
Frederic Lau |
68 | Director and President | ||
Mark Chi Hang Lo |
42 | Director and Chief Executive Officer | ||
Xavier Ho Sum Zee |
46 | Chief Financial Officer |
Dr. Timothy Wai Cheung Tong is our chairman of the board of directors and independent director and has been instrumental in the establishment of our various initiatives with academic institutions and other industry association types to enhance and step up our contributions and support to talents out of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, such as the formation of AMTD FinTech Centre of PolyU Faculty of Business as one of the rare institutions across Asia to be able to award Ph.D. degrees in FinTech. Dr. Tong was appointed as our chairman of the board of directors and independent director in February 2020 and February 2021, respectively. Dr. Tong is the chief executive officer of AMTD Charity Foundation, and chairman of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum, which is an organization formed by distinguished personalities and academics of Hong Kong, with the full support of the Hong Kong SAR government. The mission is to connect the current and next generations of leaders in scientific pursuit, and to promote understanding and interests of the young generation in Hong Kong and around the world in various disciplines in science and technology. Dr. Tong is an internationally renowned educator and expert in heat transfer. He served as the President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University from January 2009 to December 2018. He is also the former dean of the school of engineering and applied science at The George Washington University, the former chairman of the steering committee of the Pilot Green Transport Fund of the Environmental Protection Department, a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a fellow and former president of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. Dr. Tong currently serves as an independent non-executive director of Airstar Bank, an independent non-executive director of Xiaomi Corporation (SEHK: 1810); an independent non-executive director of Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Limited (SEHK: 40); a non-executive director of Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings) Limited (SEHK: 6888); and an independent non-executive director of Gold Peak Industries Limited (SGX: G20). Dr. Tong has been a member of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference since March 2013 to present and a Justice of the Peace in Hong Kong since July 2010. Dr. Tong received a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in December 1980. Dr. Tong received a master of science degree in engineering from University of California in June 1978 and a bachelor degree of science in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University in June 1976.
Nimil Rajnikant Parekh is our independent director and has more than 30 years of global experience in the financial services industry. Mr. Parekh was appointed as our independent director in July 2020. Mr. Parekh has been a partner and head of Asia, Australia and New Zealand at Tikehau Capital (EPA: TKO) since July 2020. Prior to joining Tikehau Capital, Mr. Parekh served as general manager of Asia at National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB) from 2013 to 2020 where he was responsible for the overall business, regulatory, and governance matters for the banks Asian business. From 2013 to 2020, Mr. Parekh served as a director of Nautilus Insurance and National Australia Bank, Singapore. Mr. Parekh is currently the chairman of the international advisory committee for the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Singapore, member of the governing council of the Singapore Institute of Directors, and advisory committee member of James Cook University, Singapore. He served as a member of the governing council of Association of Banks in Singapore from 2015 to 2019 and vice chairman of Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) from 2015 to 2018. Mr. Parekh received a bachelors degree in commerce with honors in June 1984 and a masters degree in commerce in June 1986 from the University of Delhi. In June 1988, he also obtained a masters degree in business administration from Northeastern University.
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Dr. Frederic Lau is our director and president. Dr. Lau has over 30 years of experience in regulating and managing financial institutions, especially in areas such as industry development, regulatory framework, risk management, and internal control. Dr. Lau is also the vice chairman of our Controlling Shareholder. Dr. Lau is the director of the Airstar Bank since July 2018, and served as the founding chief executive since the banking license was granted in May 2019 to October 2020. Dr. Lau served in Hong Kong and U.S. regulatory agencies for years, including the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Office of Thrift Supervision (subsequently merged with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, OCC) of the U.S. Treasury Department. Dr. Lau was an executive director and group risk director at Dah Sing Banking Group, and a member of the board of directors of Dah Sing Bank from 2005 to 2011. Dr. Lau was also a member of board of directors of Shenzhen Development Bank (subsequently renamed as Ping An Bank) from 2011 to 2014. He was a managing director of Promontory Financial Group from 2011 to 2014. Dr. Lau received a Ph.D. in business management from University of South Australia in 2004.
Mark Chi Hang Lo is our director and chief executive officer and has over 19 years of experience in global financial markets including investing, researching and trading capital markets in Asian and global markets. Mr. Lo was appointed as our director in January 2021. Mr. Lo joined AMTD Group in December 2015 and is the Group Vice President of our Controlling Shareholder. Prior to joining the AMTD Group, from December 2010 to December 2015 Mr. Lo served as vice president of PineBridge Investments emerging markets fixed income group, a global asset manager with offerings that span the asset class and capital structure spectrum. Prior to joining PineBridge Investments, Mr Lo served as a vice president of RBS Coutts and associate director of OSK Securities and BNP Paribas. Mr. Lo obtained a bachelor degree of arts in economics with first class honors from the University of Calgary in 2001 and a masters degree of arts in economics from the University of British Columbia in 2002.
Xavier Ho Sum Zee is our chief financial officer. Mr. Zee is also the co-chief financial officer of AMTD International. Mr. Zee was admitted to the partnership of PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2008, and has over 24 years of professional experience in providing assurance, business advisory, and capital market services to companies, especially in the financial service industry. Mr. Zee obtained his bachelors degree in business administration with first class honors in The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1996. Mr. Zee is currently a member of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and is a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Board of Directors
Our board of directors consists of four directors. A director is not required to hold any shares in our company to qualify to serve as a director. Subject to the rules of the relevant stock exchange and disqualification by the chairman of the board of directors, a director may vote with respect to any contract, proposed contract, or arrangement in which he or she is materially interested. A director may exercise all the powers of the company to borrow money, mortgage its business, property and uncalled capital and issue debentures or other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any obligation of the company or of any third party.
Committees of the Board of Directors
We have established an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee under the board of directors. We intend to adopt a charter for each of the three committees prior to the completion of this offering. Each committees members and functions are described below.
Audit Committee. Our audit committee consists of Timothy Wai Cheung Tong and Nimil Rajnikant Parekh, and is chaired by Dr. Tong. Dr. Tong and Mr. Parekh each satisfies the independence requirements of Section 303A of the Corporate Governance Rules of the New York Stock Exchange and meet the independence standards under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. We have determined that Dr. Tong qualifies as an audit committee financial expert. The audit committee will oversee our accounting and financial reporting processes
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and the audits of the financial statements of our company. The audit committee will be responsible for, among other things:
| selecting the independent registered public accounting firm and pre-approving all auditing and non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm; |
| reviewing with the independent registered public accounting firm any audit problems or difficulties and managements response; |
| reviewing and approving all proposed related party transactions, as defined in Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act; |
| discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm; |
| reviewing major issues as to the adequacy of our internal controls and any special audit steps adopted in light of material control deficiencies; |
| annually reviewing and reassessing the adequacy of our audit committee charter; |
| meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent registered public accounting firm; and |
| reporting regularly to the board. |
Compensation Committee. Our compensation committee consists of Nimil Rajnikant Parekh and Timothy Wai Cheung Tong, and is chaired by Mr. Parekh. Mr. Parekh and Dr. Tong each satisfies the independence requirements of Section 303A of the Corporate Governance Rules of the New York Stock Exchange. The compensation committee will assist the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief executive officer may not be present at any committee meeting during which his compensation is deliberated upon. The compensation committee will be responsible for, among other things:
| reviewing the total compensation package for our executive officers and making recommendations to the board with respect to it; |
| reviewing the compensation of our non-employee directors and making recommendations to the board with respect to it; and |
| periodically reviewing and approving any long-term incentive compensation or equity plans, programs or similar arrangements, annual bonuses, and employee pension and welfare benefit plans. |
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Our nominating and corporate governance committee consists of Timothy Wai Cheung Tong and Nimil Rajnikant Parekh, and is chaired by Dr. Tong. Dr. Tong and Mr. Parekh each satisfies the independence requirements of Section 303A of the Corporate Governance Rules of the New York Stock Exchange. The nominating and corporate governance committee will assist the board in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the board and its committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee will be responsible for, among other things:
| recommending nominees to the board for election or re-election to the board, or for appointment to fill any vacancy on the board; |
| reviewing annually with the board the current composition of the board with regards to characteristics such as independence, age, skills, experience and availability of service to us; |
| selecting and recommending to the board the names of directors to serve as members of the audit committee and the compensation committee, as well as of the nominating and corporate governance committee itself; and |
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| monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance. |
Cybersecurity and Operational Risk Management
As cybersecurity and operational risks are material to our business, all of our board members are involved in the oversight of our cybersecurity and operational risk management function. The board is responsible for reviewing major issues related to our cybersecurity and operations risks and any steps adopted in light of material deficiencies, if any. Our board receives periodic reporting from our president and chief executive officer on cybersecurity and operational incidents, and ad hoc board meetings are held to discuss major incidents. Cybersecurity and operational risks are also topics that are discussed at each board meeting. In forming the board, we have ensured that the board has a sufficient number of members that are experts in cybersecurity and operational risks. Our director and president, Dr. Frederic Lau, has over 30 years of experience in regulating and managing financial institutions, including serving as group risk director for Dah Sing Banking Group between 2005 to 2011. Dr. Lau has played an instrumental role in establishing Airstar Bank, and one of his key tasks was to ensure that the banks cybersecurity and operational risks are well managed. See ManagementDirectors and Executive Officers for a detailed biography of Dr. Lau.
Duties of Directors
Under Cayman Islands law, our directors owe fiduciary duties to us, including a duty of loyalty, a duty to act honestly, in good faith and with a view to our best interests. Our directors must also exercise their powers only for a proper purpose. Our directors also owe to our company a duty to act with skill and care. English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands. In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our memorandum and articles of association and the class rights vested thereunder in the holders of the shares. A shareholder may in certain limited exceptional circumstances have the right to seek damages in our name if a duty owed by our directors is breached.
Our board of directors has all the powers necessary for managing, and for directing and supervising, our business affairs. The functions and powers of our board of directors include, among others:
| convening shareholders annual general meetings and reporting its work to shareholders at such meetings; |
| declaring dividends and distributions; |
| appointing officers and determining the term of office of the officers; |
| exercising the borrowing powers of our company and mortgaging the property of our company; and |
| approving the transfer of shares in our company, including the registration of such shares in our share register. |
Terms of Directors and Officers
Our officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of the board of directors. Our directors are not subject to a term of office and hold office until such time as they are removed from office by ordinary resolution of the shareholders or by the board. A director will be removed from office automatically if, among other things, the director (i) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; or (ii) is found by our company to be or becomes of unsound mind.
Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements
We plan to enter into employment agreements with our senior executive officers. Pursuant to these agreements, we will be entitled to terminate a senior executive officers employment for cause at any time
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without remuneration for certain acts of the officer, such as being convicted of any criminal conduct, any act of gross or willful misconduct or any serious, willful, grossly negligent or persistent breach of any employment agreement provision, or engaging in any conduct which may make the continued employment of such officer detrimental to our company. In connection with the employment agreement, each senior executive officer will enter into an intellectual property ownership and confidentiality agreement and agree to hold all information, know-how and records in any way connected with the products of our company, including, without limitation, all software and computer formulas, designs, specifications, drawings, data, manuals and instructions and all customer and supplier lists, sales and financial information, business plans and forecasts, all technical solutions and the trade secrets of our company, in strict confidence perpetually. Each executive officer will also agree that we shall own all the intellectual property developed by such officer during his or her employment.
None of our directors has entered, or proposes to enter, into service agreements with us which provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
We plan to enter into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. Under these agreements, we agree to indemnify them against certain liabilities and expenses that they incur in connection with claims made by reason of their being a director or officer of our company.
Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers
For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, we incurred an aggregate of HK$2.1 million (US$0.3 million) in cash and benefits to our directors and executive officers.
We have not set aside or accrued any amount to provide pension, retirement or other similar benefits to our executive officers and directors. Under the Central Provident Fund Act (Chapter 36 of Singapore), our Singapore subsidiaries are required, among others, to make contributions, as employers, to the Central Provident Fund for our executive officers who are employed by our Singapore subsidiaries and are Singapore citizens or Singapore permanent residents. The contribution rates vary, depending on the age of the executive officers, and whether such executive officer is a Singapore citizen or Singapore permanent resident. Our Hong Kong subsidiaries are required by the Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance to make monthly contributions to the mandatory provident fund scheme in an amount equal to at least 5% of an employees salary subject to a cap of HK$1,500 per month per employee.
Share Incentive Plan
In May 2021, our board of directors approved the AMTD SpiderNet Share Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the Plan in this prospectus, to attract and retain the best available personnel, provide additional incentives to employees, directors and consultants, and promote the success of our business. The maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares that may be issued under the Plan is initially 6,500,000 and on January 1 of each year after the effective date of the Plan, will (i) automatically increase to the number of shares that is equal to ten percent (10%) of the total issued and outstanding share capital of our company as of December 31 of the preceding year, and (ii) also automatically increase by the number of shares representing 1.0% of the total issued and outstanding share capital of our company as of December 31 of the preceding year, or such less number as our board of directors shall determine. As of the date of this prospectus, no awards have been granted under the Plan.
The following paragraphs summarize the principal terms of the Plan.
Type of Awards. The Plan permits the awards of options, restricted share units, restricted shares, or other types of award approved by the plan administrator.
Plan Administration. Our board of directors or a committee appointed by the board of directors will administer the Plan. The plan administrator will determine the participants to receive awards, the type and number of awards to be granted to each participant, and the terms and conditions of each grant.
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Award Agreement. Awards granted under the Plan are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each award, which may include the term of the award, the provisions applicable in the event that the grantees employment or service terminates, and our authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind the award.
Eligibility. We may grant awards to our directors, employees and consultants.
Vesting Schedule. In general, the plan administrator determines the vesting schedule, which is specified in the relevant award agreement.
Exercise of Options. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for each award, which is stated in the relevant award agreement. Options that are vested and exercisable will terminate if they are not exercised prior to the time as the plan administrator determines at the time of grant. However, the maximum exercisable term is ten years from the date of grant.
Transfer Restrictions. Awards may not be transferred in any manner by the participant other than in accordance with the exceptions provided in the Plan or the relevant award agreement or otherwise determined by the plan administrator, such as transfers by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
Termination and Amendment of the Plan. Unless terminated earlier, the Plan has a term of ten years from the date of effectiveness of the Plan. Our board of directors has the authority to terminate, amend, suspend or modify the Plan in accordance with our articles of association. However, without the prior written consent of the participant, no such action may adversely affect in any material way any award previously granted pursuant to the Plan.
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Except as specifically noted, the following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus by:
| each of our directors and executive officers; and |
| each person known to us to beneficially own more than 5% of our ordinary shares. |
The calculations in the table below are based on (i) 67,618,142 ordinary shares outstanding, consisting of 43,416,142 Class A outstanding ordinary shares and 24,202,000 outstanding Class B ordinary shares, (ii) and ordinary shares outstanding, consisting of outstanding Class A ordinary shares and outstanding Class B ordinary shares, immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we have included shares that the person has the right to acquire within 60 days, including through the exercise of any option, warrant, or other right or the conversion of any other security. These shares, however, are not included in the computation of the percentage ownership of any other person.
Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to The Offerings |
Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned Immediately After The Offerings*** |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A Ordinary Shares |
Class B Ordinary Shares |
% of Beneficial Ownership |
% of Aggregate Voting Power |
Class A Ordinary Shares |
Class B Ordinary Shares |
% of Beneficial Ownership |
% of Aggregate Voting Power |
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Directors and Executive Officers:** |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Timothy Wai Cheung Tong |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nimil Rajnikant Parekh(1) |
* | | * | * | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frederic Lau |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mark Chi Hang Lo |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Xavier Ho Sum Zee |
| | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All directors and executive officers as a group |
50,000 | | 0.1 | 0.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Principal Shareholders: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AMTD Group Company Limited(3) |
28,953,305 | 19,892,000 | 72.2 | 81.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Infinity Power Investments Limited(4) |
9,589,230 | 10,774,900 | 30.1 | 56.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AMTD Education Group(5) |
10,941,000 | | 16.2 | 2.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AMTD Assets Alpha Group(6) |
10,941,000 | | 16.2 | 2.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AMTD International Inc.(7) |
9,716,000 | | 14.4 | 1.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund(8) |
6,726,667 | | 9.9 | 1.3 |
Notes:
* | Less than 1% of our total ordinary shares on an as-converted basis outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. |
** | Except as indicated otherwise below, the business address of our directors and executive officers is 25/F, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong. |
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*** | After giving effect to the issuance and sale of Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs by us in this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. |
| For each person and group included in this column, percentage ownership is calculated by dividing the number of shares beneficially owned by such person or group by the sum of the total number of shares outstanding and the number of shares such person or group has the right to acquire upon exercise of option, warrant or other right within 60 days after the date of this prospectus. The total number of ordinary shares outstanding as of the date of this prospectus is 67,618,142. The total number of ordinary shares outstanding after the completion of this offering will be , including Class A ordinary shares to be sold by us in this offering in the form of ADSs, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. |
| For each person and group included in this column, percentage of voting power is calculated by dividing the voting power beneficially owned by such person or group by the voting power of all of our Class A and Class B ordinary shares as a single class. Each holder of Class B ordinary shares is entitled to twenty votes per share, and each holder of our Class A ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to them for a vote. Our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law. Our Class B ordinary shares are convertible at any time by the holder thereof into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis. |
(1) | The business address of Nimil Rajnikant Parekh is 138 Cecil Street, #13-02 Cecil Court, Singapore 069538. |
(2) | Represents (i) 19,892,000 Class B ordinary shares held by AMTD Group Company Limited, (ii) 9,716,000 Class A ordinary shares held by AMTD International Inc., (iii) 10,941,000 Class A ordinary shares held by AMTD Education Group, and (iv) 10,941,000 Class A ordinary shares held by AMTD Assets Alpha Group. AMTD Group Company Limited is a British Virgin Islands company, with its registered address at the offices of Vistra (BVI) Limited, Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, VG1110, British Virgin Islands. The board of directors of AMTD Group Company Limited consists of Calvin Choi, Marcellus Wong, Yu Gao, and Feridun Hamdullahpur. The shareholders of AMTD Group Company Limited include L.R. Capital Financial Holdings Limited, a Cayman Islands company, and Infinity Power Investments Limited, a British Virgin Islands company wholly owned by Calvin Choi, which own 27.3% and 32.5% of the total outstanding shares of AMTD Group Company Limited, respectively. L.R. Capital Financial Holdings Limited is ultimately controlled by L.R. Capital Management Company (Cayman) Limited, a Cayman Islands company. AMTD International Inc. is a Cayman Islands company, with its registered address at the Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands. AMTD International is dual-listed on the NYSE and SGX, and is 72.78%-owned by AMTD Group Company Limited. AMTD Education Group is a Cayman Islands company, with its registered address at the Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands. AMTD Assets Alpha Group is a Cayman Islands company, with its registered address at the Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands. AMTD Education Group and AMTD Assets Alpha Group are wholly-owned subsidiaries of AMTD Group Company Limited. |
(3) | Represents (i) 4,310,000 Class B ordinary shares of our company and (ii) 32.5% of the issued and outstanding shares of AMTD Group Company Limited, which in turn holds 19,892,000 Class B ordinary shares of our company and beneficially owns certain number of Class A ordinary shares of the Company. Infinity Power Investment Limited is a British Virgin Islands company wholly owned by Calvin Choi, with its registered address at the offices of Vistra Corporate Services Center, Wickham Cay II,Road Town, Tortola, VG1110, British Virgin Islands. |
(4) | Represents 10,941,000 Class A ordinary shares held by AMTD Education Group. |
(5) | Represents 10,941,000 Class A ordinary shares held by AMTD Assets Alpha Group. |
(6) | Represents 9,716,000 Class A ordinary shares held by AMTD International Inc. |
(7) | Represents 6,726,667 Class A ordinary shares directly held by Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund, a limited liability company incorporated in Cayman Islands. Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund is managed by Value Partners Hong Kong Limited and its administration is delegated to HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Asia) Limited. The shareholders of Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund do not have control over Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund. Value Partners Hong Kong Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Value Partners Group Limited, a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong with stock code 806 and is licensed with the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong to provide investment management services. The registered address of Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund is P.O. Box 484, Strathvale House, Ground Floor, 90 North Church Street, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-1106, Cayman Islands. |
As of the date of this prospectus, none of our outstanding ordinary shares were held by record holders in the United States.
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We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company. See Description of Share CapitalHistory of Securities Issuances for historical changes in our shareholding structure.
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Private Placements
See Description of Share CapitalHistory of Securities Issuances.
Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements
See ManagementEmployment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements.
Agreements with Our Controlling Shareholder
See Corporate History and StructureOur Relationship with the Controlling Shareholder.
Transactions with Our Controlling Shareholder
Our Controlling Shareholder recharged premises costs, office utilities and office renovation, staff cost, and certain other operating expenses to us. For the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the total amount of recharge from our Controlling Shareholder for the aforementioned costs and expenses was HK$12.9 million (US$1.7 million).
We provided our Controlling Shareholder with insurance brokerage services. For the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the total amount of insurance brokerage commissions that we charged our Controlling Shareholder was HK$477.0 thousand (US$61.5 thousand).
In October 2020, we entered into an agreement with our Controlling Shareholder, pursuant to which we agree to provide SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services to support the management of its 10% investee company, Airstar Bank, for a fixed annual service fee of HK$12.8 million. In addition to the fixed annual service fee, we are entitled to receive 15% of all distributions, in any form, received by our Controlling Shareholder from Airstar Bank, including but not limited to cash or share dividends, regardless of whether on a regular or one-off basis. We are also entitled to receive 15% of any profit generated by our Controlling Shareholder from the disposal of any shares of Airstar Bank. However, we are not liable for any loss arising from the disposal of any shares of Airstar Bank by our Controlling Shareholder. This agreement with our Controlling Shareholder will remain effective until terminated by mutual agreement. For the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the total amount of SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services income that we charged our Controlling Shareholder was HK$4.3 million (US$0.6 million).
Other Transactions with Related Parties and Non-controlling Shareholders
Treasury functions are conducted centrally under our Controlling Shareholder and intra-group treasury fund transfers were carried out among the entities within AMTD Group. The treasury function manages available funds at our Controlling Shareholder level and allocates the funds to various entities within AMTD Group for their operations. For the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the amount due to group companies in connection with intra-group treasury fund allocation was HK$2,248.3 million (US$290.0 million) and the amount due from group companies in connection with intra-group treasury fund allocation was HK$2,980.1 million (US$384.4 million).
We provide our fellow subsidiary with insurance brokerage services. For the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the total amount of insurance brokerage commission that we charged our fellow subsidiary was HK$87 thousand (US$11.2 thousand).
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We provide our non-controlling shareholders SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services, For the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the total amount of service fees that we charged our non-controlling shareholders was HK$34.1 million (US$4.4 million).
In June 2019, we disposed certain equity securities of a private company to a fellow subsidiary for HK$317.1 million (US$40.9 million).
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We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability and our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as revised from time to time) of the Cayman Islands, which we refer to as the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands below, and the common law of the Cayman Islands.
As of the date of this prospectus, our authorized share capital is US$1,000,000 divided into (i) 8,000,000,000 Class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each. All of our shares to be issued in the offering will be issued as fully paid.
As of the date of this prospectus, there are 43,416,142 Class A ordinary shares and 24,202,000 Class B ordinary shares issued, outstanding and fully paid. No issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares or Class B ordinary shares are not fully paid.
Immediately after the completion of this offering, the resultant issued and paid-up capital of our company will be US$ comprising Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares.
Our Memorandum and Articles of Association
The following are summaries of material provisions of our memorandum and articles of association which are currently effective and will remain effective after this offering, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares.
Objects of Our Company. Under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association, the objects of our company are unrestricted and we have the full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the law of the Cayman Islands.
Ordinary Shares. Our share capital is divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class B ordinary Share shall entitle the holder thereof to twenty (20) votes on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings, and each Class A ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to one (1) vote on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings. Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our register of members.
Conversion. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person other than our founder, Calvin Choi, or any other person or entity designated by Mr. Choi, each of such Class B ordinary shares will be automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A ordinary share.
Dividends. The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors or declared by our shareholders by ordinary resolution (provided that no dividend may be declared by our shareholders which exceeds the amount recommended by our directors). Our currently effective memorandum and articles of association provide that, subject to any rights and restrictions attached to any shares, our directors may from to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on our shares in issue and authorize payment of the same out of our funds lawfully available therefor.
Under the laws of the Cayman Islands, our company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if the dividend payment would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business.
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Voting Rights. Our ordinary shares vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law, or otherwise agreed in our currently effective memorandum and articles of association. On a poll, each holder of Class B ordinary shares is entitled to twenty votes per share, and each holder of our Class A ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to them for a vote. On a show of hands, each holder of Class A ordinary shares or Class B ordinary shares has one vote. Voting at any shareholders meeting is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by the chairman of such meeting or any one or more shareholders who together hold not less than 10% of the total number of votes attaching to all issued and outstanding ordinary shares which are present in person or by proxy entitled to vote at the meeting.
An ordinary resolution to be passed at a meeting by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attaching to the ordinary shares cast at a meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes cast attaching to the issued and outstanding ordinary shares at a meeting. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our currently effective memorandum and articles of association. Our shareholders may, among other things, divide or combine their shares by ordinary resolution.
General Meetings of Shareholders. As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands to call shareholders annual general meetings. Our currently effective memorandum and articles of association provide that we may (but are not obliged to) in each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting in which case we shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, and the annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by our directors.
Shareholders general meetings may be convened by a majority of our board of directors. Advance notice of at least seven days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders meeting (if any) and any other general meeting of our shareholders. A quorum required for any general meeting of shareholders consists of at least one shareholder present or by proxy, representing not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all of our shares in issue and entitled to vote.
The Companies Act of the Cayman Islands provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a companys articles of association. Our currently effective memorandum and articles of association provide that upon the requisition of any one or more of our shareholders who together holds shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third of the total number of votes attaching to the issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings, our board will convene an extraordinary general meeting and put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. However, our currently effective memorandum and articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders.
Election, Removal and Remuneration of Directors. Unless otherwise determined by our company in general meeting, our currently effective memorandum and articles of association provide that our board will consist of not less than three directors. There are no provisions relating to retirement of directors upon reaching any age limit.
The directors have the power to appoint any person as a director either to fill a vacancy on the board or as an addition to the existing board. Our shareholders may also appoint any person to be a director by ordinary resolution. A director shall not be required to hold any shares in our company by way of qualification.
A director may be removed with or without cause by ordinary resolution.
The remuneration of the directors may be determined by the directors or by ordinary resolution of shareholders.
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Transfer of Ordinary Shares. Subject to the restrictions set out below, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or any other form approved by our board of directors.
Our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share unless:
| the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the ordinary shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; |
| the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares; |
| the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; |
| in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the ordinary share is to be transferred does not exceed four; and |
| a fee of such maximum sum as the New York Stock Exchange may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as our directors may from time to time require is paid to us in respect thereof. |
If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within three months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.
The registration of transfers may, after compliance with any notice required of the New York Stock Exchange, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 days in any year as our board may determine.
Liquidation. On the winding up of our company, if the assets available for distribution amongst our shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up, subject to a deduction from those shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to our company for unpaid calls or otherwise. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay all of the paid-up capital, the assets will be distributed so that the losses are borne by our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them.
Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares. Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 days prior to the specified time and place of payment. The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.
Repurchase and Surrender of Shares. Our company may repurchase any of our shares on such terms and in such manner as have been approved by our board of directors or by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. Under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands, the redemption or repurchase of any share may be paid out of our companys profits or out of the proceeds of a new issue of shares made for the purpose of such redemption or repurchase, or out of capital (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve) if our company can, immediately following such payment, pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands no such share may be redeemed or repurchased (a) unless it is fully paid up, (b) if such redemption or repurchase would result in there being no shares outstanding or (c) if the company has commenced liquidation. In addition, our company may accept the surrender of any fully paid share for no consideration.
Variations of Rights of Shares. If at any time, our share capital is divided into different classes or series of shares, the rights attached to any such class or series of shares may, subject to any rights or restrictions for the
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time being attached to any class or series, only be materially and adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of all of the issued shares of that class or series or with the sanction of an ordinary resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class or series. The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class or series issued with preferred or other rights will not, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the shares of that class or series, be deemed to be materially and adversely varied by the creation, allotment, or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to them or the redemption or purchase of any shares of any class or series by us. The rights of the holders of shares will not be deemed to be materially and adversely varied by the creation or issue of class or series of shares with preferred or other rights including, without limitation, the creation of class or series of shares with enhanced or weighted voting rights.
Issuance of Additional Shares. Our currently effective memorandum and articles of association authorizes our board of directors to allot and issue additional shares from time to time as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares.
Our currently effective memorandum and articles of association also authorizes our board of directors to create from time to time one or more classes or series of shares and to determine, with respect to any class or series of shares, the terms and rights of that class or series, including:
| the designation of the class or series; |
| the number of shares of the class or series; |
| the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights; and |
| the rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences. |
Our board of directors may also re-designate and re-classify shares of any classes or series into any number of existing or new classes or series of shares (including classes or series of preferred shares).
Our board of directors may therefore create and issue new class or series of preferred shares without action by our shareholders to the extent authorized but unissued. Issuance of these shares may dilute the voting power of holders of ordinary shares.
Inspection of Books and Records. Holders of our ordinary shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect our corporate records other than the memorandum and articles of association and any special resolutions passed by our company, and the register of mortgages and charges of our company. However, we will provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements. See Where You Can Find Additional Information.
Anti-Takeover Provisions. Some provisions of our currently effective memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:
| authorize our board of directors to create and issue new classes or series of share (including preferred shares) and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of such classes or series of shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders; |
| authorize our board of directors to re-designate and re-classify shares of any classes or series into any number of existing or new classes or series of shares (including classes or series of preferred shares); |
| authorize our board of directors to create and issue any new class or series of shares with such preferred or other rights, all or any of which may be greater than the rights of ordinary shares, at such time and on such terms as they may think appropriate; and |
| limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders by requiring requisitioning shareholders to hold as of the date of deposit of the requisition shares that carry |
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in aggregate not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all issued and outstanding shares of our company that as of the date of the deposit carry the right to vote at general meetings of our company. |
However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.
Exempted Company. We are incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands. The Companies Act of the Cayman Islands distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is incorporated in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be incorporated as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except that an exempted company:
| does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies; |
| is not required to open its register of members for inspection; |
| does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
| may issue shares with no par value; |
| may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance); |
| may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
| may register as a limited duration company; and |
| may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
Limited liability means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Differences in Cayman Corporate Law and U.S. Corporate Law
The Companies Act of the Cayman Islands is derived, to a large extent, from the older Companies Act of England but does not follow recent English statutory enactments and accordingly there are significant differences between the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands and the current Companies Act of England. In addition, the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands differs from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. The Companies Act of the Cayman Islands permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) merger means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company, and (b) a consolidation means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent companys articles of association. The plan must be filed with the Registrar of Companies of the
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Cayman Islands together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a statement setting out the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.
A merger between a Cayman parent company and its Cayman subsidiary or subsidiaries does not require authorization by a resolution of shareholders of that Cayman subsidiary if a copy of the plan of merger is given to every member of that Cayman subsidiary to be merged unless that member agrees otherwise. For this purpose, a company is a parent company of a subsidiary if it holds issued shares that together represent at least ninety percent (90%) of the votes at a general meeting of the subsidiary.
The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest over a constituent company is required unless this requirement is waived by a court in the Cayman Islands.
Save in certain limited circumstances under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands, a shareholder of a Cayman constituent company who dissents from the merger or consolidation is entitled to payment of the fair value of his shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) upon dissenting to the merger or consolidation, provide the dissenting shareholder complies strictly with the procedures set out in the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands. The exercise of dissenter rights will preclude the exercise by the dissenting shareholder of any other rights to which he or she might otherwise be entitled by virtue of holding shares, save for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful.
Separate from the statutory provisions relating to mergers and consolidations, the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands also contains statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies by way of schemes of arrangement; provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. Dissentient members/creditors are entitled to appear and be heard. At the hearing, the Grand Court considers (in light of any opposition) whether:
| approval of the scheme was reasonable (whether a reasonable member would have approved it); |
| each class was fairly represented at the meeting; |
| the majority acted bona fide; |
| all notice periods were complied with; |
| the resolutions carried by the requisite majority. |
The Companies Act of the Cayman Islands also contains a statutory power of compulsory acquisition which may facilitate the squeeze out of dissentient minority shareholder upon a tender offer. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares to the offeror on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.
If an arrangement and reconstruction by way of scheme of arrangement is thus approved and sanctioned, or if a tender offer is made and accepted in accordance with the foregoing statutory procedures, a dissenting
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shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, save that objectors to a takeover offer may apply to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for various orders that the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands has a broad discretion to make, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.
Shareholders Suits. In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff for a wrong done to us as a company and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands court can be expected to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) so that a non-controlling shareholder may be permitted to commence a class action against or derivative actions in the name of the company to challenge actions where:
| a company acts or proposes to act illegally or ultra vires; |
| the act complained of, although not ultra vires, could only be effected duly if authorized by more than a simple majority vote that has not been obtained; and |
| those who control the company are perpetrating a fraud on the minority. |
Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability. Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a companys memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, 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. Our currently effective memorandum and articles of association provide that that we shall indemnify our officers and directors against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such directors or officer, other than by reason of such persons dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our companys business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation.
In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers that provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our currently effective memorandum and articles of association.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Directors Fiduciary Duties. Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director act in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He must not use his corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders
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generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, the director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.
As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company and therefore it is considered that he owes the following duties to the companya duty to act bona fide in the best interests of the company, a duty not to make a profit based on his position as director (unless the company permits him to do so) and a duty not to put himself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his personal interest or his duty to a third party. A director of a Cayman Islands company owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care. English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands.
Shareholder Action by Written Consent. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. Cayman Islands law and our currently effective articles of association provide that shareholders may approve corporate matters by way of a unanimous written resolution signed by or on behalf of each shareholder who would have been entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting without a meeting being held.
Shareholder Proposals. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.
The Companies Act of the Cayman Islands does not provide shareholders with rights to requisition a general meeting nor any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a companys articles of association. Our currently effective articles of association allow any one or more of our shareholders who together hold shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third of the total number of votes attaching to all issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of our shareholders, in which case our board is obliged to convene an extraordinary general meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. Other than this right to requisition a shareholders meeting, our currently effective articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any other right to put proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings. As an exempted Cayman Islands company, we are not obliged by law to call shareholders annual general meetings.
Cumulative Voting. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporations certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholders voting power with respect to electing such director. There are no prohibitions in relation to cumulative voting under the laws of the Cayman Islands but our currently effective articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.
Removal of Directors. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our currently effective articles of association, directors may be removed with or without cause, by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders.
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Transactions with Interested Shareholders. The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an interested shareholder for three years following the date that such person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or a group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the targets outstanding voting share within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the targets board of directors.
Cayman Islands law has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although Cayman Islands law does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, as mentioned above the directors have certain fiduciary duties including a duty to act bona fide in the best interest of the company.
Dissolution; Winding up. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporations outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board.
Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so. Under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands and our currently effective articles of association, our company may be dissolved, liquidated or wound up by a special resolution of our shareholders.
Variation of Rights of Shares. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association, if our share capital is divided into more than one class or series of shares, the rights attached to any class or series may only be materially and adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of all of the issued shares of that class or series or with the sanction of an ordinary resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class or series.
Amendment of Governing Documents. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporations governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. As permitted by Cayman Islands law, our currently effective memorandum and articles of association may only be amended with a special resolution of our shareholders.
Rights of Non-resident or Foreign Shareholders. There are no limitations imposed by our currently effective memorandum and articles of association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our currently effective memorandum and articles of association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.
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History of Securities Issuances
The following is a summary of our securities issuances.
Ordinary Shares
Upon our incorporation in September 2019, we issued one ordinary share to our Controlling Shareholder. In December 2019, we effected a 1-to-10,000 share split, following which our one issued ordinary share was subdivided into 10,000 ordinary shares and re-designated as Class B ordinary share. Later in December 2019, we issued 36,790,000 Class B ordinary shares to our Controlling Shareholder in exchange for the businesses contributed by the Controlling Shareholder. The restructuring was completed in December 2019.
From December 2019 to August 2020, we issued an aggregate of 9,850,000 Class A ordinary shares and 2,000,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate consideration of US$118.5 million.
Pursuant to an exercise of warrant by Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund on March 6, 2020, we issued 1,226,667 Class A ordinary shares to Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund for an aggregate consideration of US$10 million.
Pursuant to a share purchase agreement entered into with PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., Valenzia Wen Yin Yap, and selling shareholders of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. on June 11, 2020, we issued 702,765 Class A ordinary shares to certain shareholders of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., together with a cash consideration, in exchange for 51% of the equity interest of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd.
We issued 38,710 Class A ordinary shares to a founding member of the Company in August 2020.
Pursuant to share purchase agreements entered into with AMTD Assets Alpha Group and AMTD Education Group on March 8, 2021, we issued 8,500,000 Class A ordinary shares to AMTD Assets Alpha Group and 8,500,000 Class A ordinary shares to AMTD Education Group for cash considerations of US$85 million and US$85 million, respectively.
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DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
has agreed to act as the depositary bank for the American Depositary Shares. s depositary offices are located at . American Depositary Shares are frequently referred to as ADSs and represent ownership interests in securities that are on deposit with the depositary bank. ADSs may be represented by certificates that are commonly known as American Depositary Receipts or ADRs. The depositary bank typically appoints a custodian to safekeep the securities on deposit. In this case, the custodian is , located at .
We have appointed as depositary bank pursuant to a deposit agreement. A copy of the deposit agreement is on file with the SEC under cover of a Registration Statement on Form F-6. You may obtain a copy of the deposit agreement from the SECs Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549 and from the SECs website at www.sec.gov. Please refer to Registration Number 333- when retrieving such copy.
We are providing you with a summary description of the material terms of the ADSs and of your material rights as an owner of ADSs. Please remember that summaries by their nature lack the precision of the information summarized and that the rights and obligations of an owner of ADSs will be determined by reference to the terms of the deposit agreement and not by this summary. We urge you to review the deposit agreement in its entirety. The portions of this summary description that are italicized describe matters that may be relevant to the ownership of ADSs but that may not be contained in the deposit agreement.
Each ADS represents the right to receive, and to exercise the beneficial ownership interests in, Class A ordinary shares that are on deposit with and held under the name of the depositary bank and/or custodian. An ADS also represents the right to receive, and to exercise the beneficial interests in, any other property received by the depositary bank or the custodian on behalf of the owner of the ADS but that has not been distributed to the owners of ADSs because of legal restrictions or practical considerations. The custodian, the depositary bank and their respective nominees will hold all deposited property for the benefit of the holders and beneficial owners of ADSs. The deposited property does not constitute the proprietary assets of the depositary bank, the custodian or their nominees. Beneficial ownership in the deposited property will under the terms of the deposit agreement be vested in the beneficial owners of the ADSs. The depositary bank, the custodian and their respective nominees will be the record holders of the deposited property represented by the ADSs for the benefit of the holders and beneficial owners of the corresponding ADSs. A beneficial owner of ADSs may or may not be the holder of ADSs. Beneficial owners of ADSs will be able to receive, and to exercise beneficial ownership interests in, the deposited property only through the registered holders of the ADSs, the registered holders of the ADSs (on behalf of the applicable ADS owners) only through the depositary bank, and the depositary bank (on behalf of the owners of the corresponding ADSs) directly, or indirectly, through the custodian or their respective nominees, in each case upon the terms of the deposit agreement.
If you become an owner of ADSs, you will become a party to the deposit agreement and therefore will be bound to its terms and to the terms of any ADR that represents your ADSs. The deposit agreement and the ADR specify our rights and obligations as well as your rights and obligations as owner of ADSs and those of the depositary bank. As an ADS holder you appoint the depositary bank to act on your behalf in certain circumstances. The deposit agreement and the ADRs are governed by New York law. However, our obligations to the holders of Class A ordinary shares will continue to be governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands, which may be different from the laws in the United States.
In addition, applicable laws and regulations may require you to satisfy reporting requirements and obtain regulatory approvals in certain circumstances. You are solely responsible for complying with such reporting requirements and obtaining such approvals. Neither the depositary bank, the custodian, us or any of their or our respective agents or affiliates shall be required to take any actions whatsoever on your behalf to satisfy such reporting requirements or obtain such regulatory approvals under applicable laws and regulations.
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As an owner of ADSs, we will not treat you as one of our shareholders and you will not have direct shareholder rights. The depositary bank will hold on your behalf the shareholder rights attached to the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. As an owner of ADSs you will be able to exercise the shareholders rights for the Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs through the depositary bank only to the extent contemplated in the deposit agreement. To exercise any shareholder rights not contemplated in the deposit agreement you will, as an ADS owner, need to arrange for the cancellation of your ADSs and become a direct shareholder.
As an owner of ADSs, you may hold your ADSs either by means of an ADR registered in your name, through a brokerage or safekeeping account, or through an account established by the depositary bank in your name reflecting the registration of uncertificated ADSs directly on the books of the depositary bank, commonly referred to as the direct registration system or DRS. The direct registration system reflects the uncertificated (book-entry) registration of ownership of ADSs by the depositary bank. Under the direct registration system, ownership of ADSs is evidenced by periodic statements issued by the depositary bank to the holders of the ADSs. The direct registration system includes automated transfers between the depositary bank and The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, the central book-entry clearing and settlement system for equity securities in the United States. If you decide to hold your ADSs through your brokerage or safekeeping account, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or bank to assert your rights as ADS owner. Banks and brokers typically hold securities such as the ADSs through clearing and settlement systems such as DTC. The procedures of such clearing and settlement systems may limit your ability to exercise your rights as an owner of ADSs. Please consult with your broker or bank if you have any questions concerning these limitations and procedures. All ADSs held through DTC will be registered in the name of a nominee of DTC. This summary description assumes you have opted to own the ADSs directly by means of an ADS registered in your name and, as such, we will refer to you as the holder. When we refer to you, we assume the reader owns ADSs and will own ADSs at the relevant time.
The registration of the Class A ordinary shares in the name of the depositary bank or the custodian shall, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, vest in the depositary bank or the custodian the record ownership in the applicable Class A ordinary shares with the beneficial ownership rights and interests in such Class A ordinary shares being at all times vested with the beneficial owners of the ADSs representing the Class A ordinary shares. The depositary bank or the custodian shall at all times be entitled to exercise the beneficial ownership rights in all deposited property, in each case only on behalf of the holders and beneficial owners of the ADSs representing the deposited property.
Dividends and Distributions
As a holder of ADSs, you generally have the right to receive the distributions we make on the securities deposited with the custodian. Your receipt of these distributions may be limited, however, by practical considerations and legal limitations. Holders of ADSs will receive such distributions under the terms of the deposit agreement in proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the specified record date, after deduction the applicable fees, taxes and expenses.
Distributions of Cash
Whenever we make a cash distribution for the securities on deposit with the custodian, we will deposit the funds with the custodian. Upon receipt of confirmation of the deposit of the requisite funds, the depositary bank will arrange for the funds to be converted into U.S. dollars and for the distribution of the U.S. dollars to the holders, subject to the laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands.
The conversion into U.S. dollars will take place only if practicable and if the U.S. dollars are transferable to the United States. The depositary bank will apply the same method for distributing the proceeds of the sale of any property (such as undistributed rights) held by the custodian in respect of securities on deposit.
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The distribution of cash will be made net of the fees, expenses, taxes and governmental charges payable by holders under the terms of the deposit agreement. The depositary bank will hold any cash amounts it is unable to distribute in a non-interest bearing account for the benefit of the applicable holders and beneficial owners of ADSs until the distribution can be effected or the funds that the depositary bank holds must be escheated as unclaimed property in accordance with the laws of the relevant states of the United States.
Distributions of Shares
Whenever we make a dividend by way of free distribution of Class A ordinary shares in respect of Class A ordinary shares on deposit with the custodian, we will deposit the applicable number of Class A ordinary shares with the custodian. Upon receipt of confirmation of such deposit, the depositary bank will either distribute to holders new ADSs representing the Class A ordinary shares deposited or modify the ADS-to-Class A ordinary share ratio, in which case each ADS you hold will represent rights and interests in the additional Class A ordinary shares so deposited. Only whole new ADSs will be distributed. Fractional entitlements will be sold and the proceeds of such sale will be distributed as in the case of a cash distribution.
The distribution of new ADSs or the modification of the ADS-to-Class A ordinary share ratio upon a distribution of Class A ordinary shares will be made net of the fees, expenses, taxes and governmental charges payable by holders under the terms of the deposit agreement. In order to pay such taxes or governmental charges, the depositary bank may sell all or a portion of the new Class A ordinary shares so distributed.
No such distribution of new ADSs will be made if it would violate a law (i.e., the U.S. securities laws) or if it is not operationally practicable. If the depositary bank does not distribute new ADSs as described above, it may sell the Class A ordinary shares received upon the terms described in the deposit agreement and will distribute the proceeds of the sale as in the case of a distribution of cash.
Distributions of Rights
Whenever we intend to distribute rights to purchase additional Class A ordinary shares, we will give prior notice to the depositary bank and we will assist the depositary bank in determining whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to distribute rights to purchase additional ADSs to holders.
The depositary bank will establish procedures to distribute rights to purchase additional ADSs to holders and to enable such holders to exercise such rights if it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make the rights available to holders of ADSs, and if we provide all of the documentation contemplated in the deposit agreement (such as opinions to address the lawfulness of the transaction). You may have to pay fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges to subscribe for the new ADSs upon the exercise of your rights. The depositary bank is not obligated to establish procedures to facilitate the distribution and exercise by holders of rights to purchase new Class A ordinary shares other than in the form of ADSs.
The depositary bank will not distribute the rights to you if:
| We do not timely request that the rights be distributed to you or we request that the rights not be distributed to you; or |
| We fail to deliver satisfactory documents to the depositary bank; or |
| It is not reasonably practicable to distribute the rights. |
The depositary bank will sell the rights that are not exercised or not distributed if such sale is lawful and reasonably practicable. The proceeds of such sale will be distributed to holders as in the case of a cash distribution. If the depositary bank is unable to sell the rights, it will allow the rights to lapse.
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Elective Distributions
Whenever we intend to distribute a dividend payable at the election of shareholders either in cash or in additional shares, we will give prior notice thereof to the depositary bank and will indicate whether we wish the elective distribution to be made available to you. In such case, we will assist the depositary bank in determining whether such distribution is lawful and reasonably practicable.
The depositary bank will make the election available to you only if it is reasonably practicable and if we have provided all of the documentation contemplated in the deposit agreement. In such case, the depositary bank will establish procedures to enable you to elect to receive either cash or additional ADSs, in each case as described in the deposit agreement.
If the election is not made available to you, you will receive either cash or additional ADSs, depending on what a shareholder in the Cayman Islands would receive upon failing to make an election, as more fully described in the deposit agreement.
Other Distributions
Whenever we intend to make a dividend by way of distribution of property other than cash, Class A ordinary shares or rights to purchase additional Class A ordinary shares, we will notify the depositary bank in advance and will indicate whether we wish such distribution to be made to you. If so, we will assist the depositary bank in determining whether such distribution to holders is lawful and reasonably practicable.
If it is reasonably practicable to distribute such property to you and if we provide all of the documentation contemplated in the deposit agreement, the depositary bank will distribute the property to the holders in a manner it deems practicable.
The distribution will be made net of fees, expenses, taxes and governmental charges payable by holders under the terms of the deposit agreement. In order to pay such taxes and governmental charges, the depositary bank may sell all or a portion of the property received.
The depositary bank will not distribute the property to you and will sell the property if:
| We do not request that the property be distributed to you or if we ask that the property not be distributed to you; or |
| We do not deliver satisfactory documents to the depositary bank; or |
| The depositary bank determines that all or a portion of the distribution to you is not reasonably practicable. |
The proceeds of such a sale will be distributed to holders as in the case of a cash distribution.
Repurchase
Whenever we decide to repurchase any of the securities on deposit with the custodian, we will notify the depositary bank in advance. If it is practicable and if we provide all of the documentation contemplated in the deposit agreement, the depositary bank will provide notice of the repurchase to the holders.
The custodian will be instructed to surrender the shares being repurchased against payment of the applicable repurchase price. The depositary bank will convert the repurchase price received into U.S. dollars upon the terms of the deposit agreement and will establish procedures to enable holders to receive the net proceeds from the repurchase upon surrender of their ADSs to the depositary bank. You may have to pay fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges upon the redemption of your ADSs. If less than all ADSs are being redeemed, the ADSs to be retired will be selected by lot or on a pro rata basis, as the depositary bank may determine.
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Changes Affecting Class A Ordinary Shares
The Class A ordinary shares held on deposit for your ADSs may change from time to time. For example, there may be a change in nominal or par value, split-up, cancellation, consolidation or any other reclassification of such Class A ordinary shares or a recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of assets of our company.
If any such change were to occur, your ADSs would, to the extent permitted by law, represent the right to receive the property received or exchanged in respect of the Class A ordinary shares held on deposit. The depositary bank may in such circumstances deliver new ADSs to you, amend the deposit agreement, the ADRs and the applicable Registration Statement(s) on Form F-6, call for the exchange of your existing ADSs for new ADSs and take any other actions that are appropriate to reflect as to the ADSs the change affecting the Shares. If the depositary bank may not lawfully distribute such property to you, the depositary bank may sell such property and distribute the net proceeds to you as in the case of a cash distribution.
Issuance of ADSs upon Deposit of Class A Ordinary Shares
Upon completion of this offering, the Class A ordinary shares being offered pursuant to this prospectus will be allotted and issued by us to the custodian. Upon receipt of confirmation of such deposit, the depositary bank will issue ADSs to the underwriters named in this prospectus.
After the closing of this offer, the depositary bank may create ADSs on your behalf if you or your broker deposit Class A ordinary shares with the custodian. The depositary bank will deliver these ADSs to the person you indicate only after you pay any applicable issuance fees and any charges and taxes payable for the transfer of the Class A ordinary shares to the custodian. Your ability to deposit Class A ordinary shares and receive ADSs may be limited by U.S. and Cayman Islands legal considerations applicable at the time of deposit.
The issuance of ADSs may be delayed until the depositary bank or the custodian receives confirmation that all required approvals have been given and that the Class A ordinary shares have been duly transferred to the custodian. The depositary bank will only issue ADSs in whole numbers.
When you make a deposit of Class A ordinary shares, you will be responsible for transferring good and valid title to the depositary bank. As such, you will be deemed to represent and warrant that:
| The Class A ordinary shares are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid, non-assessable and legally obtained. |
| All preemptive (and similar) rights, if any, with respect to such Class A ordinary shares have been validly waived or exercised. |
| You are duly authorized to deposit the Class A ordinary shares. |
| The Class A ordinary shares presented for deposit are free and clear of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, charge, mortgage or adverse claim, and are not, and the ADSs issuable upon such deposit will not be, restricted securities (as defined in the deposit agreement). |
| The Class A ordinary shares presented for deposit have not been stripped of any rights or entitlements. |
If any of the representations or warranties are incorrect in any way, we and the depositary bank may, at your cost and expense, take any and all actions necessary to correct the consequences of the misrepresentations.
Transfer, Combination and Split Up of ADRs
As an ADR holder, you will be entitled to transfer, combine or split up your ADRs and the ADSs evidenced thereby. For transfers of ADRs, you will have to surrender the ADRs to be transferred to the depositary bank and also must:
| ensure that the surrendered ADR is properly endorsed or otherwise in proper form for transfer; |
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| provide such proof of identity and genuineness of signatures as the depositary bank deems appropriate; |
| provide any transfer stamps required by the State of New York or the United States; and |
| pay all applicable fees, charges, expenses, taxes and other government charges payable by ADR holders pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement, upon the transfer of ADRs. |
To have your ADRs either combined or split up, you must surrender the ADRs in question to the depositary bank with your request to have them combined or split up, and you must pay all applicable fees, charges and expenses payable by ADR holders, pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement, upon a combination or split up of ADRs.
Withdrawal of Class A Ordinary Shares Upon Cancellation of ADSs
As a holder of ADSs, you will be entitled to present your ADSs to the depositary bank for cancellation and then receive the corresponding number of underlying Class A ordinary shares at the custodians offices. Your ability to withdraw the Class A ordinary shares held in respect of the ADSs may be limited by U.S. and Cayman Islands considerations applicable at the time of withdrawal. In order to withdraw the Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs, you will be required to pay to the depositary bank the fees for cancellation of ADSs and any charges and taxes payable upon the transfer of the Class A ordinary shares. You assume the risk for delivery of all funds and securities upon withdrawal. Once canceled, the ADSs will not have any rights under the deposit agreement.
If you hold ADSs registered in your name, the depositary bank may ask you to provide proof of identity and genuineness of any signature and such other documents as the depositary bank may deem appropriate before it will cancel your ADSs. The withdrawal of the Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs may be delayed until the depositary bank receives satisfactory evidence of compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Please keep in mind that the depositary bank will only accept ADSs for cancellation that represent a whole number of securities on deposit.
You will have the right to withdraw the securities represented by your ADSs at any time except for:
| Temporary delays that may arise because (i) the transfer books for the Class A ordinary shares or ADSs are closed, or (ii) Class A ordinary shares are immobilized on account of a shareholders meeting or a payment of dividends. |
| Obligations to pay fees, taxes and similar charges. |
| Restrictions imposed because of laws or regulations applicable to ADSs or the withdrawal of securities on deposit. |
The deposit agreement may not be modified to impair your right to withdraw the securities represented by your ADSs except to comply with mandatory provisions of law.
Voting Rights
As a holder, you generally have the right under the deposit agreement to instruct the depositary bank to exercise the voting rights for the Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. The voting rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares are described in Description of Share CapitalVoting Rights.
At our request, the depositary bank will distribute to you any notice of shareholders meeting received from us together with information explaining how to instruct the depositary bank to exercise the voting rights of the securities represented by ADSs.
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If the depositary bank timely receives voting instructions from a holder of ADSs, it will endeavor to vote the securities (in person or by proxy) represented by the holders ADSs as follows:
| In the event of voting by show of hands, the depositary bank will vote (or cause the custodian to vote) all Class A ordinary shares held on deposit at that time in accordance with the voting instructions received from a majority of holders of ADSs who provide timely voting instructions. |
| In the event of voting by poll, the depositary bank will vote (or cause the Custodian to vote) the Class A ordinary shares held on deposit in accordance with the voting instructions received from the holders of ADSs. |
Securities for which no voting instructions have been received will not be voted (except as otherwise contemplated herein). Please note that the ability of the depositary bank to carry out voting instructions may be limited by practical and legal limitations and the terms of the securities on deposit. We cannot assure you that you will receive voting materials in time to enable you to return voting instructions to the depositary bank in a timely manner.
Fees and Charges
As an ADS holder, you will be required to pay the following fees under the terms of the deposit agreement:
Service |
Fees | |
Issuance of ADSs upon deposit of shares (excluding issuances as a result of distributions of shares) |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS issued | |
Cancellation of ADSs |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS canceled | |
Distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions (i.e., sale of rights and other entitlements) |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held | |
Distribution of ADSs pursuant to (i) stock dividends or other free stock distributions, or (ii) exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held | |
Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs (i.e., spin-off shares) |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held | |
ADS Services |
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held on the applicable record date(s) established by the depositary bank |
As an ADS holder you will also be responsible to pay certain charges such as:
| taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges; |
| the registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of Class A ordinary shares on the share register and applicable to transfers of Class A ordinary shares to or from the name of the custodian, the depositary bank or any nominees upon the making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively; |
| certain cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery expenses; |
| the expenses and charges incurred by the depositary bank in the conversion of foreign currency; |
| the fees and expenses incurred by the depositary bank in connection with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to Class A ordinary shares, ADSs and ADRs; and |
| the fees and expenses incurred by the depositary bank, the custodian, or any nominee in connection with the servicing or delivery of deposited property. |
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ADS fees and charges payable upon (i) deposit of Class A ordinary shares against issuance of ADSs and (ii) surrender of ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of Class A ordinary shares are charged to the person to whom the ADSs are delivered (in the case of ADS issuances) and to the person who delivers the ADSs for cancellation (in the case of ADS cancellations). In the case of ADSs issued by the depositary bank into DTC or presented to the depositary bank via DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees and charges may be deducted from distributions made through DTC, and may be charged to the DTC participant(s) receiving the ADSs or the DTC participant(s) surrendering the ADSs for cancellation, as the case may be, on behalf of the beneficial owner(s) and will be charged by the DTC participant(s) to the account(s) of the applicable beneficial owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC participant(s) as in effect at the time. ADS fees and charges in respect of distributions and the ADS service fee are charged to the holders as of the applicable ADS record date. In the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable ADS fees and charges is deducted from the funds being distributed. In the case of (i) distributions other than cash and (ii) the ADS service fee, holders as of the ADS record date will be invoiced for the amount of the ADS fees and charges and such ADS fees and charges may be deducted from distributions made to holders of ADSs. For ADSs held through DTC, the ADS fees and charges for distributions other than cash and the ADS service fee may be deducted from distributions made through DTC, and may be charged to the DTC participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed by DTC and the DTC participants in turn charge the amount of such ADS fees and charges to the beneficial owners for whom they hold ADSs.
In the event of refusal to pay the depositary bank fees, the depositary bank may, under the terms of the deposit agreement, refuse the requested service until payment is received or may set off the amount of the depositary bank fees from any distribution to be made to the ADS holder. Certain ADS fees and charges (such as the ADS service fee may become payable shortly after the closing of the ADS offering. Note that the fees and charges you may be required to pay may vary over time and may be changed by us and by the depositary bank. You will receive prior notice of such changes. The depositary bank may reimburse us for certain expenses incurred by us in respect of the ADR program, by making available a portion of the ADS fees charged in respect of the ADR program or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as we and the depositary bank agree from time to time.
Amendments and Termination
We may agree with the depositary bank to modify the deposit agreement at any time without your consent. We undertake to give holders 30 days prior notice of any modifications that would materially prejudice any of their substantial rights under the deposit agreement. We will not consider to be materially prejudicial to your substantial rights any modifications or supplements that are reasonably necessary for the ADSs to be registered under the Securities Act or to be eligible for book-entry settlement, in each case without imposing or increasing the fees and charges you are required to pay. In addition, we may not be able to provide you with prior notice of any modifications or supplements that are required to accommodate compliance with applicable provisions of law.
You will be bound by the modifications to the deposit agreement if you continue to hold your ADSs after the modifications to the deposit agreement become effective. The deposit agreement cannot be amended to prevent you from withdrawing the Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs (except as permitted by law).
We have the right to direct the depositary bank to terminate the deposit agreement. Similarly, the depositary bank may in certain circumstances on its own initiative terminate the deposit agreement. In either case, the depositary bank must give notice to the holders at least 30 days before termination. Until termination, your rights under the deposit agreement will be unaffected.
After termination, the depositary bank will continue to collect distributions received (but will not distribute any such property until you request the cancellation of your ADSs) and may sell the securities held on deposit.
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After the sale, the depositary bank will hold the proceeds from such sale and any other funds then held for the holders of ADSs in a non-interest bearing account. At that point, the depositary bank will have no further obligations to holders other than to account for the funds then held for the holders of ADSs still outstanding (after deduction of applicable fees, taxes and expenses).
Books of Depositary
The depositary bank will maintain ADS holder records at its depositary office. You may inspect such records at such office during regular business hours but solely for the purpose of communicating with other holders in the interest of business matters relating to the ADSs and the deposit agreement.
The depositary bank will maintain in New York facilities to record and process the issuance, cancellation, combination, split-up and transfer of ADSs. These facilities may be closed from time to time, to the extent not prohibited by law.
Limitations on Obligations and Liabilities
The deposit agreement limits our obligations and the depositary banks obligations to you. Please note the following:
| We and the depositary bank are obligated only to take the actions specifically stated in the deposit agreement without negligence or bad faith. |
| The depositary bank disclaims any liability for any failure to carry out voting instructions, for any manner in which a vote is cast or for the effect of any vote, provided it acts in good faith and in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement. |
| The depositary bank disclaims any liability for any failure to determine the lawfulness or practicality of any action, for the content of any document forwarded to you on our behalf or for the accuracy of any translation of such a document, for the investment risks associated with investing in Class A ordinary shares, for the validity or worth of the Class A ordinary shares, for any tax consequences that result from the ownership of ADSs, for the credit-worthiness of any third party, for allowing any rights to lapse under the terms of the deposit agreement, for the timeliness of any of our notices or for our failure to give notice. |
| We and the depositary bank will not be obligated to perform any act that is inconsistent with the terms of the deposit agreement. |
| We and the depositary bank disclaim any liability if we or the depositary bank are prevented or forbidden from or subject to any civil or criminal penalty or restraint on account of, or delayed in, doing or performing any act or thing required by the terms of the deposit agreement, by reason of any provision, present or future of any law or regulation, or by reason of present or future provision of any provision of our Articles of Incorporation, or any provision of or governing the securities on deposit, or by reason of any act of God or war or other circumstances beyond our control. |
| We and the depositary bank disclaim any liability by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the deposit agreement or in our Articles of Incorporation or in any provisions of or governing the securities on deposit. |
| We and the depositary bank further disclaim any liability for any action or inaction in reliance on the advice or information received from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any holder of ADSs or authorized representatives thereof, or any other person believed by either of us in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information. |
| We and the depositary bank also disclaim liability for the inability by a holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit that is made available to holders of Class A ordinary shares but is not, under the terms of the deposit agreement, made available to you. |
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| We and the depositary bank may rely without any liability upon any written notice, request or other document believed to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper parties. |
| We and the depositary bank also disclaim liability for any consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the deposit agreement. |
| No disclaimer of any Securities Act liability is intended by any provision of the deposit agreement. |
Taxes
You will be responsible for the taxes and other governmental charges payable on the ADSs and the securities represented by the ADSs. We, the depositary bank and the custodian may deduct from any distribution the taxes and governmental charges payable by holders and may sell any and all property on deposit to pay the taxes and governmental charges payable by holders. You will be liable for any deficiency if the sale proceeds do not cover the taxes that are due.
The depositary bank may refuse to issue ADSs, to deliver, transfer, split and combine ADRs or to release securities on deposit until all taxes and charges are paid by the applicable holder. The depositary bank and the custodian may take reasonable administrative actions to obtain tax refunds and reduced tax withholding for any distributions on your behalf. However, you may be required to provide to the depositary bank and to the custodian proof of taxpayer status and residence and such other information as the depositary bank and the custodian may require to fulfill legal obligations. You are required to indemnify us, the depositary bank and the custodian for any claims with respect to taxes based on any tax benefit obtained for you.
Foreign Currency Conversion
The depositary bank will arrange for the conversion of all foreign currency received into U.S. dollars if such conversion is practical, and it will distribute the U.S. dollars in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement. You may have to pay fees and expenses incurred in converting foreign currency, such as fees and expenses incurred in complying with currency exchange controls and other governmental requirements.
If the conversion of foreign currency is not practical or lawful, or if any required approvals are denied or not obtainable at a reasonable cost or within a reasonable period, the depositary bank may take the following actions in its discretion:
| Convert the foreign currency to the extent practical and lawful and distribute the U.S. dollars to the holders for whom the conversion and distribution is lawful and practical. |
| Distribute the foreign currency to holders for whom the distribution is lawful and practical. |
| Hold the foreign currency (without liability for interest) for the applicable holders. |
Governing Law/Waiver of Jury Trial
The deposit agreement and the ADRs will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. The rights of holders of ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs) is governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands.
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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Upon completion of this offering, we will have ADSs outstanding, representing Class A ordinary shares, or approximately % of our outstanding ordinary shares assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. All of the ADSs sold in this offering will be freely transferable by persons other than our affiliates without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs in the public market could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our ADSs. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares or the ADSs. While we intend to list the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange, we cannot assure you that a regular trading market will develop in the ADSs.
Lock-Up Agreements
[Certain of our shareholders and all of our directors and executive officers have agreed with the underwriters not to, without the prior consent of [the representatives of underwriters], for a period of no less than 180 days following the date of this prospectus, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, right or warrant to purchase, make any short sale, file a registration statement (other than a registration statement on Form S-8) with respect to, or otherwise dispose of (including entering into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequence of ownership interests) any of our ADSs or ordinary shares or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, our ADSs or ordinary shares or any substantially similar securities (other than pursuant to employee stock option plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of the date of this prospectus).
In addition, through a letter agreement, we will instruct , as depositary, not to accept any deposit of any ordinary shares or issue any ADSs for 180 days after the date of this prospectus unless we consent to such deposit or issuance, and we have agreed not to provide consent without the prior written consent of [the representatives of underwriters]. The foregoing does not affect the right of ADS holders to cancel their ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares.]
Rule 144
All of our ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering are restricted shares as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act and may be sold publicly in the United States only if they are subject to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements. Under Rule 144 as currently in effect, a person who has beneficially owned our restricted shares for at least six months is generally entitled to sell the restricted securities without registration under the Securities Act beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain additional restrictions.
Our affiliates are subject to additional restrictions under Rule 144. Our affiliates may only sell a number of restricted shares within any three-month period that does not exceed the greater of the following:
| 1% of the then outstanding ordinary shares, in the form of ADSs or otherwise, which will equal approximately Class A ordinary shares immediately after this offering; or |
| the average weekly trading volume of our ordinary shares in the form of ADSs or otherwise, on the New York Stock Exchange, during the four calendar weeks preceding the date on which notice of the sale is filed with the SEC. |
Affiliates who sell restricted securities under Rule 144 may not solicit orders or arrange for the solicitation of orders, and they are also subject to notice requirements and the availability of current public information about us.
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Persons who are not our affiliates are only subject to one of these additional restrictions, the requirement of the availability of current public information about us, and this additional restriction does not apply if they have beneficially owned our restricted shares for more than one year.
Rule 701
In general, under Rule 701 of the Securities Act as currently in effect, each of our employees, consultants or advisors who purchases our ordinary shares from us in connection with a compensatory stock or option plan or other written agreement relating to compensation is eligible to resell such ordinary shares 90 days after we became a reporting company under the Exchange Act in reliance on Rule 144, but without compliance with some of the restrictions, including the holding period, contained in Rule 144.
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The following summary of material Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, and United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, such as the tax consequences under state, local, and other tax laws.
Cayman Islands Taxation
The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or after execution brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of the shares will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of our ADSs or ordinary shares, nor will gains derived from the disposal of our ADSs or ordinary shares be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.
Hong Kong Taxation
The following summary of certain relevant taxation provisions under the laws of Hong Kong is based on current law and practice and is subject to changes therein. This summary does not purport to address all possible tax consequences relating to purchasing, holding or selling the ADSs, and does not take into account the specific circumstances of any particular investors, some of whom may be subject to special rules. Accordingly, holders or prospective purchasers (particularly those subject to special tax rules, such as banks, dealers, insurance companies and tax-exempt entities) should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of purchasing, holding or selling the ADSs. Under the current laws of Hong Kong:
| No profit tax is imposed in Hong Kong in respect of capital gains from the sale of the ADSs. |
| Revenue gains from the sale of ADSs by persons carrying on a trade, profession or business in Hong Kong where the gains are derived from or arise in Hong Kong from the trade, profession or business will be chargeable to Hong Kong profits tax, which is currently imposed at the rate of 16.5% on corporations and at a maximum rate of 15% on individuals and unincorporated businesses. |
| Gains arising from the sale of ADSs, where the purchases and sales of ADSs are effected outside of Hong Kong such as, for example, on the New York Stock Exchange, should not be subject to Hong Kong profits tax. |
According to the current tax practice of the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department, dividends paid on the ADSs would not be subject to any Hong Kong tax.
No Hong Kong stamp duty is payable on the purchase and sale of the ADSs.
Singapore Taxation
Individual Income Tax
Individual taxpayers who are Singapore tax residents are subject to tax on income accrued or derived from Singapore. All foreign-sourced income (except for income received through a partnership in Singapore) received on or after January 1, 2004 in Singapore by tax resident individuals will be exempt from tax. Certain Singapore-
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sourced investment income (such as interest from debt securities) derived by tax resident individuals on or after January 1, 2004 from certain financial instruments (other than income derived through a partnership in Singapore or from the carrying on of a trade, business or profession) will be exempt from tax.
A Singapore tax resident individual is taxed at progressive rates ranging from 0% to a maximum rate of 22.0% after deduction of qualifying personal reliefs where applicable, with effect from the year of assessment 2017.
Non-resident individuals, subject to certain exceptions, are generally subject to income tax on income accrued in or derived from Singapore at a flat rate of 22.0%, with effect from year of assessment 2017 except that Singapore employment income is taxed at 15.0% or at the progressive resident rates, whichever yields a higher tax. However, Singapore does not tax capital gains. A non-resident individual (other than a director) exercising a short-term employment in Singapore for not more than 60 days may be exempt from tax in Singapore.
An individual is regarded as a tax resident in Singapore if in the calendar year preceding the year of assessment, he was physically present in Singapore or exercised an employment in Singapore (other than as a director of a company) for 183 days or more, or if he ordinarily resides in Singapore except for such temporary absences therefrom as may be reasonable and not inconsistent with a claim by such person to be resident in Singapore.
Corporate Income Tax
A Singapore tax resident corporate taxpayer is subject to Singapore income tax on:
| income accrued in or derived from Singapore; and |
| foreign sourced income received or deemed received in Singapore, unless otherwise exempted. |
Foreign income in the form of branch profits, dividends and service fee income, or specified foreign income, received or deemed received in Singapore by a Singapore tax resident corporate taxpayer on or after June 1, 2003 are exempted from Singapore tax subject to meeting the qualifying conditions.
A non-Singapore tax resident corporate taxpayer, subject to certain exceptions, is subject to Singapore income tax on income accrued in or derived from Singapore, and on foreign income received or deemed received in Singapore.
A company is regarded as tax resident in Singapore if the control and management of the companys business is exercised in Singapore. In general, control and management of the company is vested in its board of directors and therefore if the board of directors meets and conducts the companys business in Singapore, the company will be regarded as tax resident in Singapore.
The corporate tax rate in Singapore is 17.0% with effect from the Year of Assessment 2010 after allowing partial tax exemption on the first S$300,000 of a companys chargeable income as follows:
| 75.0% of up to the first S$10,000 of a companys chargeable income (excluding Singapore franked dividends); and |
| 50.0% of up to the next S$290,000 of a companys chargeable income (excluding Singapore franked dividends). |
It was announced in the 2018 Budget that with effect from year of assessment 2020, the partial tax exemption scheme will be limited to the first S$200,000 (instead of S$300,000) of the normal chargeable income 75.0% of the first S$10,000 and 50.0% of the next S$190,000.
Further, new start-up companies will, subject to certain conditions, be eligible for full tax exemption on their normal chargeable income (other than Singapore dividends) of up to S$100,000 and 50.0% tax exemption
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on up to the next S$200,000 of normal chargeable income in each of the companys first three consecutive years of assessment. The remaining chargeable income (after the tax exemption) will be taxed at the applicable corporate tax rate. It has been announced in the 2018 Budget that with effect from the year of assessment 2020, the tax exemption scheme for new start-up companies will be limited to the first S$200,000 (instead of S$300,000) of the normal chargeable income. The tax exemption on the first S$100,000 will also be reduced from 100.0% to 75.0%.
Dividend Distributions
Dividends received in respect of the Class A Shares by either Singapore tax resident or non-Singapore tax resident taxpayers are not subject to Singapore withholding tax, even if paid to non-Singapore resident shareholders.
Currently, (subject to certain transitional rules), Singapore has adopted the One-Tier Corporate Tax System. Under this one-tier system, the tax collected from corporate profits is the final tax and our company can pay tax exempt (1-tier) dividends which are tax exempt in the hands of the shareholder, regardless of the tax residence status or the legal form of the shareholder.
Capital Gains Tax
Singapore does not impose a tax on capital gains. However, there are no specific laws or regulations which deal with the characterization of capital gains, and hence, gains may be construed to be of an income nature and therefore be subject to tax if they arise from activities which the IRAS regards as the carrying on of a trade or business in Singapore. Any profits from the disposal of the Class A Shares are not taxable in Singapore unless the seller is regarded as having derived gains of an income nature in Singapore, in which case, the disposal profits would be taxable as trading income.
Bonus Shares
Under current Singapore tax law and practice, a capitalization of profits followed by the issue of new shares, credited as fully paid, pro rata to shareholders, or bonus issue, does not represent a distribution of dividends by a company to its shareholders. Therefore, a Singapore resident shareholder receiving shares by way of a bonus issue should not have a liability to Singapore tax.
When a dividend is to be satisfied wholly or in part in the form of an allotment of ordinary shares credited as fully paid, the dividend declared will be treated as income to its shareholders. Similarly, when shareholders are given the right to elect to receive an allotment of ordinary shares credited as fully paid in lieu of cash, the dividend declared will be treated as exempt (one-tier) dividend income and will not be subject to Singapore tax.
Stamp Duty
There is no stamp duty payable on the subscription, allotment or holding of our Class A Shares.
Stamp duty is payable on the instrument of transfer of our Class A Shares at the rate of 0.2% of the consideration paid or market value of our shares, whichever is higher.
The purchaser is liable for stamp duty, unless there is an agreement to the contrary. No stamp duty is payable if no instrument of transfer is executed (such as in the case of scripless shares, the transfer of which does not require instruments of transfer to be executed) or if the instrument of transfer is executed outside Singapore. However, stamp duty may be payable if the instrument of transfer which is executed outside Singapore is subsequently received in Singapore.
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Goods and Services Tax (GST)
GST in Singapore is a consumption tax that is levied on import of goods into Singapore, as well as nearly all supplies of goods and services in Singapore at a prevailing rate of 7.0%.
Estate Duty
With effect from February 15, 2008, Singapore estate duty has been abolished.
Individuals, whether or not domiciled in Singapore, should consult their own tax advisors regarding the Singapore tax and estate duty consequences of their ownership of the Class A Shares.
Shareholders, whether or not domiciled in Singapore, should consult their own tax advisors regarding the Singapore tax consequences of their acquisition, ownership and/or disposal of our Shares.
United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following discussion is a summary of U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the ownership and disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares by a U.S. Holder (as defined below) that acquires our ADSs in this offering and holds our ADSs or ordinary shares as capital assets (generally, property held for investment) under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. This discussion is based upon existing U.S. federal tax law, which is subject to differing interpretations or change, possibly with retroactive effect. No ruling has been sought from the IRS with respect to any U.S. federal income tax considerations described below, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position. This discussion, moreover, does not address the U.S. federal estate, gift, or alternative minimum tax considerations, the Medicare tax on certain net investment income, information reporting or backup withholding, or any state, local, and non-U.S. tax considerations, relating to the ownership or disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares. The following summary does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light of their individual circumstances or to persons in special tax situations such as:
| banks and other financial institutions; |
| insurance companies; |
| pension plans; |
| cooperatives; |
| regulated investment companies; |
| real estate investment trusts; |
| broker-dealers; |
| traders that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting; |
| certain former U.S. citizens or long-term residents; |
| tax-exempt entities (including private foundations); |
| individual retirement accounts or other tax-deferred accounts; |
| persons liable for alternative minimum tax; |
| persons who acquire their ADSs or ordinary shares pursuant to any employee share option or otherwise as compensation; |
| investors that will hold their ADSs or ordinary shares as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, constructive sale or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
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| investors that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar; |
| persons that actually or constructively own 10% or more of our ADSs or ordinary shares (by vote or value); or |
| partnerships or other entities taxable as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or persons holding the ADSs or ordinary shares through such entities, |
all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ significantly from those discussed below.
Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the application of U.S. federal taxation to its particular circumstances, and the state, local, non-U.S., and other tax considerations of the ownership and disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares.
General
For purposes of this discussion, a U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or ordinary shares that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created in, or organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
| an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or |
| a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more U.S. persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has otherwise validly elected to be treated as a U.S. person under the Code. |
If a partnership (or other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or ordinary shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding our ADSs or ordinary shares and their partners are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding an investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares.
The discussion below assumes that the representations contained in the deposit agreement are and will continue to be true, and that the obligations in the deposit agreement and any related agreement have been and will be complied with in accordance with the terms. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, a U.S. Holder of ADSs will generally be treated as the beneficial owner of the underlying shares represented by the ADSs. The remainder of this discussion assumes that a U.S. Holder of our ADSs will be treated in this manner. Accordingly, deposits or withdrawals of ordinary shares for ADSs will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations
A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of passive income or (ii) 50% or more of the value of its assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income, or the asset test. Passive income generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, rents, royalties, and gains from the disposition of passive assets. Passive assets are those which give rise to passive income, and include assets held for investment, as well as cash, assets readily convertible into cash, and working capital. The companys goodwill and other unbooked intangibles are taken into account and may be classified as active or passive depending upon the relative amounts of income generated by the company in each category. We will be treated as owning a proportionate share of the assets and earning a proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, 25% or more (by value) of the stock.
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Based upon our current and projected income and assets, the expected proceeds from this offering, and projections as to the market price of our ADSs immediately following this offering, we do not expect to be classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year or the foreseeable future. However, no assurance can be given in this regard because the determination of whether we are or will become a PFIC is a factual determination made annually that will depend, in part, upon the composition and classification of our income and assets, including the relative amounts of income generated by our strategic investment business as compared to our other businesses, and the value of the assets held by our strategic investment business as compared to our other businesses. Because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules, it is possible that the IRS may challenge our classification of certain income and assets as non-passive, which may result in our being or becoming classified as a PFIC in the current or subsequent years. Furthermore fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs may cause us to be classified as a PFIC for the current or future taxable years because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test, including the value of our goodwill and unbooked intangibles, may be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs from time to time (which may be volatile). In estimating the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, we have taken into account our anticipated market capitalization immediately following the close of this offering. Among other matters, if our market capitalization is less than anticipated or subsequently declines, we may be or become a PFIC for the current or future taxable years. The composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering. Under circumstances where our revenue from activities that produce passive income significantly increases relative to our revenue from activities that produce non-passive income, or where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of becoming classified as a PFIC may substantially increase.
If we are a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, we generally will continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares.
The discussion below under Dividends and Sale or Other Disposition is written on the basis that we will not be or become classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The U.S. federal income tax rules that apply generally if we are treated as a PFIC are discussed below under Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.
Dividends
Any cash distributions paid on our ADSs or ordinary shares out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles, will generally be includible in the gross income of a U.S. Holder as dividend income on the day actually or constructively received by the U.S. Holder, in the case of ordinary shares, or by the depositary, in the case of ADSs. Because we do not intend to determine our earnings and profits on the basis of U.S. federal income tax principles, any distribution we pay will generally be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends received on our ADSs or ordinary shares will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction allowed to corporations in respect of dividends-received from U.S. corporations.
Individuals and other non-corporate U.S. Holders may be subject to tax on any such dividends at the lower capital gain tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income, provided that certain conditions are satisfied, including that (1) our ADSs or ordinary shares on which the dividends are paid are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, (2) we are neither a PFIC nor treated as such with respect to a U.S. Holder for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid and the preceding taxable year, and (3) certain holding period requirements are met. We intend to list the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange. Provided that this listing is approved, we believe that the ADSs should generally be considered to be readily tradeable on an established securities market in the United States. There can be no assurance that the ADSs will continue to be considered readily tradable on an established securities market in later years. Because the ordinary shares will not be listed on a U.S. exchange, we do not believe that dividends received with respect to ordinary shares that are
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not represented by ADSs will be treated as qualified dividends. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for dividends paid with respect to the ADSs or ordinary shares.
For U.S. foreign tax credit purposes, dividends paid on our ADSs or ordinary shares will generally be treated as income from foreign sources and will generally constitute passive category income. The rules governing the foreign tax credit are complex and U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the foreign tax credit under their particular circumstances.
Sale or Other Disposition
A U.S. Holder will generally recognize gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized upon the disposition and the holders adjusted tax basis in such ADSs or ordinary shares. Such gain or loss will generally be capital gain or loss. Any such capital gain or loss will be long-term if the ADSs or ordinary shares have been held for more than one year. Non-corporate U.S. Holders (including individuals) generally will be subject to United States federal income tax on long-term capital gain at preferential rates. The deductibility of a capital loss may be subject to limitations. Any such gain or loss that the U.S. Holder recognizes will generally be treated as U.S. source income or loss for foreign tax credit limitation purposes, which could limit the availability of foreign tax credits. Each U.S. Holder is advised to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences if a foreign tax is imposed on a disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares, including the applicability of any tax treaty and the availability of the foreign tax credit under its particular circumstances.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, and unless the U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election (as described below), the U.S. Holder will generally be subject to special tax rules on (i) any excess distribution that we make to the U.S. Holder (which generally means any distribution paid during a taxable year to a U.S. Holder that is greater than 125 percent of the average annual distributions paid in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the U.S. Holders holding period for the ADSs or ordinary shares), and (ii) any gain realized on the sale or other disposition, including, under certain circumstances, a pledge, of ADSs or ordinary shares. Under the PFIC rules:
| the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holders holding period for the ADSs or ordinary shares; |
| the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any taxable years in the U.S. Holders holding period prior to the first taxable year in which we are classified as a PFIC (each, a pre-PFIC year), will be taxable as ordinary income; and |
| the amount allocated to each prior taxable year, other than a pre-PFIC year, will be subject to tax at the highest tax rate in effect for individuals or corporations, as appropriate, for that year, increased by an additional tax equal to the interest on the resulting tax deemed deferred with respect to each such taxable year. |
As an alternative to the foregoing rules, a U.S. Holder of marketable stock (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such stock. If a U.S. Holder makes this election with respect to our ADSs, the holder will generally (i) include as ordinary income for each taxable year that we are a PFIC the excess, if any, of the fair market value of ADSs held at the end of the taxable year over the adjusted tax basis of such ADSs and (ii) deduct as an ordinary loss the excess, if any, of the adjusted tax basis of the ADSs over the fair market value of such ADSs held at the end of the taxable year, but such deduction will only be allowed to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. The U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in the ADSs would be adjusted to reflect any income or loss resulting from the mark-
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to-market election. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election in respect of our ADSs and we cease to be classified as a PFIC, the holder will not be required to take into account the gain or loss described above during any period that we are not classified as a PFIC. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election, any gain such U.S. Holder recognizes upon the sale or other disposition of our ADSs in a year when we are a PFIC will be treated as ordinary income and any loss will be treated as ordinary loss, but such loss will only be treated as ordinary loss to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election.
The mark-to-market election is available only for marketable stock, which is stock that is traded in other than de minimis quantities on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter, or regularly traded, on a qualified exchange or other market, as defined in applicable United States Treasury regulations. Our ADSs, but not our ordinary shares, will be treated as marketable stock upon their listing on the NYSE. We anticipate that our ADSs should qualify as being regularly traded, but no assurances may be given in this regard.
Because a mark-to-market election cannot technically be made for any lower-tier PFICs that we may own, a U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to the PFIC rules with respect to such U.S. Holders indirect interest in any investments held by us that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
We do not intend to provide information necessary for U.S. Holders to make qualified electing fund elections which, if available, would result in tax treatment different from (and generally less adverse than) the general tax treatment for PFICs described above.
If a U.S. Holder owns our ADSs or ordinary shares during any taxable year that we are a PFIC, the holder must generally file an annual IRS Form 8621. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of our ADSs or ordinary shares if we are or become a PFIC.
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AMTD Global Markets Limited and Loop Capital Markets LLC are acting as the representatives of the underwriters and book-running managers of this offering. Under the terms of an underwriting agreement dated , each of the underwriters named below has severally agreed to purchase from us the respective number of ADSs shown opposite its name below:
Underwriters |
Number of ADSs |
|||
AMTD Global Markets Limited |
||||
Loop Capital Markets LLC |
||||
Maxim Group LLC |
||||
|
|
|||
Total: |
||||
|
|
The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters obligation to purchase ADSs depends on the satisfaction of the conditions contained in the underwriting agreement including:
| the obligation to purchase all of the ADSs offered hereby (other than those ADSs covered by their option to purchase additional ADSs as described below), if any of the ADSs are purchased; |
| the representations and warranties made by us to the underwriters are true; |
| there is no material change in our business or the financial markets; and |
| we deliver customary closing documents to the underwriters. |
Commissions and Expenses
The following table summarizes the underwriting discounts and commissions we will pay to the underwriters. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters option to purchase additional ADSs. The underwriting fee is the difference between the initial price to the public and the amount the underwriters pay to us.
No Exercise | Full Exercise | |||||||
Per ADS |
US$ | US$ | ||||||
Total |
US$ | US$ |
[The underwriters have informed us that they do not intend sales to discretionary accounts to exceed five percent of the total number of ADSs offered by them.]
The representatives have advised us that the underwriters propose to offer the ADSs directly to the public at the public offering price on the cover of this prospectus and to selected dealers, which may include the underwriters, at such offering price less a selling concession not in excess of US$ per share. If all the ADSs are not sold at the initial offering price following the initial offering, the representatives may change the offering price and other selling terms.
Certain of the underwriters are expected to make offers and sales both inside and outside the United States through their respective selling agents. Any offers or sales in the United States will be conducted by broker-dealers registered with the SEC. AMTD Global Markets Limited is not a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and does not intend to make any offers or sales of the ADSs within the United States or to any U.S. persons.
The total expenses of this offering payable by us, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately US$ million. Expenses include the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory
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Authority, or FINRA, filing fees, fees and expense of the underwriters legal counsel (in an amount not to exceed US$ ), the New York Stock Exchange listing fee, and printing, legal, accounting and miscellaneous expenses.
The address of AMTD Global Markets Limited is 23/F-25/F Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong. The address of Loop Capital Markets LLC is 111 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1901, Chicago, IL 60604, U.S.A. The address of Maxim Group LLC is 405 Lexington Avenue, 2nd FL, New York, NY 10174, U.S.A.
Option to Purchase Additional ADSs
We have granted the underwriters an option exercisable for 30 days after the date of this prospectus to purchase, from time to time, in whole or in part, up to an aggregate of ADSs from us at the public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions. To the extent that this option is exercised, each underwriter will be obligated, subject to certain conditions, to purchase its pro rata portion of these additional ADSs based on the underwriters percentage underwriting commitment in the offering as indicated in the table at the beginning of this Underwriting Section.
Lock-Up Agreements
[We, all of our directors, executive officers, existing shareholders and restricted shareholders have agreed that, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus subject to certain limited exceptions as described below, we will not directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of each of the underwriters, (i) offer for sale, sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device that is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any ADSs (including, without limitation, ADSs that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by us in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and ADSs that may be issued upon exercise of any options or warrants) or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ADSs (other than the stock and shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans, or other employee compensation plans existing on the date of this prospectus or pursuant to currently outstanding options, warrants or rights not issued under one of those plans), or sell or grant options, rights or warrants with respect to any ADSs or securities convertible into or exchangeable for ADSs (other than the grant of options pursuant to option plans existing on the date of this prospectus), (ii) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of ADSs, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of ADSs or other securities, in cash or otherwise, (iii) make any demand for or exercise any right or file or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the registration of any ADSs or securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable into ADSs or any of our other securities (other than any registration statement on Form S-8), or (iv) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing. These restrictions are subject to certain exceptions.
The underwriters, in their sole discretion, may release the ordinary shares and other securities subject to the lock-up agreements described above in whole or in part at any time. When determining whether or not to release ordinary shares and other securities from lock-up agreements, the underwriters will consider, among other factors, the holders reasons for requesting the release, the number of ADSs and other securities for which the release is being requested and market conditions at the time. At least three business days before the effectiveness of any release or waiver of any of the restrictions described above with respect to an officer or director of our company, the underwriters will notify us of the impending release or waiver and we have agreed to announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, except where the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer of ordinary shares that is not for consideration and where the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms as the lock-up agreements described above to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of transfer.]
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Offering Price Determination
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares. The initial public offering price will be negotiated between the representatives and us. In determining the initial public offering price of our ordinary shares, the representatives considered:
| the history and prospects for the industry in which we compete; |
| our financial information; |
| the ability of our management and our business potential and earning prospects; |
| the prevailing securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
| the recent market prices of, and the demand for, publicly traded shares of generally comparable companies. |
Indemnification
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make for these liabilities.
[Directed Share Program
At our request, the underwriters have reserved for sale at the initial public offering price up to ADSs offered hereby for officers, directors, employees and certain other persons associated with us. The number of ADSs available for sale to the general public in this offering will be reduced to the extent such persons purchase such reserved ADSs. Any reserved ADSs not so purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on the same basis as the other ADSs offered hereby. Any participants in this program shall be prohibited from selling, pledging or assigning any ADSs sold to them pursuant to this program for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus. This 180-day lock up period shall be extended with respect to our issuance of an earnings release or if a material news or a material event relating to us occurs, in the same manner as described above under Lock-Up Agreements.]
Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids
The representatives of the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, short sales and purchases to cover positions created by short sales, and penalty bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the ADSs, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act:
| Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. |
| A short position involves a sale by the underwriters of ADSs in excess of the number of ADSs the underwriters are obligated to purchase in the offering, which creates the syndicate short position. This short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of ADSs involved in the sales made by the underwriters in excess of the number of ADSs they are obligated to purchase is not greater than the number of ADSs that they may purchase by exercising their option to purchase additional ADSs. In a naked short position, the number of ADSs involved is greater than the number of ADSs in their option to purchase additional ADSs. The underwriters may close out any short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional ADSs and/or purchasing ADSs in the open market. In determining the source of ADSs to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of ADSs available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase ADSs through their option to purchase additional ADSs. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the ADSs in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. |
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| Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the ADSs in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. |
| Penalty bids permit the representatives to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the ADS originally sold by the syndicate member is purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. |
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our ADS or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the ADS. As a result, the price of the ADS may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on the New York Stock Exchange or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
Neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the ADS. In addition, neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation that the representatives will engage in these stabilizing transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.
Electronic Distribution
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the internet sites or through other online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters and/or selling group members participating in this offering, or by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and, depending upon the particular underwriter or selling group member, prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of ADSs for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the representatives on the same basis as other allocations.
Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on any underwriters or selling group members website and any information contained in any other website maintained by an underwriter or selling group member is not part of the prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or any underwriter or selling group member in its capacity as underwriter or selling group member and should not be relied upon by investors.
Listing on the New York Stock Exchange
We have applied for approval for listing the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HKD. In order to meet the requirements for listing on that exchange, the underwriters have undertaken to sell a minimum number of ADSs to a minimum number of beneficial owners as required by that exchange.
Stamp Taxes
If you purchase ADSs offered in this prospectus, you may be required to pay stamp taxes and other charges under the laws and practices of the country of purchase, in addition to the offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus.
Relationships
The underwriters and certain of their affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and certain of their affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various commercial and investment banking and financial advisory services for the issuer and its affiliates, for which they received or may in the future receive customary fees and expenses.
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In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and certain of their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of the issuer or its affiliates. The underwriters and certain of their affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
AMTD Global Markets Limited and we are under the common control of our Controlling Shareholder, and AMTD Global Markets Limited will participate in the distribution of the ADSs in this offering.
Selling Restrictions
This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy from, anyone in any country or jurisdiction (i) in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized, (ii) in which any person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or (iii) in which any such offer or solicitation would otherwise be unlawful. No action has been taken that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the ADSs or possession or distribution of this prospectus or any other offering or publicity material relating to the ADSs in any country or jurisdiction (other than the United States) where any such action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, each underwriter has undertaken that it will not, directly or indirectly, offer or sell any ADSs or have in its possession, distribute or publish any prospectus, form of application, advertisement or other document or information in any country or jurisdiction except under circumstances that will, to the best of its knowledge and belief, result in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations and all offers and sales of ADSs by it will be made on the same terms.
Australia
No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the Corporations Act), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act. Any offer in Australia of the ADSs may only be made to persons (the Exempt Investors) who are sophisticated investors (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), professional investors (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the ADSs without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. The ADSs applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring ADSs must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions. This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any ADSs recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.
Bermuda
The ADSs may be offered or sold in Bermuda only in compliance with the provisions of the Investment Business Act of 2003 of Bermuda which regulates the sale of securities in Bermuda. Additionally, non-
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Bermudian persons (including companies) may not carry on or engage in any trade or business in Bermuda unless such persons are permitted to do so under applicable Bermuda legislation.
British Virgin Islands
The ADSs are not being, and may not be offered to the public or to any person in the British Virgin Islands for purchase or subscription by us or on our behalf. The ADSs may be offered to companies incorporated under the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 (British Virgin Islands) (each a BVI Company), but only where the offer will be made to, and received by, the relevant BVI Company entirely outside of the British Virgin Islands.
This prospectus has not been, and will not be, registered with the Financial Services Commission of the British Virgin Islands. No registered prospectus has been or will be prepared in respect of the ADSs for the purposes of the Securities and Investment Business Act, 2010, or SIBA or the Public Issuers Code of the British Virgin Islands.
The ADSs may be offered to persons located in the British Virgin Islands who are qualified investors for the purposes of SIBA. Qualified investors include (i) certain entities which are regulated by the Financial Services Commission in the British Virgin Islands, including banks, insurance companies, licensees under SIBA and public, professional and private mutual funds; (ii) a company, any securities of which are listed on a recognized exchange; and (iii) persons defined as professional investors under SIBA, which is any person (a) whose ordinary business involves, whether for that persons own account or the account of others, the acquisition or disposal of property of the same kind as the property, or a substantial part of our property; or (b) who has signed a declaration that he, whether individually or jointly with his spouse, has a net worth in excess of US$1,000,000 and that he consents to being treated as a professional investor.
Canada
Resale Restrictions
The distribution of ADSs in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the ADSs in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the ADSs.
Representations of Canadian Purchasers
| By purchasing ADSs in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that: |
| the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the ADSs without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an accredited investor as defined under National Instrument 45-106Prospectus Exemptions; |
| the purchaser is a permitted client as defined in National Instrument 31-103Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations; |
| where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent; and |
| the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions. |
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Conflicts of Interest
Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the underwriters are relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.
Statutory Rights of Action
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the offering memorandum (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Enforcement of Legal Rights
All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Canadian purchasers of ADSs should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the ADSs in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the ADSs for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.
Cayman Islands
This prospectus does not constitute an invitation or offer to the public in the Cayman Islands of the ADSs whether by way of sale or subscription. The underwriters have not offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any ADSs in the Cayman Islands.
Dubai International Financial Center
This document relates to an exempt offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority. This document is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in those rules. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The Dubai Financial Services Authority has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with exempt offers. The Dubai Financial Services Authority has not approved this document nor taken steps to verify the information set out in it, and has no responsibility for it. The ADSs which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this document may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the ADSs offered should conduct their own due diligence on the ADSs. If you do not understand the contents of this document you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a Relevant Member State), each underwriter represents and agrees that with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State, it has not
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made and will not make an offer of ADSs which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus to the public in that Relevant Member State other than:
| to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive; |
| to fewer than 100 or, if the Relevant Member State has implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or |
| in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, provided that no such offer of ADSs shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.. |
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in relation to any ADSs in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the ADSs to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the ADSs, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, the expression Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State and the expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.
United Kingdom
Each of the underwriters severally represents warrants and agrees as follows:
| it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of the ADSs in circumstances in which Section 21 of the FSMA does not apply to us; and |
| it has complied with, and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the ADSs in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom. |
France
Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the ADSs described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or of the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The ADSs have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the ADSs has been or will be:
| to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive; |
| to fewer than 100 or, if the relevant member state has implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant Dealer or Dealers nominated by us for any such offer; |
| in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive; |
| released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or |
| used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the ADSs to the public in France. |
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Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:
| to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint dinvestisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with articles L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier; |
| to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or |
| in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1°-or-2°-or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à lépargne). |
The ADSs may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.
Germany
This prospectus does not constitute a Prospectus Directive-compliant prospectus in accordance with the German Securities Prospectus Act (Wertpapierprospektgesetz) and does therefore not allow any public offering in the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany) or any other Relevant Member State pursuant to § 17 and § 18 of the German Securities Prospectus Act. No action has been or will be taken in Germany that would permit a public offering of the ADSs, or distribution of a prospectus or any other offering material relating to the ADSs. In particular, no securities prospectus (Wertpapierprospekt) within the meaning of the German Securities Prospectus Act or any other applicable laws of Germany, has been or will be published within Germany, nor has this prospectus been filed with or approved by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht) for publication within Germany.
Each underwriter will represent, agree and undertake, (i) that it has not offered, sold or delivered and will not offer, sell or deliver the ADSs within Germany other than in accordance with the German Securities Prospectus Act (Wertpapierprospektgesetz) and any other applicable laws in Germany governing the issue, sale and offering of ADSs, and (ii) that it will distribute in Germany any offering material relating to the ADSs only under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of Germany.
This prospectus is strictly for use of the person who has received it. It may not be forwarded to other persons or published in Germany.
Hong Kong
The ADSs may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) to professional investors as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance, or (ii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a prospectus as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance. No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the ADSs may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to ADSs which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to professional investors as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance.
Israel
This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus is being distributed only
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to, and is directed only at, investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters purchasing for their own account, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and qualified individuals, each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors. Qualified investors may be required to submit written confirmation that they meet the criteria for one of the categories of investors set forth in the prospectus.
Italy
The offering of ADSs has not been registered with the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) pursuant to Italian securities legislation and, accordingly, no ADSs may be offered, sold or delivered, nor copies of this prospectus or any other documents relating to the ADSs may not be distributed in Italy except:
| to qualified investors, as referred to in Article 100 of Legislative Decree No. 58 of 24 February 1998, as amended (the Decree No. 58) and defined in Article 26, paragraph 1, letter d) of CONSOB Regulation No. 16190 of 29 October 2007, as amended (Regulation No. 16190) pursuant to Article 34-ter, paragraph 1, letter b) of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of 14 May 1999, as amended (Regulation No. 11971); or |
| in any other circumstances where an express exemption from compliance with the offer restrictions applies, as provided under Decree No. 58 or Regulation No. 11971. |
Any offer, sale or delivery of the ADSs or distribution of copies of this prospectus or any other documents relating to the ADSs in the Republic of Italy must be:
| made by investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in the Republic of Italy in accordance with Legislative Decree No. 385 of 1 September 1993, as amended (the Banking Law), Decree No. 58 and Regulation No. 16190 and any other applicable laws and regulations; |
| in compliance with Article 129 of the Banking Law, and the implementing guidelines of the Bank of Italy, as amended; and |
| in compliance with any other applicable notification requirement or limitation which may be imposed, from time to time, by CONSOB or the Bank of Italy or other competent authority. |
Please note that, in accordance with Article 100-bis of Decree No. 58, where no exemption from the rules on public offerings applies, the subsequent distribution of the ADSs on the secondary market in Italy must be made in compliance with the public offer and the prospectus requirement rules provided under Decree No. 58 and Regulation No. 11971.
Furthermore, ADSs which are initially offered and placed in Italy or abroad to qualified investors only but in the following year are regularly (sistematicamente) distributed on the secondary market in Italy to non- qualified investors become subject to the public offer and the prospectus requirement rules provided under Decree No. 58 and Regulation No. 11971. Failure to comply with such rules may result in the sale of the ADSs being declared null and void and in the liability of the intermediary transferring the ADSs for any damages suffered by such non-qualified investors.
Japan
The ADSs have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in
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Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, Japanese Person shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
Kuwait
Unless all necessary approvals from the Kuwait Ministry of Commerce and Industry required by Law No. 31/1990 Regulating the Negotiation of Securities and Establishment of Investment Funds, its Executive Regulations and the various Ministerial Orders issued pursuant thereto or in connection therewith, have been given in relation to the marketing and sale of the ADSs, these may not be marketed, offered for sale, nor sold in the State of Kuwait. Neither this prospectus (including any related document), nor any of the information contained therein is intended to lead to the conclusion of any contract of whatsoever nature within Kuwait.
China
This prospectus has not been and will not be circulated or distributed in China, and the ADSs may not be offered or sold, and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to any PRC resident or to persons for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, to any PRC resident except pursuant to applicable PRC laws and regulations.
Qatar
The ADSs have not been and will not be offered, sold or delivered at any time, directly or indirectly, in the State of Qatar (Qatar) in a manner that would constitute a public offering. This prospectus has not been reviewed or approved by or registered with the Qatar Central Bank, the Qatar Exchange or the Qatar Financial Markets Authority. This prospectus is strictly private and confidential, and may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose, nor provided to any person other than the recipient thereof.
Saudi Arabia
This prospectus may not be distributed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia except to such persons as are permitted under the Offers of Securities Regulations issued by the Capital Market Authority. The Capital Market Authority does not make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this prospectus, and expressly disclaims any liability whatsoever for any loss arising from, or incurred in reliance upon, any part of this prospectus. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered hereby should conduct their own due diligence on the accuracy of the information relating to the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
Switzerland
This document is not intended to constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or invest in the ADSs described herein. The ADSs may not be publicly offered, sold or advertised, directly or indirectly, in, into or from Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange or on any other exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the ADSs constitutes a prospectus as such term is understood pursuant to article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange or any other regulated trading facility in Switzerland, and neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the ADSs may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, nor our company nor the ADSs have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. The ADSs are not
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subject to the supervision by any Swiss regulatory authority, e.g., the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and investors in the ADSs will not benefit from protection or supervision by such authority.
Taiwan
The ADSs have not been and will not be registered or filed with, or approved by, the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan pursuant to relevant securities laws and regulations and may not be offered or sold in Taiwan through a public offering or in circumstances which constitute an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of Taiwan or relevant laws and regulations that require a registration, filing or approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan. No person or entity in Taiwan has been authorized to offer or sell the ADSs in Taiwan.
United Arab Emirates (Excluding the Dubai International Financial Center)
The ADSs have not been, and are not being, publicly offered, sold, promoted or advertised in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) other than in compliance with the laws of the U.A.E. Prospective investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre should have regard to the specific selling restrictions on prospective investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre set out below.
The information contained in this prospectus does not constitute a public offer of ADSs in the U.A.E. in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law (Federal Law No. 8 of 1984 of the U.A.E., as amended) or otherwise and is not intended to be a public offer. This prospectus has not been approved by or filed with the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority or the Dubai Financial Services Authority, or DFSA. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus, you should consult an authorized financial advisor. This prospectus is provided for the benefit of the recipient only, and should not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person.
Singapore
This prospectus has not been and will not be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the ADSs may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the ADSs be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to any person in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the Securities and Futures Act (Chapter 289) of Singapore, as modified or amended from time to time (the SFA)) pursuant to Section 274 of the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA) pursuant to Section 275(1) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.
Where the ADSs are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
(a) | a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or |
(b) | a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, |
securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred
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within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the ADSs pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:
(1) | to an institutional investor or to a relevant person, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; |
(2) | where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; |
(3) | where the transfer is by operation of law; |
(4) | as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or |
(5) | as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018. |
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EXPENSES RELATED TO THE OFFERING
Set forth below is an itemization of the total expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, that we expect to incur in connection with this offering. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, filing fee, and the NYSE application and listing fee, all amounts are estimates.
Estimated Expenses | ||
SEC Registration Fee |
US$ | |
FINRA Filing Fee |
US$ | |
NYSE Application and Listing Fee |
US$ | |
Printing and Engraving Expenses |
US$ | |
Legal Fees and Expenses |
US$ | |
Accounting Fees and Expenses |
US$ | |
Miscellaneous |
US$ | |
| ||
Total |
US$ | |
|
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We are being represented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities and New York State law. The underwriters are being represented by Kirkland & Ellis International LLP with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities and New York State law. The validity of the Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs offered in this offering and other certain legal matters as to Cayman Islands law will be passed upon for us by Travers Thorp Alberga. Certain legal matters as to Singapore law will be passed upon for us by Clifford Chance Pte. Ltd. Certain legal matters as to Hong Kong law will be passed upon for us by Justin Chow & Co. Solicitors LLP. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP may rely upon Travers Thorp Alberga with respect to matters governed by Cayman Islands law, Clifford Chance Pte. Ltd. with respect to matters governed by Singapore law, and Justin Chow & Co. Solicitors LLP with respect to matters governed by Hong Kong law. Kirkland & Ellis International LLP may rely upon Clifford Chance Pte. Ltd. with respect to matters governed by Singapore law and Justin Chow & Co. Solicitors LLP with respect to matters governed by Hong Kong law.
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The financial statements as of April 30, 2019 and 2020 and for each of the two years in the period ended April 30, 2020 included in this prospectus have been audited by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report appearing herein (such report expresses an unqualified opinion on the financial statements and includes an emphasis of a matter paragraph noting that the financial statements may not necessarily be indicative of the conditions that would have existed or the results of operations and cashflows if AMTD Digital, Inc. had operated as a stand-alone group during the periods presented). Such financial statements are included in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
The offices of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu are located at the 35/F, One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement on Form F-1, including relevant exhibits, with the SEC under the Securities Act with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs to be sold in this offering. We have also filed a related registration statement on Form F-6 with the SEC to register the ADSs. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement on Form F-1, does not contain all of the information contained in the registration statement. You should read our registration statements and their exhibits and schedules for further information with respect to us and our ADSs.
Immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form F-1 of which this prospectus forms a part, we will become subject to periodic reporting and other information requirements of the Exchange Act as applicable to foreign private issuers. Accordingly, we are required to file reports, including annual reports on Form 20-F, and other information with the SEC. All information filed with the SEC can be obtained over the internet at the SECs website at www.sec.gov or inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of documents, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. However, we intend to furnish the depositary with our annual reports, which will include a review of operations and annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared under IFRS, and all notices of shareholders meetings and other reports and communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will make such notices, reports and communications available to holders of ADSs and, if we so request, will mail to all record holders of ADSs the information contained in any notice of a shareholders meeting received by the depositary from us.
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AMTD DIGITAL INC.
INDEX TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
INDEX TO THE UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Pages | ||||
F-45 | ||||
F-46 | ||||
F-47 | ||||
F-48 | ||||
Notes to Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements |
F-49 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of AMTD Digital Inc.:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of financial positions of AMTD Digital Inc. and its subsidiaries (the Company) as of April 30, 2019 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of April 30, 2019 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, in conformity with the International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
Emphasis of a Matter
The accompanying consolidated financial statements were prepared to present the assets and liabilities and related results of operations and cash flows of the Company, and include expense allocations for certain corporate functions historically provided by AMTD Group Company Limited. These consolidated financial statements may not necessarily be indicative of the conditions that would have existed or the results of operations and cash flows if the Company had operated as a stand-alone group during the periods presented.
Basis for Opinion
The consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Companys management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Certified Public Accountants
Hong Kong, China
April 16, 2021
We have served as the Companys auditor since 2021.
F-2
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$), except for share and per share data)
Year ended April 30, |
||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||||||
Notes | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||
Revenue from contracts with customers |
6 | 14,554 | 167,547 | |||||||||
Employee benefits expense |
(9,169 | ) | (15,168 | ) | ||||||||
Premises and office expenses |
(1,541 | ) | (4,737 | ) | ||||||||
Legal and professional fee |
(2,650 | ) | (1,952 | ) | ||||||||
Other expenses |
(672 | ) | (1,649 | ) | ||||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at fair value through profit
or |
8 | 19,319 | 43,592 | |||||||||
Other income |
9 | 252 | | |||||||||
Other gains and losses |
10 | 2,058 | (5,586 | ) | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Profit before tax |
22,151 | 182,047 | ||||||||||
Income tax expense |
11 | (607 | ) | (23,715 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Profit and total comprehensive income for the year |
12 | 21,544 | 158,332 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
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Profit and total comprehensive income attributable to: |
||||||||||||
-Owners of the Company |
17,601 | 151,362 | ||||||||||
-Non-controlling interests |
3,943 | 6,970 | ||||||||||
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|||||||||
21,544 | 158,332 | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Earnings per share |
13 | |||||||||||
-Basic |
0.48 | 3.77 | ||||||||||
-Diluted |
N/A | 3.77 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
F-3
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION
(All amounts in thousands of HK$)
Notes | As of April 30, | |||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||||||
Non-current assets: |
||||||||||||
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss |
14 | 183,538 | 208,696 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||||||
Accounts receivable |
15 | 17,089 | 11,064 | |||||||||
Prepayments and other receivables |
15 | 22,121 | 41,197 | |||||||||
Amount due from immediate holding company |
22 | 1,740,393 | 2,352,472 | |||||||||
Amounts due from fellow subsidiaries |
22 | 3,570,417 | 764,140 | |||||||||
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss |
14 | 335,311 | | |||||||||
Income tax recoverable |
1,161 | | ||||||||||
Fiduciary bank balances |
17,015 | 21,283 | ||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
5,764 | 196,210 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total current assets |
5,709,271 | 3,386,366 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total assets |
5,892,809 | 3,595,062 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES |
||||||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Clients monies held on trust |
3,181 | 10,045 | ||||||||||
Accounts payable |
16 | 986 | 51 | |||||||||
Other payables and accruals |
16 | 20,228 | 374 | |||||||||
Contract liabilities |
17 | 367 | 35,722 | |||||||||
Income tax payable |
94 | 22,638 | ||||||||||
Amount due to immediate holding company |
22 | 3,202,600 | 281,282 | |||||||||
Amounts due to fellow subsidiaries |
22 | 2,543,239 | 1,945,520 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total current liabilities |
5,770,695 | 2,295,632 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Non-current liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Contract liabilities |
17 | | 25,276 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total liabilities |
5,770,695 | 2,320,908 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Capital and reserves: |
||||||||||||
Parents net investments |
95,004 | | ||||||||||
Share capital |
18 | | 38 | |||||||||
Reserves |
| 1,274,116 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Equity attributable to owners of the Company |
95,004 | 1,274,154 | ||||||||||
Non-controlling interests |
19 | 27,110 | | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total equity |
122,114 | 1,274,154 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total equity and liabilities |
5,892,809 | 3,595,062 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
F-4
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
(All amounts in thousands of HK$)
Attributable to owners of the Company | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parents net investments |
Share capital |
Share premium |
Other reserve |
Retained earnings |
Equity | Non- controlling interests |
Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
At May 1, 2018 |
77,403 | | | | | 77,403 | 23,167 | 100,570 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Profit and total comprehensive income for the year |
17,601 | | | | | 17,601 | 3,943 | 21,544 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
At April 30, 2019 |
95,004 | | | | | 95,004 | 27,110 | 122,114 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Acquisition of non-controlling interests of subsidiaries (note 19) |
34,080 | | | | | 34,080 | (34,080 | ) | | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Reorganization effect |
(129,084 | ) | 29 | | 129,084 | | 29 | | 29 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercise of warrants (note 18 (iv)) |
| 1 | 95,633 | | | 95,634 | | 95,634 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of shares (note 18 (v)) |
| 8 | 898,037 | | | 898,045 | | 898,045 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Profit and total comprehensive income for the year |
| | | | 151,362 | 151,362 | 6,970 | 158,332 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
At April 30, 2020 |
| 38 | 993,670 | 129,084 | 151,362 | 1,274,154 | | 1,274,154 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
F-5
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(All amounts in thousands of HK$)
Year ended April 30, | ||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
OPERATING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||
Profit before tax |
22,151 | 182,047 | ||||||
Adjustments for: |
||||||||
Other interest income |
(175) | | ||||||
Recovery of accounts receivable written off |
(926) | | ||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets at fair value through profit or loss |
(19,319) | (43,592) | ||||||
Change in fair value on derivative financial liabilities |
| 5,929 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Operating cash flows before movements in working capital |
1,731 | 144,384 | ||||||
Decrease (increase) in fiduciary bank balances |
653 | (4,268) | ||||||
(Increase) decrease in accounts receivable |
(4,252) | 6,025 | ||||||
Decrease in prepayments and other receivables |
28,059 | 952 | ||||||
Increase in clients monies held on trust |
1,606 | 6,864 | ||||||
Decrease in accounts payable |
(133) | (935) | ||||||
(Decrease) increase in other payables and accruals |
(5,336) | 112 | ||||||
Increase in contract liabilities |
367 | 60,631 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Cash generated from operations |
22,695 | 213,765 | ||||||
Profits tax refunded (paid) |
1,861 | (10) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net cash generated from operating activities |
24,556 | 213,755 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
INVESTING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||
Additions of financial assets at fair value through profit or loss |
(164,823) | | ||||||
Proceeds from disposal of financial assets at fair value through profit or loss |
86,011 | 318,059 | ||||||
Interest received |
175 | | ||||||
Advance to a third party |
(15,658) | | ||||||
Repayment from a third party |
| 15,658 | ||||||
Advance to immediate holding company |
(117,157) | (682,660) | ||||||
Repayment from immediate holding company |
36,664 | 320,549 | ||||||
Advance to fellow subsidiaries |
(4,329,709) | (1,155,271) | ||||||
Repayment from fellow subsidiaries |
1,433,028 | 509,165 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(3,071,469) | (674,500) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
FINANCING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||
Advance from immediate holding company |
2,799,063 | 108,427 | ||||||
Repayment to immediate holding company |
(223,425) | (212,820) | ||||||
Advance from fellow subsidiaries |
1,150,059 | 65,734 | ||||||
Repayment to fellow subsidiaries |
(1,063,040) | (277,963) | ||||||
Advance from a former fellow subsidiary |
19,966 | | ||||||
Repayment to a former fellow subsidiary |
| (19,966) | ||||||
Proceeds from issue of shares |
| 898,074 | ||||||
Proceeds from issue of warrants |
| 11,742 | ||||||
Proceeds from exercise of warrants |
| 77,963 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net cash from financing activities |
2,682,623 | 651,191 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents |
(364,290) | 190,446 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year |
370,054 | 5,764 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year |
5,764 | 196,210 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Represented by: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
5,764 | 196,210 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
F-6
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
1. | GENERAL |
AMTD Digital Inc. (the Company) was incorporated and registered as an exempted company with limited liability in the Cayman Islands under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands on September 12, 2019. The Company, through its subsidiaries (collectively, the Group), is mainly involved in the provision of insurance brokerage services and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services under the digital financial services and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segments, and digital investment activities. The Group also invests in innovative technology companies.
The immediate holding company of the Company is AMTD Group Company Limited (AMTD Group), a private company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The Companys ultimate holding company is L.R. Capital Management Company (Cayman) Limited, a private company incorporated in the Cayman Islands.
The consolidated financial statements are presented in HK$, which is the same as the functional currency of the Company.
As of April 30, 2019 and 2020, the Groups principal subsidiaries consist of the followings:
Name of principal |
Date of |
Place of |
Issued and |
Percentage of shareholdings at April 30 |
Principal activities | |||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | |||||||||||||||
AMTD Risk Solutions Group Limited (AMTD RSG) |
August 13, 2004 | Hong Kong | HK$200,000 | 100 | % | 79.13 | % | Provision of digital financial services and SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services | ||||||||
AMTD Digital Media Limited (AMTD DM) (formerly known as AMTD Strategic Capital Limited) |
August 13, 2004 | Hong Kong | HK$1 | 100 | % | 100 | % | Provision of SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services | ||||||||
AMTD Principal Investment Solutions Group Limited (AMTD PISG) |
July 27, 2016 | BVI | US$1 | 100 | % | 79.13 | % | Investment holding | ||||||||
AMTD Direct Investment I Limited (AMTD DI I) |
August 29, 2018 | BVI | US$1 | 100 | % | 100 | % | Investment holding | ||||||||
AMTD Biomedical Investment Limited (AMTD BI) |
July 28, 2017 | BVI | US$1 | 100 | % | 100 | % | Investment holding |
All of the principal subsidiaries operate predominantly in Hong Kong.
The above table lists the subsidiaries of the Group which principally affected the results or net assets of the Group.
F-7
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
2. | GROUP REORGANIZATION |
Reorganization under common control
Prior to the group reorganization, AMTD Group, the controlling shareholder of the Company, held 79.13% of the shareholdings of AMTD Risk Solutions Limited (AMTD RS), AMTD RSG, a wholly owned subsidiary of AMTD RS, AMTD Investment Solutions Limited (AMTD IS) and AMTD PISG, a wholly owned subsidiary of AMTD IS, through AMTD Strategic Capital Group (AMTD SCG). In December 2019, AMTD Group acquired the remaining 20.87% equity interests in AMTD SCG from non-controlling shareholders and AMTD RS, AMTD RSG, AMTD IS and AMTD PISG became wholly-owned subsidiaries of the AMTD Group. A series of reorganization steps were undertaken to establish the Company as the holding company of the subsidiaries, now comprising the Group, for the purpose of initial public offering (the Reorganization).
The Reorganization was executed as follows:
1. | The Company was incorporated on September 12, 2019 by issuing 1 share to AMTD Group. The Company then incorporated AMTD Digital Financial Holdings Limited (AMTD DFH), AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited (AMTD DMH) and AMTD Digital Investments Holdings Limited (AMTD DIH) on October 22, 2019. In December 2019, the Company effected a 1-to-10,000 share split (please see note 18(ii) for more information); |
2. | In December 2019, AMTD Group transferred its equity interest in (i) AMTD RS to AMTD DFH; (ii) AMTD DM to AMTD DMH; and (iii) AMTD DI I, AMTD Direct Investment III Limited (AMTD DI III), AMTD BI and AMTD IS to AMTD DIH. |
Upon the completion of the Reorganization, the Company became the holding company of the subsidiaries now comprising the Group. As AMTD RS, AMTD RSG, AMTD DM, AMTD DI I, AMTD DI III, AMTD BI, AMTD IS, AMTD PISG and the Company were controlled by AMTD Group, immediately before and after the Reorganization, the Reorganization was accounted for as a reorganization of entities under common control. As a result, the consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020 represent historical consolidated financial statements as if the corporate structure of the Group had been in existence since the beginning of the periods presented and the financial statement items of the combining entities had been combined from the date when the combining entities first came under the control of the controlling party. The net assets of the combining entities are consolidated using the existing book values from the controlling partys perspective. No amount is recognized in respect of goodwill or excess of bargain purchase gain at the time of common control combination. The consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income includes the results of each of the combining entities from the earliest date presented or since the date when the combining entities first came under the common control, where this is a shorter period.
For the period prior to the reorganization, the accompanying consolidated financial statements include allocations of various general administrative expenses of AMTD Group which related to the Groups business. These expenses consist primarily of payroll of senior management and other administrative expenses. These allocations were made using a proportionate cost allocation method. The payroll expenses were allocated based on the actual time spent on the provision of services attributable to the Group and the other administrative expenses were allocated based on the proportion of revenue and actual usage among each business of AMTD Group. The management believes these allocations are reasonable. Total expenses allocated from AMTD Group to the Group are HK$417 and HK$7,897 for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, respectively.
F-8
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
3. | ADOPTION OF NEW FINANCIAL REPORTING FRAMEWORK AND NEW AND REVISED STANDARDS IN ISSUE BUT NOT YET EFFECTIVE |
For the purpose of preparing and presenting the consolidated financial statements for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, the Group has adopted the relevant new and amendments to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), and the related interpretations issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which are effective for the accounting period beginning on May 1, 2019 (the new and revised IFRSs).
New and revised IFRS Standards in issue but not yet effective
The Group has not early applied the following new and amendments to IFRSs and International Accounting Standards (IASs) that have been issued but are not yet effective:
IFRS 17 | Insurance Contracts and the related Amendments1 | |
Amendment to IFRS 16 | Covid-19-Related Rent Concessions6 | |
Amendment to IFRS 16 |
Covid-19-Related Rent Concessions beyond June 30, 20218 | |
Amendments to IFRS 3 | Definition of a Business2 | |
Amendments to IFRS 3 | Reference to the Conceptual Framework5 | |
Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39, IFRS 7, IFRS 4 and IFRS 16 |
Interest Rate Benchmark Reform Phase 27 | |
Amendments to IFRS 10 and IAS 28 | Sale or Contribution of Assets between an Investor and its Associate or Joint Venture3 | |
Amendments to IAS 1 | Classification of Liabilities as Current or Non-current1 | |
Amendments to IAS 1 and IFRS Practice Statement 2 |
Disclosure of Accounting Policies1 | |
Amendments to IAS 8 | Definition of Accounting Estimates1 | |
Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8 | Definition of Material4 | |
Amendments to IAS 16 | Property, Plant and Equipment: Proceeds before Intended Use5 | |
Amendments to IAS 37 | Onerous Contracts Cost of Fulfilling a Contract5 | |
Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39 and IFRS 7 | Interest Rate Benchmark Reform4 | |
Amendments to IFRS Standards | Annual Improvements to IFRS Standards 2018-20205 |
1 | Effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2023 |
2 | Effective for business combinations and asset acquisitions for which the acquisition date is on or after the beginning of the first annual period beginning on or after January 1, 2020 |
3 | Effective for annual periods beginning on or after a date to be determined |
4 | Effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2020 |
5 | Effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2022 |
6 | Effective for annual periods beginning on or after June 1, 2020 |
7 | Effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2021 |
8 | Effective for annual periods beginning on or after April 1, 2021 |
F-9
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
3. | ADOPTION OF NEW FINANCIAL REPORTING FRAMEWORK AND NEW AND REVISED STANDARDS IN ISSUE BUT NOT YET EFFECTIVE(CONTINUED) |
New and revised IFRS Standards in issue but not yet effective(Continued)
In addition to the above new and amendments to IFRS Standards, a revised Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting was issued in 2018. Its consequential amendments, the Amendments to References to the Conceptual Framework in IFRS Standards, will be effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2020.
Except for the amendments to IFRSs mentioned below, the directors of the Company anticipate that application of all other new and amendments to IFRSs will have no material impact on the Groups financial position and financial performance when they become effective.
Amendments to IFRS 3 Definition of a Business
The amendments:
| add an optional concentration test that permits a simplified assessment of whether an acquired set of activities and assets is not a business. The election on whether to apply the optional concentration test is available on transaction-by-transaction basis; |
| clarify that to be considered a business, an acquired set of activities and assets must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs; and |
| narrow the definitions of a business and of outputs by focusing on goods and services provided to customers and by removing the reference to an ability to reduce costs. |
The Group will apply the amendments prospectively to all business combinations and asset acquisitions for which the acquisition date is on or after the annual reporting period beginning on or after May 1, 2020.
Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8 Definition of Material
The amendments provide refinements to the definition of material by including additional guidance and explanations in making materiality judgments. In particular, the amendments:
| include the concept of obscuring material information in which the effect is similar to omitting or misstating the information; |
| replace threshold for materiality influencing users from could influence to could reasonably be expected to influence; and |
| include the use of the phrase primary users rather than simply referring to users which was considered too broad when deciding what information to disclose in the financial statements. |
The amendments also align the definition across all IFRSs and will be mandatorily effective for the Groups annual period beginning on May 1, 2020. The application of the amendments is not expected to have significant impact on the financial position and performance of the Group but may affect the presentation and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements.
F-10
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
3. | ADOPTION OF NEW FINANCIAL REPORTING FRAMEWORK AND NEW AND REVISED STANDARDS IN ISSUE BUT NOT YET EFFECTIVE(CONTINUED) |
New and revised IFRS Standards in issue but not yet effective(Continued)
Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2018 (the New Framework) and the Amendments to References to the Conceptual Framework in IFRS Standards
The New Framework:
| reintroduces the terms stewardship and prudence; |
| introduces a new asset definition that focuses on rights and a new liability definition that is likely to be broader than the definition it replaces, but does not change the distinction between a liability and an equity instrument; |
| discusses historical cost and current value measures, and provides additional guidance on how to select a measurement basis for a particular asset or liability; |
| states that the primary measure of financial performance is profit or loss, and that only in exceptional circumstances other comprehensive income will be used and only for income or expenses that arise from a change in the current value of an asset or liability; and |
| discusses uncertainty, derecognition, unit of account, the reporting entity and combined financial statements. |
Consequential amendments have been made so that references in certain IFRSs have been updated to the New Framework, whilst some IFRSs are still referred to the previous versions of the framework. These amendments are effective for the Groups annual period beginning on or after May 1, 2020. Other than specific standards which still refer to the previous versions of the framework, the Group will rely on the New Framework on its effective date in determining the accounting policies especially for transactions, events or conditions that are not otherwise dealt with under the accounting standards.
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
4.1 | Basis of preparation of consolidated financial statements |
Through the Reorganization, the Company became the holding company of the contributed businesses now comprising the Group, which were under the common control of the controlling shareholder before and after the Reorganization. Accordingly, the financial statements were prepared on a consolidated basis by applying the principles of the pooling of interest method as if the Reorganization had been completed at the beginning of the reporting period.
The consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income, consolidated statements of changes in equity and consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020 include the results, changes in equity and cash flows of the companies comprising the Group as if the Company had always been the holding company of the Group and the current group structure had been in existence throughout years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, or since their respective dates of incorporation, where this is a shorter period.
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs issued by the IASB.
F-11
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.1 | Basis of preparation of consolidated financial statements(Continued) |
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis except for certain financial instruments that are measured at fair values at the end of each reporting period, as explained in the accounting policies set out below. The consolidated financial statements are presented in Hong Kong Dollars (HK$) unless otherwise stated.
4.2 | Significant accounting policies |
(a) | Basis of consolidation |
The consolidated financial statements incorporate the financial statements of the Company and entities controlled by the Company and its subsidiaries. Control is achieved when the Company:
| has power over the investee; |
| is exposed, or has rights, to variable returns from its involvement with the investee; and |
| has the ability to use its power to affect its returns. |
The Group reassesses whether or not it controls an investee if facts and circumstances indicate that there are changes to one or more of the three elements of control listed above.
Consolidation of a subsidiary begins when the Group obtains control over the subsidiary and ceases when the Group loses control of the subsidiary. Specifically, income and expenses of a subsidiary acquired or disposed of during the reporting period are included in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income from the date the Group gains control until the date when the Group ceases to control the subsidiary.
Profit or loss and each item of other comprehensive income are attributed to the owners of the Company and to the non-controlling interests shareholders. Total comprehensive income of subsidiaries is attributed to the owners of the Company and to the non-controlling interests even if this results in the non-controlling interests having a deficit balance.
When necessary, adjustments are made to the financial statements of subsidiaries to bring their accounting policies in line with the Groups accounting policies.
All intragroup assets and liabilities, equity, income, expenses and cash flows relating to transactions between members of the Group are eliminated in full on consolidation.
Non-controlling interests in subsidiaries are presented separately from the Groups equity therein, which represent present ownership interests entitling their holders to a proportionate share of net assets of the relevant subsidiaries upon liquidation.
Changes in the Groups interests in existing subsidiaries
Changes in the Groups interests in subsidiaries that do not result in the Group losing control over the subsidiaries are accounted for as equity transactions. The carrying amounts of the Groups relevant components of equity and the non-controlling interests are adjusted to reflect the changes in their relative interests in the subsidiaries.
F-12
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(a) | Basis of consolidation(Continued) |
Changes in the Groups interests in existing subsidiaries(Continued)
Any difference between the amount by which the non-controlling interests are adjusted, and the fair value of the consideration paid or received is recognized directly in equity and attributed to owners of the Company.
(b) | Fair value measurement |
The Group measures its derivative financial instruments and equity investment at fair value through profit and loss at the end of each reporting period. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date, regardless of whether that price is directly observable or estimated using another valuation technique. In estimating the fair value of an asset or a liability, the Group takes into account the characteristics of the asset or liability if market participants would take those characteristics into account when pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date.
For financial instruments which are transacted at fair value and a valuation technique that unobservable inputs are to be used to measure fair value in subsequent periods, the valuation technique is calibrated so that at initial recognition the results of the valuation technique equals the transaction price.
In addition, for financial reporting purposes, fair value measurements are categorized into Level 1, 2 or 3 based on the degree to which the inputs to the fair value measurements are observable and the significance of the inputs to the fair value measurement in its entirety, which are described as follows:
| Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity can access at the measurement date; |
| Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1, that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly; and |
| Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. |
For assets and liabilities that are recognized at fair value in the consolidated financial statements on a recurring basis, the Group determines whether transfers have occurred between levels in the hierarchy by reassessing categorization (based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement as a whole) at the end of each reporting period.
(c) | Revenue from contracts with customers |
Revenue are derived from the commissions and fees from the insurance brokerage services and membership fee from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services.
Insurance Brokerage Services
The Group earns commission income by facilitating the arrangement between insurance company partners and individuals/businesses. The service promised to the customer is placement of an effective insurance or reinsurance policy. Commission revenue are usually a percentage of the premium paid by the insured and generally depend upon the type of insurance, the insurance company partner and the nature of the services provided. Revenue is recognized at a point in time upon execution and effectiveness of insurance contracts. The Group allows a credit period of 15 days to its customers.
F-13
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(Continued) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(c) | Revenue from contracts with customers(Continued) |
SpiderNet Ecosystem Solutions Services
The Group provides its corporate clients exclusive access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem for a fixed membership fee negotiated on case by case basis and agreed upon entering the contract with each customer based on the level of annual fee include the depth of cooperation and relationship, expected spectrum of services required, expected near term and long-term benefits from participating in the SpiderNet ecosystem, and the relative bargaining power of respective customers taking into consideration the reputation, stage of growth, future revenue potential from other services which can be rendered, and other factors, under the SpiderNet Ecosystem Solutions Services segment, which provides its members networking opportunities with prestigious corporate members, prominent business executives and partners. Contract terms generally ranged from 2 months to 3 years with a weighted average contract terms of 7.6 months and 20.1 months for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Revenue from such service is recognized over time as the customers simultaneously receive and consumes the service provided by the Group. The Group generally requires customers to provide partial upfront payments of total service fees. Upfront payment is due immediately at the point the customer entered into the service contracts. The remaining payments will be settled according to the repayment schedules stated in the service contracts. The Group allows no credit period to its customers for the demand note issued in accordance with the repayment schedules. When the Group receives an upfront payment, this will give rise to contract liabilities at the time of the initial sales transaction for which revenue is recognized ratably over the membership service period.
A contract liability represents the Groups obligation to transfer goods or services to a customer for which the Group has received consideration (or an amount of consideration is due) from the customer.
(d) | Foreign currencies |
In preparing the financial statements of each individual group entity, transactions in currencies other than the functional currency of that entity (foreign currencies) are recognized at the rates of exchanges prevailing on the dates of the transactions. At the end of each reporting period, monetary items denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing at that date. Non- monetary items that are measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are not retranslated.
Exchange differences arising on the settlement of monetary items, and on the retranslation of monetary items, are recognized in profit or loss in the period in which they arise.
(e) | Employee benefits |
Retirement benefit costs
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit plans are recognized as an expense when employees have rendered service entitling them to the contributions.
Short-term employee benefits
Short-term employee benefits are recognized at the amount of the benefits expected to be paid as and when employees rendered the services. All short-term employee benefits are recognized as an expense unless another IFRS requires or permits the inclusion of the benefit in the cost of an asset.
F-14
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(e) | Employee benefits(Continued) |
Short-term employee benefits(Continued)
A liability is recognized for benefits accruing to employees (such as wages and salaries and annual leave) after deducting any amount already paid.
(f) | Taxation |
Income tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable and deferred tax.
The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from profit before tax because of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and items that are never taxable or deductible. The Groups liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the end of each reporting period.
Deferred tax is recognized on temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and the corresponding tax bases used in the computation of taxable profit. Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognized for all taxable temporary differences. Deferred tax assets are generally recognized for all deductible temporary differences to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits will be available against which those deductible temporary differences can be utilized. Such deferred tax assets and liabilities are not recognized if the temporary difference arises from the initial recognition (other than in a business combination) of assets and liabilities in a transaction that affects neither the taxable profit nor the accounting profit. In addition, deferred tax liabilities are not recognized if the temporary difference arises from the initial recognition of goodwill.
Deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences associated with investments in subsidiaries, except where the Group is able to control the reversal of the temporary difference and it is probable that the temporary difference will not reverse in the foreseeable future. Deferred tax assets arising from deductible temporary differences associated with such investments are only recognized to the extent that it is probable that there will be sufficient taxable profits against which to utilize the benefits of the temporary differences and they are expected to reverse in the foreseeable future.
The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at the end of each reporting period and reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the period in which the liability is settled or the asset is realized, based on tax rate (and tax laws) that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period.
The measurement of deferred tax liabilities and assets reflects the tax consequences that would follow from the manner in which the Group expects, at the end of each reporting period, to recover or settle the carrying amount of its assets and liabilities.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a legally enforceable right to set off current tax assets against current tax liabilities and when they relate to income taxes levied to the same taxable entity by the same taxation authority.
F-15
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(f) | Taxation(Continued) |
Current and deferred tax are recognized in profit or loss.
(g) | Financial instruments |
Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognized when a group entity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. All purchases or sales of financial assets are recognized and derecognized on a trade date basis. Regular way purchases or sales are purchases or sales of financial assets that require delivery of assets within the time frame established by regulation or convention in the market place.
Financial assets and financial liabilities are initially measured at fair value except for accounts receivable arising from contracts with customers which are initially measured in accordance with IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Transaction costs that are directly attributable to the acquisition or issue of financial assets and financial liabilities (other than financial assets or financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL)) are added to or deducted from the fair value of the financial assets or financial liabilities, as appropriate, on initial recognition. Transaction costs directly attributable to the acquisition of financial assets or financial liabilities at FVTPL are recognized immediately in profit or loss.
The effective interest method is a method of calculating the amortized cost of a financial asset or financial liability and of allocating interest income and interest expense over the relevant period. The effective interest rate is the rate that exactly discounts estimated future cash receipts and payments (including all fees and points paid or received that form an integral part of the effective interest rate, transaction costs and other premiums or discounts) through the expected life of the financial asset or financial liability, or, where appropriate, a shorter period, to the net carrying amount on initial recognition.
Financial assets
The Groups financial assets consist of cash and cash equivalents, fiduciary bank balance, accounts and other receivables, amounts due from immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries, and financial asset at FVTPL.
Classification and subsequent measurement of financial assets
Financial assets that meet the following conditions are subsequently measured at amortized cost:
| the financial asset is held within a business model whose objective is to collect contractual cash flows; and |
| the contractual terms give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding. |
Financial assets that meet the following conditions are subsequently measured at fair value through other comprehensive income (FVTOCI):
| the financial asset is held within a business model whose objective is achieved by both selling and collecting contractual cash flows; and |
F-16
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(g) | Financial instruments(Continued) |
Financial assets(Continued)
Classification and subsequent measurement of financial assets(Continued)
| the contractual terms give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding. |
All other financial assets are subsequently measured at FVTPL.
A financial asset is held for trading if:
| it has been acquired principally for the purpose of selling in the near term; or |
| on initial recognition it is a part of a portfolio of identified financial instruments that the Group manages together and has a recent actual pattern of short-term profit-taking; or |
| it is a derivative that is not designated and effective as a hedging instrument. |
In addition, the Group may irrevocably designate a financial asset that are required to be measured at the amortized cost or FVTOCI as measured at FVTPL if doing so eliminates or significantly reduces an accounting mismatch.
(i) | Amortized cost and interest income |
Interest income is recognized using the effective interest method for financial assets measured subsequently at amortized cost. Interest income is calculated by applying the effective interest rate to the gross carrying amount of a financial asset, except for financial assets that have subsequently become credit-impaired. For financial assets that have subsequently become credit-impaired, interest income is recognized by applying the effective interest rate to the amortized cost of the financial asset from the next reporting period. If the credit risk on the credit-impaired financial instrument improves so that the financial asset is no longer credit-impaired, interest income is recognized by applying the effective interest rate to the gross carrying amount of the financial asset from the beginning of the reporting period following the determination that the asset is no longer credit-impaired.
(ii) | Financial assets at FVTPL |
Financial assets that do not meet the criteria for being measured at amortized cost or FVTOCI or designated as FVTOCI are measured at FVTPL.
Financial assets at FVTPL are measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period, with any fair value gains or losses recognized in profit or loss. The net gain or loss recognized in profit or loss includes any dividend or interest earned on the financial asset and is included in the changes in fair value on financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss line item.
Impairment of financial assets
The Group performs impairment assessment under expected credit loss (ECL) model on financial assets (including accounts receivable, other receivables, amounts due from immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries, fiduciary bank balances and bank balances) which are subject to impairment assessment under
F-17
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(g) | Financial instruments(Continued) |
Financial assets(Continued)
Impairment of financial assets(Continued)
IFRS 9. The amount of ECL is updated at each reporting date to reflect changes in credit risk since initial recognition.
Lifetime ECL represents the ECL that will result from all possible default events over the expected life of the relevant instrument. In contrast, 12-month ECL (12m ECL) represents the portion of lifetime ECL that is expected to result from default events that are possible within 12 months after the reporting date. Assessments are done based on the Groups historical credit loss experience, adjusted for factors that are specific to the debtors, general economic conditions and an assessment of both the current conditions at the reporting date as well as the forecast of future conditions.
The Group always recognizes lifetime ECL for accounts receivable.
For all other instruments, the Group measures the loss allowance equal to 12m ECL, unless there has been a significant increase in credit risk since initial recognition, in which case the Group recognizes lifetime ECL. The assessment of whether lifetime ECL should be recognized is based on significant increases in the likelihood or risk of a default occurring since initial recognition.
(i) | Significant increase in credit risk |
In assessing whether the credit risk has increased significantly since initial recognition, the Group compares the risk of a default occurring on the financial instrument as at the reporting date with the risk of a default occurring on the financial instrument as at the date of initial recognition. In making this assessment, the Group considers both quantitative and qualitative information that is reasonable and supportable, including historical experience and forward-looking information that is available without undue cost or effort.
In particular, the following information is taken into account when assessing whether credit risk has increased significantly:
| an actual or expected significant deterioration in the financial instruments external (if available) or internal credit rating; |
| significant deterioration in external market indicators of credit risk, e.g. a significant increase in the credit spread, the credit default swap prices for the debtor; |
| existing or forecast adverse changes in business, financial or economic conditions that are expected to cause a significant decrease in the debtors ability to meet its debt obligations; |
| an actual or expected significant deterioration in the operating results of the debtor; |
| an actual or expected significant adverse change in the regulatory, economic, or technological environment of the debtor that results in a significant decrease in the debtors ability to meet its debt obligations. |
F-18
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(g) | Financial instruments(Continued) |
Financial assets(Continued)
Impairment of financial assets(Continued)
Irrespective of the outcome of the above assessment, the Group presumes that the credit risk has increased significantly since initial recognition when contractual payments are more than 30 days past due, unless the Group has reasonable and supportable information that demonstrates otherwise.
Despite the aforegoing, the Group assumes that the credit risk on a debt instrument has not increased significantly since initial recognition if the debt instrument is determined to have low credit risk at the reporting date. A debt instrument is determined to have low credit risk if (i) it has a low risk of default, (ii) the borrower has a strong capacity to meet its contractual cash flow obligations in the near term and (iii) adverse changes in economic and business conditions in the longer term may, but will not necessarily, reduce the ability of the borrower to fulfill its contractual cash flow obligations. The Group considers a debt instrument to have low credit risk when it has an internal or external credit rating of investment grade as per globally understood definitions.
The Group regularly monitors the effectiveness of the criteria used to identify whether there has been a significant increase in credit risk and revises them as appropriate to ensure that the criteria are capable of identifying significant increase in credit risk before the amount becomes past due.
(ii) | Definition of default |
For internal credit risk management, the Group considers an event of default occurs when information developed internally or obtained from external sources indicates that the debtor is unlikely to pay its creditors, including the Group, in full (without taking into account any collaterals held by the Group).
Irrespective of the above, the Group considers that default has occurred when a financial asset is more than 90 days past due unless the Group has reasonable and supportable information to demonstrate that a more lagging default criterion is more appropriate.
(iii) | Credit-impaired financial assets |
A financial asset is credit-impaired when one or more events that have a detrimental impact on the estimated future cash flows of that financial asset have occurred. Evidence that a financial asset is credit-impaired includes observable data about the following events:
(a) | significant financial difficulty of the issuer or the borrower; |
(b) | a breach of contract, such as a default or past due event; |
(c) | the lender(s) of the borrower, for economic or contractual reasons relating to the borrowers financial difficulty, having granted to the borrower a concession(s) that the lender(s) would not otherwise consider; or |
F-19
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(g) | Financial instruments(Continued) |
Financial assets(Continued)
Impairment of financial assets(Continued)
(d) | it is becoming probable that the borrower will enter bankruptcy or other financial reorganization. |
(iv) | Write-off policy |
The Group writes off a financial asset when there is information indicating that the counterparty is in severe financial difficulty and there is no realistic prospect of recovery, for example, when the counterparty has been placed under liquidation or has entered into bankruptcy proceedings, or in the case of accounts receivable, when the amounts are over 3 years past due, whichever occurs sooner. Financial assets written off may still be subject to enforcement activities under the Groups recovery procedures, taking into account legal advice where appropriate. A write-off constitutes a derecognition event. Any subsequent recoveries are recognized in profit or loss and are included in other gains.
(v) | Measurement and recognition of ECL |
The measurement of ECL is a function of the probability of default, loss given default (i.e. the magnitude of the loss if there is a default) and the exposure at default. The assessment of the probability of default and loss given default is based on historical data and forward-looking information. Estimation of ECL reflects an unbiased and probability-weighted amount that is determined with the respective risks of default occurring as the weights. The Group uses a practical expedient in estimating ECL on commission receivables from insurance brokerage using a provision matrix taking into consideration historical credit loss experience, adjusted for forward looking information that is available without undue cost or effort.
Generally, the ECL is the difference between all contractual cash flows that are due to the Group in accordance with the contract and the cash flows that the Group expects to receive, discounted at the effective interest rate determined at initial recognition.
Lifetime ECL for certain commission receivables from insurance brokerage are considered on a collective basis taking into consideration past due information and relevant credit information such as forward looking macroeconomic information, including the recent local unemployment rate.
For collective assessment, the Group takes into consideration the following characteristics when formulating the grouping:
| Past-due status; |
| Nature, size and industry of debtors; and |
| External credit ratings where available. |
The grouping is regularly reviewed by management to ensure the constituents of each group continue to share similar credit risk characteristics.
F-20
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(g) | Financial instruments(Continued) |
Financial assets(Continued)
Impairment of financial assets(Continued)
Interest income is calculated based on the gross carrying amount of the financial asset unless the financial asset is credit-impaired, in which case interest income is calculated based on amortized cost of the financial asset.
The Group recognizes an impairment gain or loss in profit or loss for all financial instruments by adjusting their carrying amount, with the exception of accounts receivable where the corresponding adjustment is recognized through a loss allowance account.
Derecognition of financial assets
The Group derecognizes a financial asset only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, or when it transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the asset to another entity.
On derecognition of a financial asset measured at amortized cost, the difference between the assets carrying amount and the sum of the consideration received and receivable is recognized in profit or loss.
Financial liabilities and equity
The Groups financial liabilities include clients monies held on trust, accounts and other payable and amounts due to immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries.
Classification as debt or equity
Debt and equity instruments are classified as either financial liabilities or as equity in accordance with the substance of the contractual arrangements and the definitions of a financial liability and an equity instrument.
Equity instruments
An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of an entity after deducting all of its liabilities. Equity instruments issued by the Company are recognized at the proceeds received, net of direct issue costs.
Financial liabilities
All financial liabilities are subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method.
F-21
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES(CONTINUED) |
4.2 | Significant accounting policies(Continued) |
(g) | Financial instruments(Continued) |
Financial liabilities and equity(Continued)
Financial liabilities at amortized cost
Financial liabilities including amounts due to immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries, clients monies held on trust, accounts payable and other payables and accruals are subsequently measured at amortized cost, using the effective interest method.
Derecognition of financial liabilities
The Group derecognizes financial liabilities when, and only when, the Groups obligations are discharged, canceled or have expired. The difference between the carrying amount of the financial liability derecognized and the consideration paid and payable is recognized in profit or loss.
Derivative financial instruments
Derivatives are initially recognized at fair value at the date when derivative contracts are entered into and are subsequently remeasured to their fair value at the end of the reporting period. The resulting gain or loss is recognized in profit or loss.
Offsetting a financial asset and a financial liability
A financial asset and a financial liability are offset and the net amount is presented in the consolidated statement of financial position when, and only when, the Group currently has a legally enforceable right to set off the recognized amounts; and intends either to settle on a net basis, or to realize the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
(h) | Cash and cash equivalents |
Cash and cash equivalents represented cash and bank balances which carry interest at prevailing market interest rate.
(i) | Fiduciary bank balances |
The fiduciary bank balances are in relation to the money deposited by clients in the course of the conduct of the regulated activities under insurance brokerage business. These clients monies are maintained in segregated bank accounts. The Group acts as an agent in placing the insurable risks of their clients with insurers and, as such, generally is not liable for the premiums and claims arising from such transactions. Other than the commissions earned on the transaction which is recognized as revenue of the Group, the Group does not recognize other amounts received from clients in its profit or loss. The clients money is recognized in fiduciary bank balances and a corresponding deposit liability is established in favor of the insurer or the policyholder and recognized on the consolidated statement of financial position as clients monies held on trust. However, the Group does not have a currently enforceable right to offset those payables with the deposits placed and the Group is entitled to retain the interest income on any cash balances arising from these transactions.
F-22
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
5. | KEY SOURCES OF ESTIMATION UNCERTAINTY |
In the application of the Groups accounting policies, which are described in note 4, the Company is required to make judgments, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an on-going basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.
The following are the key assumptions concerning the future, and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the end of each reporting period that may have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year.
Fair value measurement of unquoted equity instruments
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss are measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period, with any fair value gains or losses recognized in profit or loss. The net gain or loss recognized in profit or loss includes any dividend or interest earned on the financial asset and is included in the changes in fair value on financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss line item.
Certain of our unquoted equity instruments are measured at fair value with fair value being determined based on significant unobservable inputs using valuation techniques. Judgment and estimation are required in establishing the relevant valuation techniques and the relevant inputs thereof. Whilst we consider these valuations are the best estimates, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in greater market volatility and may cause further disruptions to the investees businesses, which have led to higher degree of uncertainties in respect of the valuations. Changes in assumptions relating to these factors could result in material adjustments to the fair value of these instruments.
In determining the fair value of unquoted equity instruments measured at fair value with fair value being determined based on significant unobservable inputs using valuation techniques, we relied in part on valuation reports prepared by independent valuers based on data we provided. These valuation reports provided us with guidelines in determining the fair value, but the determination was made by our management.
The assumptions used to derive such fair values of unquoted equity instruments include the recent transaction price for one component of the capital structure, probability of IPO, redemption and liquidation, the risk-free interest rate and expected volatility.
F-23
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
6. | REVENUE |
(i) | Disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers |
Year ended April 30, 2019
Segments | SpiderNet ecosystem solutions |
Digital financial services |
Total | |||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||
Types of services |
||||||||||||
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services |
5,883 | | 5,883 | |||||||||
Insurance brokerage services |
| 8,671 | 8,671 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total |
5,883 | 8,671 | 14,554 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Timing of revenue recognition |
||||||||||||
A point in time |
| 8,671 | 8,671 | |||||||||
Over time |
5,883 | | 5,883 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total |
5,883 | 8,671 | 14,554 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended April 30, 2020
Segments | SpiderNet ecosystem solutions |
Digital financial services |
Total | |||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||
Types of services |
||||||||||||
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services |
157,678 | | 157,678 | |||||||||
Insurance brokerage services |
| 9,869 | 9,869 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total |
157,678 | 9,869 | 167,547 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Timing of revenue recognition |
||||||||||||
A point in time |
| 9,869 | 9,869 | |||||||||
Over time |
157,678 | | 157,678 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total |
157,678 | 9,869 | 167,547 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
(ii) | Transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligation for contracts with customers |
The transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations (unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied) as at April 30, 2019 and the expected timing of recognizing revenue are as follows:
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions income |
||||
HK$ | ||||
Within one year |
2,033 | |||
|
|
F-24
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
6. | REVENUE(CONTINUED) |
(ii) | Transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligation for contracts with customers(Continued) |
The transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations (unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied) as at April 30, 2020 and the expected timing of recognizing revenue are as follows:
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions income |
||||
HK$ | ||||
Within one year |
94,597 | |||
More than one year but not more than two years |
46,224 | |||
More than two years |
11,372 | |||
|
|
|||
152,193 | ||||
|
|
7. | OPERATING SEGMENTS |
Information reported to the Chief Executive Officer, being the chief operating decision maker (CODM), for the purposes of resource allocation and assessment of segment performance focuses on types of goods or services delivered or provided.
Specifically, the Groups reportable segments under IFRS 8 are as follows:
(a) | The SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment: The Group provides its institutional and corporate clients with exclusive, paid access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem to enhance their investor communication, investor relations and corporate communication to potentially maximize their valuation; |
(b) | The digital financial services segment: The Group provides primarily corporate clients with insurance brokerage services; and |
(c) | Corporate: The Group includes in the Corporate category the investments in innovative technology companies which operate digital non-financial license businesses through strategic investments. |
F-25
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
7. | OPERATING SEGMENTS(CONTINUED) |
Segment revenues and results
The following is an analysis of the Groups revenues and results by reportable segments:
For the year ended April 30, 2019
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions |
Digital financial services |
Corporate | Consolidated | |||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||||
Segment revenues |
||||||||||||||||
Revenue from external customers |
5,883 | 8,020 | | 13,903 | ||||||||||||
Revenue from related parties |
| 651 | | 651 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
5,883 | 8,671 | | 14,554 | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL |
| | 19,319 | 19,319 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Segment profits |
1,945 | 1,863 | 19,062 | 22,870 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Unallocated other income |
252 | |||||||||||||||
Unallocated other gains |
1,132 | |||||||||||||||
Unallocated corporate expenses |
(2,103 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Profit before tax |
22,151 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
For the year ended April 30, 2020
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions |
Digital financial services |
Corporate | Consolidated | |||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||||
Segment revenues |
||||||||||||||||
Revenue from external customers |
157,678 | 9,301 | | 166,979 | ||||||||||||
Revenue from related parties |
| 568 | | 568 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
157,678 | 9,869 | | 167,547 | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at FVTPL |
| | 43,592 | 43,592 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Segment profits |
140,134 | 4,765 | 43,291 | 188,190 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Unallocated other gains and losses |
(5,586 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Unallocated corporate expenses |
(557 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Profit before tax |
182,047 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
The accounting policies of the operating segments are the same as the Groups accounting policies described in note 4. Segment profit represents the profit earned by each segment without allocation of other income, other gains and losses, corporate expenses, including central administration costs and directors emoluments. This is the measure reported to the CODM for the purposes of resource allocation and performance assessment.
F-26
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
7. | OPERATING SEGMENTS(CONTINUED) |
Segment revenues and results(Continued)
The CODM makes decisions according to operating results of each segment. No analysis of segment asset and segment liability is presented as the CODM does not regularly review such information for the purposes of resources allocation and performance assessment. Therefore, only segment revenue and segment results are presented.
Geographical information
The Groups operations are located in Hong Kong. All of the Groups revenue from external customers, based on the location of services, is allocated to Hong Kong.
Information about major customers
Revenue from customers of the corresponding years contributing over 10% of the total sales of the Group are as follows:
Year ended April 30, |
||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Customer A1 |
N/A | 38,911 | ||||||
Customer B1 |
N/A | 27,456 | ||||||
Customer C1 |
N/A | 22,701 | ||||||
Customer D1 |
N/A | 22,044 | ||||||
Customer E1 |
N/A | 19,570 | ||||||
Customer F1 |
3,333 | N/A | ||||||
Customer G2 |
2,457 | N/A | ||||||
|
|
|
|
1 | Revenue from SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment |
2 | Revenue from SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment and digital financial services segment |
In addition, the Company provided SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services to its non-controlling shareholders with revenue recognized of nil and HK$18,964 for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, respectively.
8. | CHANGES IN FAIR VALUE ON FINANCIAL ASSETS MEASURED AT FVTPL |
Year ended April 30, |
||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets at FVTPL |
19,319 | 43,592 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
F-27
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
9. | OTHER INCOME |
Year ended April 30, |
||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Other interest income |
175 | | ||||||
Others |
77 | | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
252 | | |||||||
|
|
|
|
10. | OTHER GAINS AND LOSSES |
Year ended April 30, |
||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Net exchange gain |
1,132 | 343 | ||||||
Recovery of accounts receivable written off |
926 | | ||||||
Change in fair value on derivative financial liabilities (Note 18(iii)) |
| (5,929 | ) | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
2,058 | (5,586 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
11. | INCOME TAX EXPENSE |
Year ended April 30, |
||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Current tax |
||||||||
- Hong Kong Profits Tax |
731 | 23,715 | ||||||
Overprovision in prior years |
(124 | ) | | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
607 | 23,715 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
On 21 March 2018, the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed The Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 7) Bill 2017 (the Bill) which introduces the two-tiered profits tax rates regime. The Bill was signed into law on 28 March 2019 and was gazetted on the following day. Under the two-tiered profits tax rates regime, the first HK$2 million of profits of the qualifying group entity will be taxed at 8.25%, and profits above HK$2 million will be taxed at 16.5%. The profits of group entities not qualifying for the two-tiered profits tax rates regime will continue to be taxed at a flat rate of 16.5%
F-28
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
11. | INCOME TAX EXPENSE(CONTINUED) |
The income tax expense for the year can be reconciled to the profit before tax per the consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income as follows:
Year ended April 30, |
||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Profit before tax |
22,151 | 182,047 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Tax at the domestic income tax rate of 16.5% |
3,655 | 30,038 | ||||||
Tax effect of income not taxable for tax purpose |
(3,209 | ) | (7,820 | ) | ||||
Tax effect of expenses not deductible for tax purpose |
632 | 2,310 | ||||||
Utilization of tax losses previously not recognized |
(342 | ) | (809 | ) | ||||
Overprovision in prior years |
(124 | ) | | |||||
Others |
(5 | ) | (4 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Income tax expense for the year |
607 | 23,715 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
The Group has unused tax losses of HK$4,906 and nil at April 30, 2019 and 2020, respectively, available for offset against future profits. No deferred tax asset has been recognized in respect of these tax losses due to the unpredictability of future profit streams. The tax losses may be carried forward indefinitely.
12. | PROFIT FOR THE YEAR |
Profit for the year has been arrived at after charging:
Year ended April 30, |
||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Directors emoluments |
||||||||
Salaries, allowances and other benefits |
| 2,041 | ||||||
Retirement benefit scheme contributions (note) |
| 53 | ||||||
Staff costs |
||||||||
Salaries, allowances and other benefits |
8,758 | 12,640 | ||||||
Retirement benefit scheme contributions (note) |
411 | 434 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | The Group operates a Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme for all qualifying employees in Hong Kong. The assets of the schemes are held separately from those of the Group, in funds under the control of trustees. The Group contributes 5% of relevant payroll costs to the Scheme, which contribution is matched by employees. |
F-29
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
13. | EARNINGS PER SHARE |
The calculation of the basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to owners of the Company is based on the following data:
Earnings figures are calculated as follows: | Year ended April 30, | |||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Earnings for the purpose of basic and diluted earnings per share |
17,601 | 151,362 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Number of shares | Year ended April 30, | |||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of basic and diluted earnings per share |
36,800,000 | 40,152,697 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
The weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of calculating basic earnings per share has been determined on the assumption that the Reorganization and share split became effective/completed on May 1, 2018.
No diluted earnings per share was presented for year ended April 30, 2019 as there were no potential ordinary shares in issue during the year ended April 30, 2019.
The computation of diluted earnings per share does not assume the exercise of the Companys warrants since their assumed exercise would result in an increase in earnings per share for the year ended April 30, 2020.
14. | FINANCIAL ASSETS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS |
April 30, 2019 | April 30, 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Unlisted equity securities |
518,849 | 208,696 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Presented as: |
||||||||
Current |
335,311 | | ||||||
Non-current |
183,538 | 208,696 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
518,849 | 208,696 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
The Company classified certain equity securities as non-current when Company considered that these equity securities are held for long-term purposes and realize their performance potential in the long run.
F-30
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
15. | ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIVABLES |
April 30, 2019 | April 30, 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Commission receivable from insurance brokerage |
7,756 | 4,104 | ||||||
Accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business |
9,333 | 6,960 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total accounts receivable |
17,089 | 11,064 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Consideration receivables on disposal of financial assets at FVTPL |
||||||||
- from third parties |
| 36,425 | ||||||
- from a fellow subsidiary |
739 | | ||||||
Prepayments |
4,675 | 4,720 | ||||||
Other receivables (note) |
16,707 | 52 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
22,121 | 41,197 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
39,210 | 52,261 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | As of April 30, 2019, other receivables mainly included a loan to a third party amounting to US$2,020 (approximately equivalent to HK$15,658). The loan was interest free for the first year and interest bearing after the first year, unsecured and repayable on demand. During the year ended April 30, 2020, the loan was fully settled. |
As at May 1, 2018, commission receivable from insurance brokerage and accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business from contracts with customers amounted to HK$7,911 and HK$4,000, respectively.
The Group allows a credit period of 15 days to its commission receivable arising from insurance brokerage business and no credit period to its accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business for the demand note issued according to the repayment schedules. As at April 30, 2019 and April 30, 2020, included in the Groups accounts receivable balance were debtors with aggregate carrying amounts of HK$13,756 and HK$4,104, respectively, which were past due as at the reporting date. At April 30, 2019 and April 30, 2020, out of the past due balances, HK$11,545 and HK$1,404, respectively, had been past due 90 days or more. The Company assessed that there have been no significant increase in credit risk nor default because of the background of the debtors and historical payment arrangement with these debtors. The Group does not hold any collateral over these balances.
Details of impairment assessment of trade and other receivables are set out in note 21(b).
16. | ACCOUNTS AND OTHER PAYABLES |
April 30, 2019 | April 30, 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Accounts payable arising from insurance brokerage |
986 | 51 | ||||||
Amount due to a former fellow subsidiary (note) |
19,966 | | ||||||
Accruals and other payables |
262 | 374 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
21,214 | 425 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
F-31
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
16. | ACCOUNTS AND OTHER PAYABLES(CONTINUED) |
Note: | As of April 30, 2019, the amount represented non-trade balance payable to a former fellow subsidiary, which become an independent third party on June 30, 2018. The balance is unsecured, interest-free and repayable on demand. |
The average credit period for the accounts payable arising from insurance brokerage is 30 days.
17. | CONTRACT LIABILITIES |
April 30, 2019 | April 30, 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions income |
367 | 60,998 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Presented as: |
||||||||
Current |
367 | 35,722 | ||||||
Non-current |
| 25,276 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
367 | 60,998 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
The Group had no contract liabilities as at May 1, 2018. Contract liabilities are classified as current and non-current based on the Groups earliest obligation to transfer services to the customers.
The following table shows how much of the revenue recognized relates to carried-forward contract liabilities.
Year ended April 30, |
||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions income |
||||||||
Revenue recognized that was included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the year |
| 367 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
Typical payment terms which impact on the amount of contract liabilities recognized are set out in note 6(ii).
18. | SHARE CAPITAL |
For the purpose of presenting the combined capital of the Group prior to the completion of the Reorganization as disclosed in note 2, the balance at May 1, 2018 and April 30, 2019 represented the aggregate amount of share capital of AMTD DI I, AMTD DI III, AMTD BI, AMTD DM, AMTD RS and AMTD IS.
F-32
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
18. | SHARE CAPITAL(CONTINUED) |
The share capital as at April 30, 2020 represented the issued share capital of the Company.
Number of shares | Share capital | |||||||
April 30, 2020 | April 30, 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | ||||||||
Ordinary shares of US$0.0001 each |
||||||||
Authorized |
||||||||
Upon incorporation |
||||||||
- Class A Ordinary shares (note (i)) |
8,000,000,000 | 6,200,000 | ||||||
- Class B Ordinary shares (note (i)) |
2,000,000,000 | 1,550,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
At end of the year |
10,000,000,000 | 7,750,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Issued and fully paid |
||||||||
Class A Ordinary shares |
||||||||
At beginning of the year |
| | ||||||
Exercise of warrants (note (iv)) |
1,226,667 | 1 | ||||||
Issuance of shares (note (v)) |
9,500,000 | 7 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
At end of the year |
10,726,667 | 8 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Class B Ordinary shares |
||||||||
At beginning of the year |
| | ||||||
Issuance upon incorporation (note (ii)) |
1 | | ||||||
Share split (note (ii)) |
9,999 | | ||||||
Issuance of shares (note (iii)) |
36,790,000 | 29 | ||||||
Issuance of shares (note (v)) |
2,000,000 | 1 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
At end of the year |
38,800,000 | 30 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
49,526,667 | 38 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
Notes:
(i) | The share capital of the Company is divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class B ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to twenty votes on all matters subject to vote at the general meetings, and each Class A ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote on all matters subject to vote at the general meetings. |
Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person other than the chairman of the board of directors, or any other person or entity designated by chairman of the board of directors, each of such Class B ordinary shares will be automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A ordinary share.
(ii) | Upon the incorporation of the Company in September 2019, the Company issued one ordinary share to the controlling shareholder. In December 2019, the Company effected a 1-to-10,000 share split, following which one issued ordinary share was subdivided into 10,000 ordinary shares and re-designated as Class B ordinary share. |
F-33
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
18. | SHARE CAPITAL(CONTINUED) |
(iii) | On December 18, 2019, the Company issued 36,790,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares to the controlling shareholder at par value of US$0.0001 (equivalent to approximately HK$0.00078) for an aggregation consideration of US$4 (equivalent to approximately HK$29) in exchange for the equity in all the transferred subsidiaries as part of the reorganization. |
(iv) | On December 19, 2019, the Company issued warrants to an independent third party for an aggregate consideration of US$1,500 (approximately equivalent to HK$11,742), with a total exercise price of US$10,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$77,963) for 3.23% equity interest of the Company which was recognized as derivative financial liabilities. The changes in fair value of the warrants from date of issuance to date of exercise amounting to HK$5,929 was recognized as a loss in the consolidated statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the year ended April 30, 2020. On March 10, 2020, the warrant holder exercised the warrants in full and paid an amount of US$10,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$77,963) for 1,226,667 shares of Class A ordinary shares. It resulted in the increase in share capital of HK$1 and share premium of HK$95,633. As at April 30, 2020, the Company had no warrants outstanding. |
(v) | Between December 31, 2019 and March 13, 2020, the Company issued 9,500,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares to third party investors and 2,000,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares to a non-controlling shareholder of the immediate holding company for an aggregate consideration of US$115,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$898,045). |
19. | NON-CONTROLLING INTERESTS |
Share of net assets of subsidiaries |
||||
HK$ | ||||
At May 1, 2018 |
23,167 | |||
Share of profit for the year |
3,943 | |||
|
|
|||
At April 30, 2019 |
27,110 | |||
Share of profit for the year |
6,970 | |||
Acquisition of non-controlling interest of subsidiaries (note) |
(34,080 | ) | ||
|
|
|||
At April 30, 2020 |
| |||
|
|
Note: | As disclosed in note 2, in December 2019, AMTD Group acquired the remaining 20.87% equity interests in AMTD SCG from non-controlling shareholders. AMTD Group then transferred 100% equity interests in AMTD RS, AMTD RSG, AMTD IS and AMTD PISG from AMTD SCG to the Company. The non-controlling interests amounting to HK$34,080 which represented 20.87% of total net assets of AMTD RS, AMTD RSG, AMTD IS and AMTD PISG were reclassified into parents net investments as a deemed contribution from AMTD Group and constituted as non-cash transaction. |
20. | CAPITAL RISK MANAGEMENT |
The Group manages its capital to ensure that the Group will be able to continue as a going concern while maximizing the return to stakeholders through the optimisation of debt and equity balance. The Groups overall strategy remained unchanged throughout the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020.
F-34
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
20. | CAPITAL RISK MANAGEMENT(CONTINUED) |
The capital structure of the Group consists of net debt, which includes amounts due to its holding company and fellow subsidiaries disclosed in note 22, net of cash and cash equivalents, and equity attributable to owners of the Company, comprising issued share capital, retained earnings and capital reserves.
21. | FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS |
a. | Categories of financial instruments |
April 30, 2019 |
April 30, 2020 |
|||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Financial assets |
||||||||
Financial assets at FVTPL |
518,849 | 208,696 | ||||||
Amortized cost |
5,368,124 | 3,381,646 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Financial liabilities |
||||||||
Amortized cost |
5,770,234 | 2,237,272 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
b. | Financial risk management objectives and policies |
The Groups major financial instruments include accounts receivable, other receivables, financial assets at FVTPL, bank balances and cash, fiduciary bank balances, amounts due from (to) immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries, clients monies held on trust, accounts payable and other payables and accruals. Details of the financial instruments are disclosed in respective notes. The risks associated with these financial instruments include market risk (currency risk, interest rate risk and other price risk), credit risk and liquidity risk. The policies on how to mitigate these risks are set out below. The management of the Group manages and monitors these exposures to ensure appropriate measures are implemented in a timely and effective manner.
Market risk
(i) | Currency risk |
Certain transactions of the Group are denominated in foreign currencies which are different from the functional currency of the Group, i.e. HK$, and therefore the Group is exposed to foreign currency risk. The Group currently does not have a foreign currency hedging policy. However, management monitors foreign exchange exposure and will consider hedging significant foreign exchange exposure should the need arise.
For the entities of which their functional currency is HK$ while holding assets denominated in US$, the directors of the Company consider that as HK$ is pegged to US$, the Group is not subject to significant foreign currency risk from change in foreign exchange rate of HK$ against US$.
In the opinion of management of the Group, the expected change in foreign exchange rate will not have significant impact on the carrying amount of the foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities, hence sensitivity analysis is not presented.
F-35
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
21. | FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS(CONTINUED) |
b. | Financial risk management objectives and policies(Continued) |
Market risk(Continued)
(ii) | Interest rate risk |
The Group is also exposed to cash flow interest rate risk in relation to variable rate fiduciary bank balances and bank balances. The Groups exposure to cash flow interest rate risk in relation to variable-rate fiduciary bank balances and bank balances is limited given the current market interest rates on bank deposits are relatively low and stable.
(iii) | Other price risk |
The Group is exposed to equity price risk through its investments in equity securities measured at FVTPL. The Group invested in certain unquoted equity securities for investees operating in digital and technology industry sector for long term strategic purposes which had been measured as FVTPL. The Group has appointed a special team to monitor the price risk and will consider hedging the risk exposure should the need arise.
Sensitivity analysis
The sensitivity analyzes have been determined based on the exposure to equity price risk at the reporting date. If the prices of the respective equity instruments had been 3% higher/lower, the pre-tax profit for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020 would increase/decrease by HK$2,589 and HK$2,324, respectively, as a result of the changes in fair value of investments at FVTPL.
Credit risk and impairment assessment
Credit risk refers to the risk that the Groups counterparties default on their contractual obligations resulting in financial losses to the Group. The Groups credit risk exposures are primarily attributable to accounts receivable, other receivables, bank balances, fiduciary bank balances and amounts due from immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries. The Group does not hold any collateral or other credit enhancements to cover its credit risks associated with its financial assets.
The Group performed impairment assessment for financial assets under ECL model. Information about the Groups credit risk management, maximum credit risk exposures and the related impairment assessment, if applicable, are summarized as below:
Commission receivable arising from the insurance brokerage business and accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business
Before accepting any new customer, the Group uses an internal credit scoring system to assess the potential customers credit quality and defines credit limits by customer. Limits and scoring attributed to customers are reviewed twice a year. Other monitoring procedures are in place to ensure that follow-up action is taken to recover overdue debts. In this regard, the management considers that the Groups credit risk is significantly reduced.
The Group has concentration of credit risk as 43% and 5% of the commission receivable arising from the insurance brokerage business was due from the Groups five largest customers as at April 30, 2019
F-36
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
21. | FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS(CONTINUED) |
b. | Financial risk management objectives and policies(Continued) |
Credit risk and impairment assessment(Continued)
and 2020, respectively. In order to minimize the credit risk, the management of the Group has delegated a team responsible for determination of credit limits and credit approvals.
In addition, the Group performs impairment assessment under ECL model on commission receivable from insurance brokerage with significant balances and credit-impaired and accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business individually. The remaining commission receivable are assessed collectively and grouped based on shared credit risk characteristics by reference to the Groups past due status of outstanding balances, nature, size and industry of debtors and external credit ratings. The Company assesses the ECL of commission receivable arising from the insurance brokerage business based on historical observed default rates over the expected life of the debtors and forward-looking information that is available without undue cost or effort. For the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, the Group assessed the ECL for commission receivable arising from the insurance brokerage business and accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business to be insignificant and thus no loss allowance is recognized.
Fiduciary bank balances and bank balances
Credit risk on fiduciary bank balances and bank balances is limited because the counterparties are reputable banks with high credit ratings assigned by international credit agencies. The Group assessed 12m ECL for fiduciary bank balances and bank balances by reference to information relating to probability of default and loss given default of the respective credit rating grades published by external credit rating agencies. Based on the average loss rates, the 12m ECL on fiduciary bank balances and bank balances is considered to be insignificant and therefore no loss allowance was recognized.
Amounts due from immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries
The Group regularly evaluates the business performance of the immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries. The Groups credit risks in these balances are considered low due to the strong financial positions of these entities. The management believes that there are no significant increases in credit risk of these amounts since initial recognition and the Group provided impairment based on 12m ECL. For the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, the Group assessed the ECL for amounts due from immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries to be insignificant and thus no loss allowance is recognized.
Consideration receivables and other receivables
For consideration receivables and other receivables, the Group regularly reviews the recoverable amount of each individual debtor to ensure that adequate impairment losses are recognized for irrecoverable debts. The Group performs impairment assessment under ECL model on such consideration receivables and other receivables individually. The Group believes that there is no significant increase in credit risk of these amounts since initial recognition and the Group provided impairment based on 12m ECL. For the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020, the Group assessed the ECL for consideration receivables and other receivables are insignificant and thus no loss allowance is recognized.
F-37
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
21. | FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS(CONTINUED) |
b. | Financial risk management objectives and policies(Continued) |
Credit risk and impairment assessment(Continued)
Consideration receivables and other receivables(Continued)
The Groups internal credit risk grading assessment comprises the following categories:
Internal credit rating |
Description |
Commission receivable |
Other financial assets | |||
Normal |
The counterparty has a low risk of default and usually settled within credit period | Lifetime ECL - not credit-impaired |
12-month ECL | |||
Doubtful |
There have been significant increases in credit risk since initial recognition through information developed internally or external sources | Lifetime ECL - not credit-impaired |
Lifetime ECL - not credit-impaired | |||
Loss |
There is evidence indicating the asset is credit-impaired | Lifetime ECL - credit-impaired |
Lifetime ECL - credit-impaired | |||
Write-off |
There is evidence indicating that the debtor is in severe financial difficulty and the Group has no realistic prospect of recovery | Amount is written off |
Amount is written off |
F-38
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
21. | FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS(CONTINUED) |
b. | Financial risk management objectives and policies(Continued) |
Credit risk and impairment assessment(Continued)
Consideration receivables and other receivables(Continued)
The table below details the credit risk exposures of the Groups financial assets, which are subject to ECL assessment:
At April 30, | ||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
Notes | Internal/ credit rating |
12-month or lifetime ECL |
Gross carrying amount |
Gross carrying amount |
||||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||||||||
Financial assets at amortized cost |
||||||||||||||||||
Commission receivable from insurance brokerage |
15 |
(Note) |
|
Lifetime ECL (provision matrix) |
|
7,756 | 4,104 | |||||||||||
Accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business |
15 | (Note) | |
Lifetime ECL - not credit- impaired |
|
9,333 | 6,960 | |||||||||||
Consideration receivables and other receivables |
15 | Normal risk | 12-month ECL | 17,446 | 36,477 | |||||||||||||
Amount due from immediate holding company |
22 | Normal risk | 12-month ECL | 1,740,393 | 2,352,472 | |||||||||||||
Amounts due from fellow subsidiaries |
22 | Normal risk | 12-month ECL | 3,570,417 | 764,140 | |||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
Aa3 | 12-month ECL | 5,764 | 196,210 | ||||||||||||||
Fiduciary bank balances |
Normal risk | 12-month ECL | 17,015 | 21,283 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
5,368,124 | 3,381,646 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | For commission receivable from insurance brokerage and accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business, the Group has applied the simplified approach in IFRS 9 to measure the loss allowance at lifetime ECL. The Group determines the ECL on commission receivable from insurance brokerage on a collective basis, grouped by internal credit rating. For accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business, the ECL is assessed on an individual basis. |
The expected credit losses as at April 30, 2019 and 2020 were insignificant and no loss allowance was provided.
The previously written off accounts receivable amounting to HK$926 had been recovered during the year ended April 30, 2019.
F-39
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
21. | FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS(CONTINUED) |
b. | Financial risk management objectives and policies(Continued) |
Liquidity risk
In managing the liquidity risk, the Group monitors and maintains a level of cash and cash equivalents deemed adequate by management to finance the Groups operations and mitigate the effects of fluctuations in cash flows.
The following table details the Groups remaining contractual maturity for its financial liabilities. The table has been drawn up based on the undiscounted cash flows of financial liabilities based on the earliest date on which the Group may be required to pay. The maturity dates for non-derivative financial liabilities are based on the agreed repayment dates.
Liquidity tables
Weighted average interest rate |
On demand or less than 1 month |
Total undiscounted cash flows |
Carrying amount |
|||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||||||
At April 30, 2019 |
||||||||||||||||
Non-derivative financial liabilities |
||||||||||||||||
Non-interest bearing |
||||||||||||||||
Accounts payable |
| 986 | 986 | 986 | ||||||||||||
Clients monies held on trust |
| 3,181 | 3,181 | 3,181 | ||||||||||||
Other payables and accruals |
| 20,228 | 20,228 | 20,228 | ||||||||||||
Amount due to immediate holding company |
| 3,202,600 | 3,202,600 | 3,202,600 | ||||||||||||
Amounts due to fellow subsidiaries |
| 2,543,239 | 2,543,239 | 2,543,239 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
5,770,234 | 5,770,234 | 5,770,234 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average interest rate |
On demand or less than 1 month |
Total undiscounted cash flows |
Carrying amount |
|||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||||||
At April 30, 2020 |
||||||||||||||||
Non-derivative financial liabilities |
||||||||||||||||
Non-interest bearing |
||||||||||||||||
Accounts payable |
| 51 | 51 | 51 | ||||||||||||
Clients monies held on trust |
| 10,045 | 10,045 | 10,045 | ||||||||||||
Other payables and accruals |
| 374 | 374 | 374 | ||||||||||||
Amount due to immediate holding company |
| 281,282 | 281,282 | 281,282 | ||||||||||||
Amounts due to fellow subsidiaries |
| 1,945,520 | |
1,945,520 |
|
1,945,520 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
2,237,272 | |
2,237,272 |
|
2,237,272 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
c. | Fair value measurements of financial instruments |
Some of the Groups financial instruments are measured at fair value for financial reporting purposes. The management of the Company are responsible for determining the appropriate valuation techniques and inputs for fair value measurements.
F-40
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
21. | FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS(CONTINUED) |
c. | Fair value measurements of financial instruments(Continued) |
In estimating the fair value, the Group uses observable market data to the extent it is available. Where Level 1 inputs are not available, the Group makes reference to the prices of recent transactions or engages third-party qualified valuers to perform the valuation.
The management of the Company works closely with the qualified external valuers to establish the appropriate valuation techniques and inputs to the model. The management reports the findings to the board of directors of the Company to explain the cause of fluctuations in the fair value.
(i) | Fair value of the Groups financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis |
The Groups investments in private equity are measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period. The following table gives information about how the fair values of these financial assets are determined (in particular, the valuation technique(s) and inputs used).
Financial assets |
Fair value as at April 30, |
Fair value hierarchy |
Valuation technique(s) and key inputs |
Significant | ||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||||
Financial assets at FVTPL - unlisted equity securities |
|
86,301 |
|
|
77,464 |
|
Level 2 |
The fair values of unlisted equity investments are determined with reference to the recent transaction price of the investments. |
N/A | |||||
432,548 | 131,232 | Level 3 | Market approachthe option pricing model (OPM) backsolve approach was used to calculate the implied equity value of the investee. Once an overall equity value was determined, amounts were allocated to the various classes of equity based on the security class preferences. The inputs to the OPM backsolve approach are the recent transaction price for one component of the capital structure, probability of IPO, redemption and liquidation, the risk-free interest rate and expected volatility. |
Expected volatility ranged from 52.65% to 68.52% taking into account peer companies volatility used by market participants when pricing the investment (note). |
Note: | A change in the expected volatility used in isolation would result in a change in the fair value of the private equity investments. A 5% increase in the expected volatility holding all other variables constant would decrease the carrying amount of the private equity investments by HK$604 and increase the carrying amount of the private equity investments by HK$295 as at April 30, 2019 and 2020, respectively. |
F-41
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
21. | FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS(CONTINUED) |
c. | Fair value measurements of financial instruments(Continued) |
(i) | Fair value of the Groups financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis(Continued) |
Reconciliation of Level 3 fair value measurements
Unlisted investments classified as equity instruments at FVTPL |
||||
HK$ | ||||
At May 1, 2018 |
350,274 | |||
Total gains in profit or loss |
3,786 | |||
Purchased |
78,488 | |||
|
|
|||
At April 30, 2019 |
432,548 | |||
Total gains in profit or loss |
34,497 | |||
Disposals |
(335,813) | |||
|
|
|||
At April 30, 2020 |
131,232 | |||
|
|
The net unrealized gains of HK$3,786 and HK$26,150 for the year included in profit or loss related to financial assets at FVTPL held at April 30, 2019 and 2020, respectively.
There were no transfer out of Level 2 and 3 during the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020.
(ii) | Fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities that are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis (but fair value disclosures are required) |
The Company considers that the carrying amount of the Groups financial assets and financial liabilities recorded at amortized cost in the consolidated financial statements approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. Such fair values have been determined in accordance with generally accepted pricing models based on a discounted cash flow analysis.
22. | RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES |
In addition to the transactions and balances disclosed elsewhere in the consolidated financial statements, the Group had the following significant related party transactions during the reporting period:
Year ended April 30, | ||||||||||
Relationship |
Nature of transactions |
2019 | 2020 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||
Immediate holding company |
Insurance brokerage services rendered | 563 | 454 | |||||||
Fellow subsidiaries |
Insurance brokerage services rendered | 84 | 110 | |||||||
A fellow subsidiary |
Disposal of an investment (note) | | 317,102 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | On June 30, 2019, the Group disposed of an investment to a fellow subsidiary for cash consideration of HK$317,102 to streamline the businesses of the respective entities. |
F-42
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
22. | RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES(CONTINUED) |
Compensation of key management personnel
The directors of the Company were considered to be the key management personnel of the Company. The remuneration of the directors of the Company is set out in note 12. The remuneration of key management personnel is determined with regard to the performance of individuals and market trends.
Centralized cash management
Treasury functions of the Group are conducted centrally under AMTD Group and inter-company fund transfers were carried out among the entities within AMTD Group. The treasury function manages available funds at AMTD Group level and allocates the funds to various entities within AMTD Group for their operations. In May and August 2019, certain entities within AMTD Group had entered into intercompany financing and offsetting agreements pursuant to which certain intercompany receivables and payables are to be netted-off for settlement purpose. These constituted material non-cash transactions. Amount due from immediate holding company, amount due to immediate holding company, amounts due from fellow subsidiaries and amounts due to fellow subsidiaries, which amounted to HK$249,968, HK$2,816,925, HK$3,452,383 and HK$385,490, respectively, were transferred or netted-off under these agreements.
As at April 30, 2019 and April 30, 2020, the amounts due from (to) immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries were unsecured, interest free and repayable on demand. Details of impairment assessment of amounts due from immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries are set out in note 21(b).
23. | RECONCILIATION OF LIABILITIES ARISING FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES |
The table below details changes in the Groups liabilities arising from financing activities, including both cash and non-cash changes. Liabilities arising from financing activities are those for which cash flows were, or future cash flows will be, classified in the Groups consolidated statements of cash flows as cash flows from financing activities.
Amount due to immediate holding company |
Amounts due to fellow subsidiaries |
Amount due to a former fellow subsidiary |
Total | |||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||||
At May 1, 2018 |
626,962 | 2,456,220 | | 3,083,182 | ||||||||||||
Financing cash flows |
2,575,638 | 87,019 | 19,966 | 2,682,623 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
At April 30, 2019 |
3,202,600 | 2,543,239 | 19,966 | 5,765,805 | ||||||||||||
Financing cash flows |
(104,393 | ) | (212,229 | ) | (19,966 | ) | (336,588 | ) | ||||||||
Non-cash transaction (note) |
(2,816,925 | ) | (385,490 | ) | | (3,202,415 | ) | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
At April 30, 2020 |
281,282 | 1,945,520 | | 2,226,802 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: | Pursuant to the offsetting agreements described in note 22, amount due to immediate holding company and amounts due to fellow subsidiaries, which amounted to HK$2,816,925 and HK$385,490, respectively, were transferred or netted-off with amounts due from immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries under these agreements. |
F-43
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
24. | OTHER COMMITMENT |
The Group entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with certain third parties to establish a consortium in which the Group expects to be the largest shareholder holding 35.2% of equity interest for a consideration of Singapore Dollar 79.2 million (equivalent to approximately HK$435,000). The consortium is expected to establish Singa Bank, a digital wholesale banking platform to be established to provide comprehensive services to small and medium-sized enterprises and corporate clients in Singapore. The consortium intends to pursue digital banking opportunities in Singapore through Singa Bank. As of the date of this report, the launch of the Singa Bank is subject to the approval of the digital wholesale banking license from The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and other regulatory requirements.
25. | REGULATORY REQUIREMENT |
The Companys insurance brokerage subsidiary, AMTD RSG, is subject to the Hong Kong Insurance Ordinance, which requires the maintenance of minimum net capital of HK$100. At April 30, 2019 and 2020, AMTD RSG was in compliance with this requirement.
26. | EVENTS AFTER THE REPORTING PERIOD |
Save as disclosed in the consolidated financial statements, subsequent to April 30, 2020, the following significant events took place:
| On August 3, 2020, the Group acquired 51% equity interest in PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. (PolicyPal), which operates a digital insurance brokerage business under direct insurance and is an exempt financial adviser in relation to advising on investment products that are life policies and arranging of life policies in Singapore, other than for reinsurance, for a consideration comprising of US$3,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$23,250) in cash and 702,765 of Class A ordinary shares of the Company. The acquisition of PolicyPal was in line with the Groups digital financial services strategy. The accounting for the acquisition is not complete. The Company is in the process of concluding the total fair value of consideration and the allocation of fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed and therefore such information has not been included in these consolidated financial statements; |
| In June 2020, the Group entered into a binding term sheet to acquire 55% equity interest in CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., which holds a capital markets services license in respect of dealing in capital markets products that are securities and a collective investment schemes license in Singapore, for a consideration comprising of US$1,280 (equivalent to approximately HK$9,920) in cash and 3,878,000 of Class A ordinary shares of the Company. The proposed acquisition is subject to MASs final approval; and |
| The Company issued 8,500,000 Class A ordinary shares to AMTD Assets Alpha Group, a fellow subsidiary of the Company, and 8,500,000 Class A ordinary shares to AMTD Education Group, a fellow subsidiary of the Company, for cash considerations of US$85,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$663,000) and US$85,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$663,000) on March 8, 2021, respectively. |
27. | APPROVAL OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
The consolidated financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorized for issue on April 16, 2021.
F-44
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$), except for share and per share data)
Nine months ended January 31, |
||||||||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||||||
Notes | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||
Revenue from contracts with customers |
3 | 133,307 | 145,530 | |||||||||
Employee benefits expense |
(10,242 | ) | (32,543 | ) | ||||||||
Advertising and promotion expense |
(22 | ) | (2,422 | ) | ||||||||
Premises and office expenses |
(3,567 | ) | (4,308 | ) | ||||||||
Legal and professional expenses |
(843 | ) | (1,384 | ) | ||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
| (3,259 | ) | |||||||||
Other expenses |
(1,354 | ) | (3,179 | ) | ||||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss |
5 | (1,933 | ) | 28,870 | ||||||||
Other income |
6 | | 1,171 | |||||||||
Other gains and losses, net |
7 | (5,450 | ) | (690 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Profit before tax |
109,896 | 127,786 | ||||||||||
Income tax expense |
8 | (18,170) | (17,921 | ) | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Profit for the period |
9 | 91,726 | 109,865 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Item that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss: |
||||||||||||
Exchange differences arising on translation of foreign operations |
| 819 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Other comprehensive income for the period |
| 819 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total comprehensive income for the period |
91,726 | 110,684 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Profit (loss) for the period attributable to: |
||||||||||||
-Owners of the Company |
84,756 | 111,550 | ||||||||||
-Non-controlling interests |
6,970 | (1,685 | ) | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
91,726 | 109,865 | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total comprehensive income (expense) for the period attributable to: |
||||||||||||
-Owners of the Company |
84,756 | 111,968 | ||||||||||
-Non-controlling interests |
6,970 | (1,284 | ) | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
91,726 | 110,684 | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Earnings per share |
10 | |||||||||||
-Basic |
2.26 | 2.22 | ||||||||||
-Diluted |
2.26 | 2.22 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements.
F-45
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION
(All amounts in thousands of HK$)
Notes | April 30, |
January 31, 2021 |
||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||||||
Non-current assets: |
||||||||||||
Goodwill |
11 | | 58,675 | |||||||||
Property, plant and equipment |
| 177 | ||||||||||
Intangible assets |
11 | | 42,027 | |||||||||
Prepayments and other receivables |
13 | | 17,978 | |||||||||
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss |
12 | 208,696 | 326,455 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total non-current assets |
208,696 | 445,312 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||||||
Accounts receivable |
13 | 11,064 | 68,230 | |||||||||
Prepayments and other receivables |
13 | 41,197 | 13,728 | |||||||||
Amount due from immediate holding company |
18 | 2,352,472 | 2,337,275 | |||||||||
Amounts due from fellow subsidiaries |
18 | 764,140 | 642,784 | |||||||||
Fiduciary bank balances |
21,283 | 12,935 | ||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
196,210 | 450,917 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total current assets |
3,386,366 | 3,525,869 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total assets |
3,595,062 | 3,971,181 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES |
||||||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Clients monies held on trust |
10,045 | 11,600 | ||||||||||
Accounts payable |
14 | 51 | 7,002 | |||||||||
Other payables and accruals |
14 | 374 | 60,991 | |||||||||
Contract liabilities |
35,722 | 50,388 | ||||||||||
Income tax payable |
22,638 | 41,612 | ||||||||||
Amount due to immediate holding company |
18 | 281,282 | 393,295 | |||||||||
Amounts due to fellow subsidiaries |
18 | 1,945,520 | 1,854,976 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total current liabilities |
2,295,632 | 2,419,864 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Non-current liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Contract liabilities |
25,276 | 32,892 | ||||||||||
Deferred tax liability |
15 | | 7,144 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total non-current liabilities |
25,276 | 40,036 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total liabilities |
2,320,908 | 2,459,900 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Capital and reserves: |
||||||||||||
Share capital |
16 | 38 | 40 | |||||||||
Reserves |
1,274,116 | 1,481,493 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Equity attributable to owners of the Company |
1,274,154 | 1,481,533 | ||||||||||
Non-controlling interests |
| 29,748 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total equity |
1,274,154 | 1,511,281 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total equity and liabilities |
3,595,062 | 3,971,181 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements.
F-46
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
(All amounts in thousands of HK$)
Attributable to owners of the Company | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parents net investment (note) |
Share capital | Share premium |
Share- based payment reserve |
Exchange reserve |
Other reserve |
Retained earnings |
Equity | Non- controlling interests |
Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
At May 1, 2019 |
95,004 | | | | | | | 95,004 | 27,110 | 122,114 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Acquisition of non-controlling interest of subsidiaries |
34,080 | | | | | | | 34,080 | (34,080 | ) | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reorganization effect |
(129,084 | ) | 29 | | | | 129,084 | | 29 | | 29 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of shares |
| 7 | 781,448 | | | | | 781,455 | | 781,455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Profit and total comprehensive income for the period |
| | | | | | 84,756 | 84,756 | 6,970 | 91,726 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
At January 31, 2020 |
| 36 | 781,448 | | | 129,084 | 84,756 | 995,324 | | 995,324 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
At May 1, 2020 |
| 38 | 993,670 | | | 129,084 | 151,362 | 1,274,154 | | 1,274,154 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Profit (loss) for the period |
| | | | | | 111,550 | 111,550 | (1,685 | ) | 109,865 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exchange differences arising on translation of foreign operations |
| | | | 418 |
|
|
|
| |
418 |
|
|
401 |
|
|
819 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Total comprehensive income (expense) for the period |
| | | | 418 |
|
|
|
111,550 | |
111,968 |
|
|
(1,284 |
) |
|
110,684 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Acquisition of subsidiaries (note 11) |
| 1 | 67,663 | | | |
|
|
| 67,664 | 31,032 | 98,696 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of shares (note 16) |
| 1 | 27,125 | | | | | 27,126 | | 27,126 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation (note 16) |
| | | 621 | | | | 621 | | 621 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
At January 31, 2021 |
| 40 | 1,088,458 | 621 | 418 | 129,084 | 262,912 | 1,481,533 | 29,748 | 1,511,281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: | Parents net investment represented the contribution from the immediate holding company to the subsidiaries now comprising the Group prior to a series of group reorganizations (Reorganization). The parents net investment amounted to HK$129,084 was transferred to other reserve upon the completion of the Reorganization. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements.
F-47
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(All amounts in thousands of HK$)
Nine months ended January 31, |
||||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Net cash from operating activities |
178,032 | 60,740 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
INVESTING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||
Additions of financial assets at fair value through profit or loss |
| (20,669) | ||||||
Proceeds from disposal of financial assets at fair value through profit or loss |
317,841 | 36,425 | ||||||
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment |
| (172) | ||||||
Net cash inflows from acquisition of subsidiaries |
| 20,729 | ||||||
Repayment from a third party |
15,658 | | ||||||
Advance to immediate holding company |
(260,261) | (455,851) | ||||||
Repayment from immediate holding company |
218,924 | 471,048 | ||||||
Advance to fellow subsidiaries |
(610,230) | (660,475) | ||||||
Repayment from fellow subsidiaries |
255,669 | 719,155 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net cash (used in) from investing activities |
(62,399) | 110,190 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
FINANCING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||
Advance from immediate holding company |
13,301 | 505,834 | ||||||
Repayment to immediate holding company |
(11,880) | (359,919) | ||||||
Advance from fellow subsidiaries |
64,234 | 15,477 | ||||||
Repayment to fellow subsidiaries |
(277,963) | (106,021) | ||||||
Repayment to a former fellow subsidiary |
(19,966) | | ||||||
Proceeds from issue of shares |
781,484 | 27,126 | ||||||
Proceeds from issue of warrants |
11,742 | | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net cash from financing activities |
560,952 | 82,497 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents |
676,585 | 253,427 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period |
5,764 | 196,210 | ||||||
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes |
| 1,280 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period |
682,349 | 450,917 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Represented by: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
682,349 | 450,917 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements.
F-48
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
1. | GENERAL AND BASIS OF PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION |
AMTD Digital Inc. (the Company) was incorporated and registered as an exempted company with limited liability in the Cayman Islands under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands on September 12, 2019. The Company, through its subsidiaries (collectively, the Group), is mainly involved in the provision of digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, contents and marketing services. The Group also invests in innovative technology companies.
The Companys immediate holding company is AMTD Group Company Limited (AMTD Group), a private company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The Companys ultimate holding company was L.R. Capital Management Company (Cayman) Limited, a private company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. On December 31, 2020, the immediate holding company and the ultimate holding company entered into a share repurchase agreement, where the immediate holding company has repurchased certain shares previously allotted to the ultimate holding company. From then onwards, AMTD Group became the ultimate holding company of the Company.
The Group underwent a series of group reorganizations (Reorganization) in preparing for the initial listing of shares of the Company and details of which have been set out in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended April 30, 2020.
The Group comprising the Company and its subsidiaries resulting from the Reorganization has always been under the common control of AMTD Group during the nine months ended January 31, 2020 and 2021 and before and after the Reorganization. Therefore, it is regarded as a continuing entity and the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared as if the Company had always been the holding company of the Group.
2. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
The Groups unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting. Other than additional accounting policies resulting from application of amendments International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), and application of certain accounting policies which became relevant to the Group, the accounting policies and basis of preparation adopted in the preparation of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements are consistent with those followed in the preparation of the Groups financial statements for the year ended April 30, 2020. The notes presented in these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements include only significant events and transactions occurring since the Companys last fiscal year end and are not fully inclusive of all matters required to be disclosed by IFRS in the Companys annual consolidated financial statements. As a result, these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Companys consolidated financial statements for the year ended April 30, 2020.
2.1 | Application of amendments to IFRSs |
In the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the Group has applied the Amendments to References to the Conceptual Framework in IFRS Standards and the following amendments to IFRSs issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), for the first time, which are mandatorily effective for the annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2020 for the preparation of the Groups unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements:
Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8 | Definition of Material | |
Amendments to IFRS 3 | Definition of a Business | |
Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39 and IFRS 7 | Interest Rate Benchmark Reform |
F-49
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
2. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES(Continued) |
The application of the Amendments to References to the Conceptual Framework in IFRS Standards and the amendments to IFRSs in the current period has had no material impact on the Groups financial positions and performance for the current and prior periods and/or on the disclosures set out in these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements.
Impacts on application of Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8 Definition of Material
The Group has applied the Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8 for the first time in the current period. The amendments provide a new definition of material that states information is material if omitting, misstating or obscuring it could reasonably be expected to influence decisions that the primary users of general purpose financial statements make on the basis of those financial statements, which provide financial information about a specific reporting entity. The amendments also clarify that materiality depends on the nature or magnitude of information, either individually or in combination with other information, in the context of the financial statements taken as a whole.
The application of the amendments in the current period had no impact on the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements.
Impacts on application of Amendments to IFRS 3 Definition of a Business
The Group has applied the amendments for the first time in the current period. The amendments clarify that while businesses usually have outputs, outputs are not required for an integrated set of activities and assets to qualify as a business. To be considered a business, an acquired set of activities and assets must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs.
The amendments remove the assessment of whether market participants are capable of replacing any missing inputs or processes and continuing to produce outputs. The amendments also introduce additional guidance that helps to determine whether a substantive process has been acquired.
In addition, the amendments introduce an optional concentration test that permits a simplified assessment of whether an acquired set of activities and assets is not a business. Under the optional concentration test, the acquired set of activities and assets is not a business if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar assets. The gross assets under assessment exclude cash and cash equivalents, deferred tax assets, and goodwill resulting from the effects of deferred tax liabilities. The election on whether to apply the optional concentration test is available on transaction-by-transaction basis.
The amendments had no impact on the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of the Group but may impact future periods should the Group make any further acquisitions.
2.2 | Accounting policies newly applied by the Group |
(a) | Business combinations or asset acquisitions |
Optional concentration test
Effective from May 1, 2020, the Group can elect to apply an optional concentration test, on a transaction-by-transaction basis, that permits a simplified assessment of whether an acquired set of activities and assets is not a business. The concentration test is met if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets. The gross assets
F-50
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
2. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES(Continued) |
under assessment exclude cash and cash equivalents, deferred tax assets, and goodwill resulting from the effects of deferred tax liabilities. If the concentration test is met, the set of activities and assets is determined not to be a business and no further assessment is needed. The Group did not elect to apply such concentration test on any transactions during nine months period ended January 31, 2021.
Asset acquisitions
When the Group acquires a group of assets and liabilities that do not constitute a business, the Group identifies and recognizes the individual identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed by allocating the purchase price first to financial assets / financial liabilities at the respective fair values, the remaining balance of the purchase price is then allocated to the other identifiable assets and liabilities on the basis of their relative fair values at the date of purchase. Such a transaction does not give rise to goodwill or bargain purchase gain.
Business combinations
Acquisitions of businesses, other than business combination under common control, are accounted for using the acquisition method. The consideration transferred in a business combination is measured at fair value, which is calculated as the sum of the acquisition date fair values of the assets transferred by the Group, liabilities incurred by the Group to the former owners of the acquiree and the equity interests issued by the Group in exchange for control of the acquiree. Acquisition-related costs are generally recognized in profit or loss as incurred.
Except for certain recognition exemptions, the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed must meet the definitions of an asset and a liability in the International Accounting Standards Committees Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements (replaced by the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting issued in September 2010).
At the acquisition date, the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed are recognized at their fair value, except that:
| deferred tax assets or liabilities, and assets or liabilities related to employee benefit arrangements are recognized and measured in accordance with IAS 12 Income Taxes and IAS 19 Employee Benefits respectively; |
| liabilities or equity instruments related to share-based payment arrangements of the acquiree or share- based payment arrangements of the Group entered into to replace share-based payment arrangements of the acquiree are measured in accordance with IFRS 2 Share-based Payment at the acquisition date (see the accounting policy below); |
| assets (or disposal groups) that are classified as held for sale in accordance with IFRS 5 Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations are measured in accordance with that standard; and |
| lease liabilities are recognized and measured at the present value of the remaining lease payments (as defined in IFRS 16 Leases) as if the acquired leases were new leases at the acquisition date, except for leases for which (a) the lease term ends within 12 months of the acquisition date; or (b) underlying asset is of low value. Right-of-use assets are recognized and measured at the same amount as the relevant lease liabilities, adjusted to reflect favourable or unfavourable terms of the lease when compared with market terms. |
F-51
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
2. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES(Continued) |
Goodwill is measured as the excess of the sum of the consideration transferred, the amount of any non- controlling interests in the acquiree, and the fair value of the acquirers previously held equity interest in the acquiree (if any) over the net amount of the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed as at acquisition date. If, after re-assessment, the net amount of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed exceeds the sum of the consideration transferred, the amount of any non-controlling interests in the acquiree and the fair value of the acquirers previously held interest in the acquiree (if any), the excess is recognized immediately in profit or loss as a bargain purchase gain.
Non-controlling interests that are present ownership interests and entitle their holders to a proportionate share of the relevant subsidiarys net assets in the event of liquidation are initially measured at the non-controlling interests proportionate share of the recognized amounts of the acquirees identifiable net assets or at fair value.
If the initial accounting for a business combination is incomplete by the end of the reporting period in which the combination occurs, the Group reports provisional amounts for the items for which the accounting is incomplete. Those provisional amounts are adjusted retrospectively during the measurement period (see above), and additional assets or liabilities are recognized, to reflect new information obtained about facts and circumstances that existed at the acquisition date that, if known, would have affected the amounts recognized at that date.
(b) | Goodwill |
Goodwill arising on an acquisition of a business is carried at cost as established at the date of acquisition of the business (see the accounting policy above) less accumulated impairment losses, if any.
For the purposes of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to each of the Groups cash-generating units (or group of cash-generating units) that is expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination, which represent the lowest level at which the goodwill is monitored for internal management purposes and not larger than an operating segment.
A cash-generating unit (or group of cash-generating units) to which goodwill has been allocated is tested for impairment annually or more frequently when there is indication that the unit may be impaired. For goodwill arising on an acquisition in a reporting period, the cash-generating unit (or group of cash-generating units) to which goodwill has been allocated is tested for impairment before the end of that reporting period. If the recoverable amount is less than its carrying amount, the impairment loss is allocated first to reduce the carrying amount of any goodwill and then to the other assets on a pro-rata basis based on the carrying amount of each asset in the unit (or group of cash-generating units).
On disposal of the relevant cash-generating unit or any of the cash-generating unit within the group of cash- generating units, the attributable amount of goodwill is included in the determination of the amount of profit or loss on disposal. When the Group disposes of an operation within the cash-generating unit (or a cash- generating unit within a group of cash-generating units), the amount of goodwill disposed of is measured on the basis of the relative values of the operation (or the cash-generating unit) disposed of and the portion of the cash-generating unit (or the group of cash-generating units) retained.
F-52
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
2. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES(Continued) |
(c) | Revenue from contracts with customers |
Insurance brokerage services of PolicyPal (as defined in note 11)
The Group acts as an agent and earns commission income by facilitating the arrangement between insurance company partners and individuals. The service promised to the customer, i.e. insurance company partners, is placement of an effective insurance policy and the Group does not have other contractual performance obligations. Commission revenue are usually a percentage of the premium which is generally depend upon the type of insurance and the insurance company partner. Revenue is recognized at a point in time upon execution and effectiveness of insurance contracts. The Group allows a credit period of 14 days to its customers.
(d) | Foreign currencies |
In preparing the financial statements of each individual group entity, transactions in currencies other than the functional currency of that entity (foreign currencies) are recognized at the rates of exchanges prevailing on the dates of the transactions. At the end of the reporting period, monetary items denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing at that date. Non-monetary items carried at fair value that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the date when the fair value was determined. Non-monetary items that are measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are not retranslated.
Exchange differences arising on the settlement of monetary items, and on the retranslation of monetary items, are recognized in profit or loss in the period in which they arise.
For the purposes of presenting the consolidated financial statements, the assets and liabilities of the Groups operations are translated into the presentation currency of the Group (i.e. HK$) using exchange rates prevailing at the end of each reporting period. Income and expenses items are translated at the average exchange rates for the period, unless exchange rates fluctuate significantly during that period, in which case the exchange rates at the date of transactions are used. Exchange differences arising, if any, are recognized in other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity under the heading of exchange reserve (attributed to non-controlling interests as appropriate).
On the disposal of a foreign operation (that is, a disposal of the Groups entire interest in a foreign operation, or a disposal involving loss of control over a subsidiary that includes a foreign operation, or a partial disposal of an interest in a joint arrangement or an associate that includes a foreign operation of which the retained interest becomes a financial asset), all of the exchange differences accumulated in equity in respect of that operation attributable to the owners of the Company are reclassified to profit or loss.
(e) | Government grants |
Government grants are not recognized until there is reasonable assurance that the Group will comply with the conditions attaching to them and the grants will be received.
Government grants are recognized in profit or loss on a systematic basis over the periods in which the Group recognizes as expenses the related costs for which the grants are intended to compensate.
Government grants related to income that are receivable as compensation for expenses or losses already incurred or for the purpose of giving immediate financial support to the Group with no future related costs
F-53
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
2. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES(Continued) |
are recognized in profit or loss in the period in which they become receivable. Such grants are presented under other income.
(f) | Share-based payments |
Equity-settled share-based payments transactions
Restricted ordinary shares granted to employees
Equity-settled share-based payments to employees are measured at the fair value of the equity instruments at the grant date.
The fair value of the equity-settled share-based payments determined at the grant date without taking into consideration all non-market vesting conditions is expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period.
When the restricted ordinary shares are vested, the amount previously recognized in share-based payment reserve will be transferred to share premium.
(g) | Property, plant and equipment |
Property, plant and equipment are tangible assets that are held for use in the production or supply of goods or services, or for administrative purposes. Property, plant and equipment are stated in the consolidated statement of financial position at cost less subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses, if any.
Depreciation is recognized so as to write off the cost of assets less their residual values over their estimated useful lives, using the straight-line method. The estimated useful lives, residual values and depreciation method are reviewed at the end of each reporting period, with the effect of any changes in estimate accounted for on a prospective basis.
An item of property, plant and equipment is derecognized upon disposal or when no future economic benefits are expected to arise from the continued use of the asset. Any gain or loss arising on the disposal or retirement of an item of property, plant and equipment is determined as the difference between the sales proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset and is recognized in profit or loss.
(h) | Intangible assets |
Intangible assets acquired in a business combination
Intangible assets acquired in a business combination are recognized separately from goodwill and are initially recognized at their fair value at the acquisition date (which is regarded as their cost).
Subsequent to initial recognition, intangible assets acquired in a business combination with finite useful lives are reported at costs less accumulated amortization and any accumulated impairment losses, being
F-54
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
2. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES(Continued) |
their fair value at the date of the revaluation less subsequent accumulated amortization and any accumulated impairment losses. Amortization for intangible assets with finite useful lives is recognized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. The estimated useful life and amortization method are reviewed at the end of each reporting period, with the effect of any changes in estimate being accounted for on a prospective basis. Intangible assets acquired in a business combination with indefinite useful lives are carried at cost less any subsequent accumulated impairment losses.
An intangible asset is derecognized on disposal, or when no future economic benefits are expected from use or disposal. Gains and losses arising from derecognition of an intangible asset, measured as the difference between the net disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset, are recognized in profit or loss when the asset is derecognized.
(i) | Impairment on property, plant and equipment and intangible assets other than goodwill |
At the end of the reporting period, the Group reviews the carrying amounts of its property, plant and equipment and intangible assets with finite useful lives to determine whether there is any indication that these assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the relevant asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
The recoverable amount of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets are estimated individually. When it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount individually, the Group estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.
In testing a cash-generating unit for impairment, corporate assets are allocated to the relevant cash-generating unit when a reasonable and consistent basis of allocation can be established, or otherwise they are allocated to the smallest group of cash generating units for which a reasonable and consistent allocation basis can be established. The recoverable amount is determined for the cash-generating unit or group of cash-generating units to which the corporate asset belongs, and is compared with the carrying amount of the relevant cash-generating unit or group of cash-generating units.
Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs of disposal and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset (or a cash- generating unit) for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.
If the recoverable amount of an asset (or a cash-generating unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset (or a cash-generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount. For corporate assets or portion of corporate assets which cannot be allocated on a reasonable and consistent basis to a cash-generating unit, the Group compares the carrying amount of a group of cash-generating units, including the carrying amounts of the corporate assets or portion of corporate assets allocated to that group of cash-generating units, with the recoverable amount of the group of cash-generating units. In allocating the impairment loss, the impairment loss is allocated first to reduce the carrying amount of any goodwill (if applicable) and then to the other assets on a pro-rata basis based on the carrying amount of each asset in the unit or the group of cash-generating units. The carrying amount of an asset is not reduced below the highest of its fair value less costs of disposal (if measurable), its value in use (if determinable) and zero. The amount
F-55
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
2. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES(Continued) |
of the impairment loss that would otherwise have been allocated to the asset is allocated pro rata to the other assets of the unit or the group of cash-generating units. An impairment loss is recognized immediately in profit or loss.
Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit or a group of cash-generating units) is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognized for the asset (or a cash-generating unit or a group of cash-generating units) in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognized immediately in profit or loss.
3. | REVENUE |
(i) | Disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers |
Nine months ended January 31, 2020
Segments | SpiderNet ecosystem solutions |
Digital financial services |
Total | |||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||
Types of services |
||||||||||||
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions service |
126,048 | | 126,048 | |||||||||
Insurance brokerage services |
| 7,259 | 7,259 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total |
126,048 | 7,259 | 133,307 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Timing of revenue recognition |
||||||||||||
A point in time |
| 7,259 | 7,259 | |||||||||
Over time |
126,048 | | 126,048 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total |
126,048 | 7,259 | 133,307 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine months ended January 31, 2021
Segments | SpiderNet ecosystem solutions |
Digital financial services |
Total | |||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||
Types of services |
||||||||||||
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions service |
134,913 | | 134,913 | |||||||||
Insurance brokerage services |
| 10,617 | 10,617 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total |
134,913 | 10,617 | 145,530 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Timing of revenue recognition |
||||||||||||
A point in time |
| 10,617 | 10,617 | |||||||||
Over time |
134,913 | | 134,913 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total |
134,913 | 10,617 | 145,530 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-56
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
3. | REVENUE(CONTINUED) |
(ii) | Transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligation for contracts with customers |
The transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations (unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied) and the expected timing of recognizing revenue are as follows:
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions service income |
||||||||
As of January 31 | ||||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Within one year |
101,980 | 165,325 | ||||||
More than one year but not more than two years |
37,620 | 74,973 | ||||||
More than two years |
11,481 | 9,136 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
151,081 | 249,434 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
4. | OPERATING SEGMENTS |
Information reported to the Chief Executive Officer, being the chief operating decision maker (CODM), for the purposes of resource allocation and assessment of segment performance focuses on types of goods or services delivered or provided.
Specifically, the Groups reportable segments under IFRS 8 Segment Reporting are as follows:
(a) | The SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment: The Group provides its institutional and corporate clients with exclusive, paid access to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem to enhance their investor communication, investor relations and corporate communication to potentially maximise their valuation; |
(b) | The digital financial services segment: The Group provides primarily corporate clients with insurance brokerage services; and |
(c) | Corporate: The Group includes in the Corporate category (i) the digital media, content, and marketing business in which the Group creates and promotes digital solutions content by investing and developing multimedia channels to provide users and audiences access to content medium through a comprehensive library of traditional and digital movies, podcasts, webinars and live videos offered by content providers and online media platforms since May 2020; and (ii) the investments in innovative technology companies which operate digital non-financial license businesses through strategic investments. |
F-57
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | OPERATING SEGMENTS(Continued) |
Segment revenues and results
The following is an analysis of the Groups revenues and results by reportable segments:
For the nine months ended January 31, 2020
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions |
Digital financial services |
Corporate | Consolidated | |||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||||
Segment revenues |
||||||||||||||||
Revenue from external customers |
126,048 | 7,102 | | 133,150 | ||||||||||||
Revenue from related parties |
| 157 | | 157 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
126,048 | 7,259 | | 133,307 | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss |
| | (1,933 | ) | (1,933 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Segment results |
112,802 | 5,216 | (2,060 | ) | 115,958 | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Unallocated: |
||||||||||||||||
Other gains and losses, net |
(5,450 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Corporate expenses |
(612 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Profit before tax |
109,896 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
For the nine months ended January 31, 2021
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions |
Digital financial services |
Corporate | Consolidated | |||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||||
Segment revenues |
||||||||||||||||
Revenue from external customers |
130,646 | 10,053 | | 140,699 | ||||||||||||
Revenue from related parties |
4,267 | 564 | | 4,831 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
134,913 |
|
10,617 | |
|
|
145,530 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss |
| | 28,870 | 28,870 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Segment results |
103,844 | 437 | 28,839 | 133,120 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Unallocated: |
||||||||||||||||
Other income |
1,171 | |||||||||||||||
Other gains and losses, net |
(690 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Corporate expenses |
(5,815) | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Profit before tax |
127,786 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
The accounting policies of the operating segments are the same as the Groups accounting policies described in Groups consolidated financial statements for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020 and those newly
F-58
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
4. | OPERATING SEGMENTS(Continued) |
applied by the Group disclosed in these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. Segment profit represents the profit earned by each segment without allocation of other income, other gains and losses, net, corporate expenses including central administration costs and directors emoluments. This is the measure reported to the CODM for the purposes of resource allocation and performance assessment.
The CODM makes decisions according to operating results of each segment. No analysis of segment asset and segment liability is presented as the CODM does not regularly review such information for the purposes of resources allocation and performance assessment. Therefore, only segment revenue and segment results are presented.
Information | about major customers |
Revenue from customers of the corresponding period contributing over 10% of the total revenue of the Group are as follows:
Nine months ended January 31, | ||||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Customer A1 |
27,455 | N/A | ||||||
Customer B1 |
27,238 | 16,549 | ||||||
Customer C1 |
21,135 | N/A | ||||||
Customer D1 |
16,634 | N/A | 2 | |||||
Customer E1 |
15,431 | 18,729 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
1 | Revenue from SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment |
2 | Revenue from SpiderNet ecosystem solutions segment contributed by this customer is less than 10% of the total revenue during the nine months ended January 31, 2021 |
In addition, the Group provided SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services to its non-controlling shareholders with revenue of HK$7,782 and HK$34,094 recognized for the nine months ended January 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively.
5. | CHANGES IN FAIR VALUE ON FINANCIAL ASSETS MEASURED AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS |
Nine months ended January 31, |
||||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Changes in fair value on financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL) |
(1,933 | ) | 28,870 | |||||
|
|
|
|
F-59
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
6. | OTHER INCOME |
Nine months ended January 31, |
||||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Bank and other interest income |
| 57 | ||||||
Government grant (note) |
| 1,114 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
| 1,171 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | During the nine months ended January 31, 2021, the Group recognized government grants of HK$1,114 in respect of COVID-19-related subsidies relates to employment support programs provided by the Hong Kong and Singapore government. |
7. | OTHER GAINS AND LOSSES, NET |
Nine months ended January 31, |
||||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Net exchange gains (losses) |
479 | (690 | ) | |||||
Change in fair value on derivative financial liabilities (Note) |
(5,929 | ) | | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
(5,450 | ) | (690 | ) | |||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | On December 19, 2019, the Company issued warrants to an independent third party for an aggregate consideration of US$1,500 (approximately equivalent to HK$11,742), with a total exercise price of US$10,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$77,963) for 3.23% equity interest of the Company which was recognized as derivative financial liabilities. The changes in fair value of the warrants from date of issuance to January 31, 2020 amounting to HK$5,929 was recognized as a loss in the unaudited interim condensed consolidated statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the nine months ended January 31, 2020. Such warrants were exercised in March 2020. |
8. | INCOME TAX EXPENSE |
Nine months ended January 31, |
||||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Current tax |
||||||||
- Hong Kong Profits Tax |
18,170 | 18,471 | ||||||
Deferred tax (note 15) |
| (550 | ) | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
18,170 | 17,921 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
F-60
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
9. | PROFIT FOR THE PERIOD |
Profit for the period has been arrived at after charging:
Nine months ended January 31, |
||||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Directors emoluments |
||||||||
Salaries, allowances and other benefits |
433 | 6,938 | ||||||
Retirement benefit scheme contributions (note) |
2 | 45 | ||||||
Staff costs |
||||||||
Salaries, allowances and other benefits |
9,165 | 24,713 | ||||||
Retirement benefit scheme contributions (note) |
642 | 847 | ||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
| 3,259 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | The Group operates a Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme for all qualifying employees in Hong Kong. The assets of the schemes are held separately from those of the Group, in funds under the control of trustees. The Group contributes 5% of relevant payroll costs to the Scheme, which contribution is matched by employees. The Groups employees employed in Singapore who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents are required to join the Central Provident Fund scheme of Singapore. The Group contributes applicable percentage of relevant payroll costs with each employees qualifying salary capped at Singapore Dollar 6,000 per month. |
10. | EARNINGS PER SHARE |
The calculation of the basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to owners of the Company is based on the following data:
Earnings figures are calculated as follows: | Nine months ended January 31, | |||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Earnings for the purpose of basic and diluted earnings per share |
84,756 | 111,550 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Number of shares | Nine months ended January 31, | |||||||
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of basic earnings per share |
37,490,182 | 50,312,860 | ||||||
Effect of dilutive potential ordinary shares-restricted ordinary shares (note 16) |
| 4,254 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of diluted earnings per share |
37,490,182 | 50,317,114 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
The weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of calculating basic earnings per share has been determined on the assumption that the Reorganization and share split became effective/completed on May 1, 2019.
The computation of diluted earnings per share does not assume the exercise of the Companys warrants since their assumed exercise would result in an increase in earnings per share for the nine months ended January 31, 2020.
F-61
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
11. | ACQUISITION OF A SUBSIDIARY |
On August 3, 2020, the Group acquired 51% of the issued share capital of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. (PolicyPal) for a consideration of US$3,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$23,259) in cash and 702,765 of Class A ordinary shares of the Company. This acquisition has been accounted for using the acquisition method. The purchase price allocation for this acquisition are reported on provisional basis. The amount of provisional goodwill arising as a result of the acquisition was HK$58,675. PolicyPal operates a digital insurance brokerage business under direct insurance and exempt financial adviser license issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in relation to advising on investment products that are life policies and arranging of life policies in Singapore, other than for reinsurance. The acquisition of PolicyPal, which is included in the digital financial services segment, was in line with the Groups digital financial services strategy.
Consideration transferred:
HK$ | ||||
Cash | 23,259 | |||
Equity instruments issued | 67,664 | |||
|
|
|||
Total | 90,923 | |||
|
|
As part of the consideration for the acquisition of PolicyPal, 702,765 of Class A ordinary shares of the Company were issued. The provisional fair value of the ordinary shares of the Company is determined with the assistance from an independent valuation firm. Details of the movement of share capital are set out in note 16 (iii).
Acquisition-related costs amounting to HK$52 have been excluded from the consideration transferred and have been recognized as an expense, within the other expenses line item in the consolidated statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income in the current period.
Provisional assets acquired and liabilities recognized at the date of acquisition:
HK$ | ||||
Property, plant and equipment | 30 | |||
Intangible asset | 45,260 | |||
Accounts and other receivables | 293 | |||
Bank balances and cash | 43,988 | |||
Accounts and other payables | (18,597 | ) | ||
Deferred tax liabilities | (7,694 | ) | ||
|
|
|||
63,280 | ||||
|
|
The gross contractual amounts of those trade and other receivables acquired amounted to HK$293. The best estimate at the date of acquisition of the contractual cash flows not expected to be collected amounted to HK$nil.
The intangible asset represents the developed techology. Such intangible asset is amortized on a straight-line basis over 7 years.
F-62
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
11. | ACQUISITION OF A SUBSIDIARY(Continued) |
Provisional Goodwill arising on acquisition:
HK$ | ||||
Consideration transferred | 90,923 | |||
Plus: non-controlling interests (49% in PolicyPal) |
31,032 | |||
Less: net assets acquired | (63,280 | ) | ||
|
|
|||
Provisional goodwill arising on acquisition | 58,675 | |||
|
|
The non-controlling interests (49%) in PolicyPal recognized at the acquisition date was measured at their proportionate share of net assets acquired.
Goodwill, which is recorded at provisional basis, arose in the acquisition of PolicyPal because the cost of the combination included a control premium. In addition, the consideration paid for the acquisition effectively included amounts in relation to the benefit of expected synergies, revenue growth, future market development and the assembled workforce of PolicyPal. These benefits are not recognized separately from goodwill because they do not meet the recognition criteria for identifiable intangible assets.
None of the goodwill arising on these acquisitions is expected to be deductible for tax purposes.
Net cash inflow on acquisition of PolicyPal:
HK$ | ||||
Cash consideration paid | (23,259 | ) | ||
Less: cash and cash equivalents balances acquired | 43,988 | |||
|
|
|||
20,729 | ||||
|
|
Impact of the acquisition on the results of the Group:
The profit of the Group for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 includes loss of HK$6,671 attributable from PolicyPal. Revenue of the Group for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 includes HK$2,071 attributable from PolicyPal.
Had the acquisition been completed on May 1, 2020, revenue for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 of the Group would have been HK$145,947, and profit for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 of the Group would have been HK$109,055. The pro forma information is for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily an indication of revenue and results of operations of the Group that actually would have been achieved had the acquisition been completed on May 1, 2020, nor is it intended to be a projection of future results.
In determining the pro-forma revenue and profit of the Group had PolicyPal been acquired at the beginning of the current period, the directors of the Company have calculated depreciation of plant and equipment and amortization of intangible assets acquired on the basis of the fair values arising in the initial accounting for the business combination rather than the carrying amounts recognized in the pre-acquisition financial statements.
F-63
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
12. | FINANCIAL ASSETS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS |
April 30, 2020 | January 31, 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Unlisted equity securities (note (i)) |
208,696 | 246,459 | ||||||
Movie income right investments (note (ii)) |
| 79,996 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
208,696 | 326,455 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
Notes:
(i) | The Company classified equity securities as non-current when Company considered that these equity securities are held for long-term purposes and realize their performance potential in the long run. During the nine months ended January 31, 2021, additions of financial assets at FVTPL of HK$8,435 was paid by the immediate holding company on behalf of the Group. |
(ii) | As of January 31, 2021 and April 30, 2020, the financial assets at FVTPL of the Group includes movie income right agreements with a production house, which is an independent third party, of HK$79,996 and nil, respectively. In accordance to the relevant agreements, the Group is entitled to certain percentage of the profit to be derived from the release of the films upon entering into the agreement. The Group may be required to further contribute to the film program due to the budget overruns. Any agreed further contribution to the film program due to the budget overruns of the film program by the Group will be recognized as cost of financial assets at fair value through profit or losses. There is no further contribution due to budget overruns of the film program during the nine months ended January 31, 2021. Consideration for acquisition of movie income right investments of HK$59,785 has not yet been settled by the Group and such amount is recognized as liability for consideration payable for acquisition of movie income right investment included in accounts and other payable on the unaudited interim condensed consolidated statement of financial position. |
F-64
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
13. | ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIVABLES |
April 30, 2020 | January 31, 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Commission receivable from insurance brokerage |
4,104 | 5,623 | ||||||
Accounts receivable arising from the SpiderNet ecosystem solutions business |
6,960 | 62,607 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total accounts receivable |
11,064 | 68,230 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Consideration receivables on disposal of financial assets at FVTPL |
36,425 | | ||||||
Prepayments (note (i)) |
4,720 | 10,621 | ||||||
Note receivables (note (ii)) |
| 4,165 | ||||||
Loan receivables (note (iii)) |
| 2,361 | ||||||
Prepayment for additions of financial assets at FVTPL (note (iv)) |
| 2,361 | ||||||
Prepayment for subscription of bond instrument (note (iv)) |
| 11,452 | ||||||
Other receivables |
52 | 746 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Prepayment and other receivables |
41,197 | 31,706 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Presented as: |
||||||||
Current |
41,197 | 13,728 | ||||||
Non-current |
| 17,978 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
41,197 | 31,706 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
Notes:
(i) | As of January 31, 2021, prepayments mainly included employment incentive paid to the employees amounting to HK$6,961 which are paid for the employees service period at the beginning of the employment contracts, and repayable on a pro rata basis upon early termination of the employment contracts within 1 year. Such amounts are amortized over the relevant period on a straight line basis accordingly. |
(ii) | As of January 31, 2021, the amount represented a note receivables from an independent third party. The balance is unsecured, carried at fixed interest rate of 8% and repayable in 2 years. Such amount was paid by the immediate holding company on behalf of the Group. |
(iii) | As of January 31, 2021, the amount represented a loan receivable from an independent third party. The balance is unsecured, carried at fixed interest rate of 8% and repayable in 1 year. Such amount was paid by the immediate holding company on behalf of the Group. |
(iv) | As of January 31, 2021, the Group made a prepayment of HK$11,452 to an independent third party to subscribe for its bond instrument and a prepayment of HK$2,361 to another independent third party for purchase of unlisted equity securities. Such amounts were paid by the immediate holding company on behalf of the Group. |
As at May 1, 2019, commission receivable from insurance brokerage from contracts with customers amounted to HK$7,756.
The Group allows a credit period of 15 days to its commission receivable arising from insurance brokerage business. As at April 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021, included in the Groups accounts receivable balance were debtors with aggregate carrying amounts of HK$4,104 and HK$5,623, respectively, which were past
F-65
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
13. | ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIVABLES(Continued) |
due as at the reporting date. At April 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021, out of the past due balances, HK$1,404 and HK$1,712, respectively, had been past due 90 days or more. The Company assessed that there have been no significant increase in credit risk nor default because of the background of the debtors and historical payment arrangement with these debtors. The Group does not hold any collateral over these balances.
For the nine months ended January 31, 2020 and 2021, the Group assessed the expected credit loss (ECL) for the accounts and other receivables to be insignificant and thus no loss allowance is recognized. The basis of determining the inputs and assumptions and the estimation techniques used in the condensed unaudited interim consolidated financial statements for the nine months ended January 31, 2021 are the same as those followed in the preparation of the Groups consolidated financial statements of the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2020.
14. | ACCOUNTS AND OTHER PAYABLES |
April 30, 2020 | January 31, 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||
Accounts payable arising from insurance brokerage |
51 | 7,002 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Consideration payable for acquisition of movie income right investments |
| 59,785 | ||||||
Other payables and accruals |
374 | 1,206 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
374 | 60,991 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
425 | 67,993 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
The average credit period for the accounts payable arising from insurance brokerage is 30 days.
15. | DEFERRED TAX LIABILITY |
The following is the deferred tax liability recognized and movements thereon during the current interim period:
Intangible assets |
||||
HK$ | ||||
At May 1, 2020 |
| |||
Acquisition of a subsidiary (note 11) |
7,694 | |||
Credited to profit or loss (note 8) |
(550 | ) | ||
|
|
|||
At January 31, 2021 |
7,144 | |||
|
|
F-66
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
16. | SHARE CAPITAL |
The share capital as at April 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021 represented the issued share capital of the Company.
Class A Ordinary shares | Class B Ordinary shares | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of shares |
Share capital |
Number of shares |
Share capital |
Number of shares |
Share capital |
|||||||||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares of US$0.0001 each |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Authorised |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
At May 1, 2019, April 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021 |
8,000,000,000 | 6,200,000 | 2,000,000,000 | 1,550,000 | 10,000,000,000 | 7,750,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Issued and fully paid |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
At May 1, 2019 |
| | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Issuance upon incorporation |
| | 1 | | 1 | | ||||||||||||||||||
Share split |
| | 9,999 | | 9,999 | | ||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of shares |
9,500,000 | 7 | 38,790,000 | 30 | 48,290,000 | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||
Exercise of warrants |
1,226,667 | 1 | | | 1,226,667 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
At April 30, 2020 |
10,726,667 | 8 | 38,800,000 | 30 | 49,526,667 | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of shares (note (i)) |
350,000 | 1 | | | 350,000 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation (note (ii)) |
38,710 | | | | 38,710 | | ||||||||||||||||||
Acquisitions of subsidiaries (note (iii)) |
702,765 | 1 | | | 702,765 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Transfer of shares (note (iv)) |
14,598,000 | 11 | (14,598,000 | ) | (11 | ) | | | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
At January 31, 2021 |
26,416,142 | 21 | 24,202,000 | 19 | 50,618,142 | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes:
(i) | Between May 13, 2020 and August 3, 2020, the Company issued 350,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares to third party investors for an aggregate consideration of US$3,500 (equivalent to approximately HK$27,126). |
(ii) | On August 3, 2020, the Company granted 38,710 shares of Class A ordinary shares with grant date fair value of HK$96 per share and an aggregated grant date fair value of HK$3,728, which has a vesting period of 3 years, to a personnel of the Company. A share-based payment expense amounting to HK$621 was recognized in the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements during the nine months period ended January 31, 2021. As of January 31, 2021, no restricted shares are vested and there are 38,710 shares which are unvested and expected to vest. There were HK$3,107 of unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to these unvested restricted shares which are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.58 years as of January 31, 2021. The grant date fair value of the Class A ordinary shares is determined based on recent transaction price. |
(iii) | The Company issued 702,765 Class A ordinary shares to certain shareholders of PolicyPal, together with a cash consideration, in exchange for 51% of the equity interest of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd on August 3, 2020. Details of the acquisition of subsidiary are set out in note 11. |
F-67
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
16. | SHARE CAPITAL(Continued) |
(iv) | On June 26, 2020, the immediate holding company of the Company converted its 14,598,000 Class B ordinary shares to Class A ordinary shares. The immediate holding company then transferred its 2,441,000 Class A ordinary shares to AMTD Assets Alpha Group, a fellow subsidiary of the Company, 2,441,000 Class A ordinary shares to AMTD Education Group, a fellow subsidiary of the Company, and 9,716,000 Class A ordinary shares to AMTD International Inc. a fellow subsidiary of the Company, respectively. |
17. | FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS |
Fair value measurements and valuation processes
Some of the Groups financial instruments are measured at fair value for financial reporting purposes. The management of the Company are responsible for determining the appropriate valuation techniques and inputs for fair value measurements.
In estimating the fair value, the Group uses observable market data to the extent it is available. Where Level 1 inputs are not available, the Group makes reference to the prices of recent transactions or engages third-party qualified valuers to perform the valuation.
The management of the Company works closely with the qualified external valuers to establish the appropriate valuation techniques and inputs to the model. The management reports the findings to the board of directors of the Company to explain the cause of fluctuations in the fair value.
The following table gives information about how the fair values of these financial assets are determined (in particular, the valuation technique(s) and inputs used), as well as the level of the fair value hierarchy into which the fair value measurements are categorised (Level 1 to 3) based on the degree to which the inputs to the fair value measurements are observable.
| Level 1 fair value measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active market for identical assets or liabilities. |
| Level 2 fair value measurements are those derived from inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices). |
| Level 3 fair value measurements are those derived from valuation techniques that include inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs). |
F-68
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
17. | FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS(Continued) |
(i) | Fair value of the Groups financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis |
The Groups investments in private equity and movie income right are measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period. The following table gives information about how the fair values of these financial assets are determined (in particular, the valuation technique(s) and inputs used).
Financial assets |
Fair value as at | Fair value hierarchy |
Valuation technique(s) and key inputs |
Significant | ||||||||||||
April 30, 2020 |
January 31, 2021 |
|||||||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||||||||
Financial assets at FVTPL - unlisted equity securities | |
77,464 |
|
8,435 | Level 2 | The fair values of unlisted equity investments are determined with reference to the recent transaction price of the investments. |
N/A | |||||||||
131,232 | 238,024 | Level 3 | Market approachthe option pricing model (OPM) backsolve approach was used to calculate the implied equity value of the investee. Once an overall equity value was determined, amounts were allocated to the various classes of equity based on the security class preferences. The inputs to the OPM backsolve approach are the recent transaction price for one component of the capital structure, probability of IPO, redemption and liquidation, the risk-free interest rate and expected volatility. |
Expected volatility ranged from 52.65% to 68.52% and 37.24% to 52.24% as at April 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021, respectively, taking into account peer companies volatility used by market participants when pricing the investment (note (i)). | ||||||||||||
Movie income right investments |
| 59,785 | Level 2 | The fair value of movie income right investment is determined with reference to the recent transaction price of the investment. |
N/A | |||||||||||
| 20,211 | Level 3 | Income approachin this approach, the discounted cash flow method was used to capture the present value of the expected future economic benefits to be derived from the ownership of these movie income right investment, based on an appropriate discount rate. | Discount rate, taking into account weighted average cost of capital (WACC) determined using a Capital Asset Pricing Model of 10.40% (note (ii)) |
F-69
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
17. | FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS(Continued) |
Notes: |
(i) | A change in the expected volatility used in isolation would result in a change in the fair value of the private equity investments. A 5% increase in the expected volatility holding all other variables constant would increase the carrying amount of the private equity investments by HK$295 and decrease the carrying amount of the private equity investments by HK$848 as at April 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021, respectively. |
(ii) | A 5% increase in the discount rate holding all other variables constant would decrease the carrying amount of the movie income right investments by HK$653 as at January 31, 2021. |
Reconciliation of Level 3 fair value measurements
Unlisted investments classified as equity instruments at FVTPL |
Movie income right investments |
Total | ||||||||||
HK$ | HK$ | HK$ | ||||||||||
At May 1, 2019 |
432,548 | | 432,548 | |||||||||
Total losses in profit or loss |
(1,933 | ) | | (1,933 | ) | |||||||
Disposals |
(317,102 | ) | | (317,102 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
At January 31, 2020 |
113,513 | | 113,513 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
At May 1, 2020 |
131,232 | | 131,232 | |||||||||
Total gains in profit or loss |
29,328 | (458 | ) | 28,870 | ||||||||
Transfer from Level 2 to Level 3 |
77,464 | | 77,464 | |||||||||
Purchases |
| 20,669 | 20,669 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
At January 31, 2021 |
238,024 | 20,211 | 258,235 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
The net unrealized losses of HK$1,933 and net unrealized gains of HK$28,870 for the period included in profit or loss related to financial assets at FVTPL held at January 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The investments of HK$77,464 were transferred from Level 2 to Level 3 category and the transfers are primarily attributable to changes in observability of valuation inputs in valuing these investments.
Other than those disclosed above, there were no other transfer out of Level 2 and 3 during the nine months ended January 31, 2020 and 2021.
(ii) | Fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities that are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis (but fair value disclosures are required) |
The Company consider that the carrying amount of the Groups financial assets and financial liabilities recorded at amortised cost in the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. Such fair values have been determined in accordance with generally accepted pricing models based on a discounted cash flow analysis.
F-70
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
18. | RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES |
In addition to the transactions and balances disclosed elsewhere in the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements, the Group had the following significant related party transactions during the reporting period:
Nine months ended January 31, |
||||||||||
Relationship |
Nature of transactions |
2020 | 2021 | |||||||
HK$ | HK$ | |||||||||
Immediate holding company |
Insurance brokerage services rendered | 91 | 477 | |||||||
Fellow subsidiaries |
Insurance brokerage services rendered | 66 | 87 | |||||||
Immediate holding company |
SpiderNet ecosystem solutions services rendered | | 4,267 | |||||||
Immediate holding company |
Corporate expenses allocated | 3,692 | 12,920 | |||||||
A fellow subsidiary |
Disposal of investments (note) | 317,102 | | |||||||
|
|
|
|
Note: | On June 30, 2019, the Group disposed of an investment to a fellow subsidiary for cash consideration of HK$317,102 to streamline the businesses of the respective entities. |
Compensation of key management personnel
The directors of the Company were considered to be the key management personnel of the Company. The remuneration of the directors of the Company is set out in note 9. The remuneration of key management personnel is determined with regard to the performance of individuals and market trends.
As at April 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021, the amounts due from (to) immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries were unsecured, interest free and repayable on demand.
For the nine months ended January 31, 2020 and 2021, the Group assessed the ECL for the amounts due from immediate holding company and fellow subsidiaries to be insignificant and thus no loss allowance is recognized.
Major non-cash transactions
Certain entities within AMTD Group had entered into intercompany offsetting agreements pursuant to which certain intercompany receivables and payables are to be netted-off for settlement purpose. These constituted material non-cash transactions. Amount due to immediate holding company and amounts due from fellow subsidiaries, which amounted to HK$62,676 and HK$62,676, respectively, were netted-off under these agreements.
19. | OTHER COMMITMENT |
The Group entered into a binding term sheet in December 2019 with certain third parties to establish a consortium in which the Group expects to be the largest shareholder holding 35.2% of equity interest for a consideration of Singapore Dollar 79.2 million (equivalent to approximately HK$435,000). The consortium is expected to establish Singa Bank, a digital wholesale banking platform to be established to provide comprehensive services to small and medium-sized enterprises and corporate clients in Singapore. The consortium is actively pursuing digital banking opportunities in Singapore through Singa Bank. As of the date of this report, the launch of the Singa Bank is subject to the approval of the digital wholesale banking license from the MAS and other regulatory requirements.
F-71
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All amounts in thousands of Hong Kong dollars (HK$) and U.S. dollars (US$), except for share and per share data)
19. | OTHER COMMITMENT(Continued) |
In June 2020, the Group entered into a binding term sheet to acquire 55% equity interest in CapBridge Financial Pte. Ltd., which holds a capital markets services license in respect of dealing in capital markets products that are securities and a collective investment schemes license in Singapore, for a consideration of US$1,280 (equivalent to approximately HK$9,920) in cash and 3,878,000 of Class A ordinary shares of the Company. The proposed acquisition is subject to MASs final approval.
20. | REGULATORY REQUIREMENT |
The Companys insurance brokerage subsidiary is subject to the Hong Kong Insurance Ordinance, which requires the maintenance of minimum net capital of HK$100. At April 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021, it was in compliance with this requirement.
21. | EVENTS AFTER THE REPORTING PERIOD |
Save as disclosed elsewhere in the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements, subsequent to January 31, 2021, the following significant events took place:
| The Company issued 8,500,000 Class A ordinary shares to AMTD Assets Alpha Group, a fellow subsidiary of the Company, and 8,500,000 Class A ordinary shares to AMTD Education Group, a fellow subsidiary of the Company, for cash considerations of US$85,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$663,000) and US$85,000 (equivalent to approximately HK$663,000) on March 8, 2021, respectively. |
| In April 2021, the Company disposed one of its equity investments that was subsequently listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange after the reporting period, for cash consideration of HK$77,840, which resulted in an increase in fair value of such investments of HK$14,206. |
22. | APPROVAL OF UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorized for issue on May 20, 2021.
F-72
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
ITEM 6. | INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS. |
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a companys articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, 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.
Our memorandum and articles of association provide that we shall indemnify our officers and directors against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such directors or officer, other than by reason of such persons dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our companys business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.
Pursuant to the form of indemnification agreements filed as Exhibit 10.3 to this registration statement, we will agree to indemnify our directors and executive officers against certain liabilities and expenses that they incur in connection with claims made by reason of their being a director or officer of our company.
The underwriting agreement, the form of which will be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement, will also provide for indemnification by the underwriters of us and our directors and officers for certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act, but only to the extent that such liabilities are caused by information relating to the underwriters furnished to us in writing expressly for use in this registration statement and certain other disclosure documents.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
ITEM 7. | SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES. |
Upon our incorporation in September 2019, we issued one ordinary share to our Controlling Shareholder. In December 2019, we effected a 1-to-10,000 share split, following which our one issued ordinary share was subdivided into 10,000 ordinary shares and re-designated as Class B ordinary share. Later in December 2019, we issued 36,790,000 Class B ordinary shares to our Controlling Shareholder.
II-1
Subsequently, we have issued the following securities. We believe that each of the following issuances was exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance on Regulation D under the Securities Act or pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act regarding transactions not involving a public offering or in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act regarding sales by an issuer in offshore transactions. No underwriters were involved in these issuances of securities.
Securities/Purchaser |
Date of Issuance |
Number of Securities |
Consideration | |||||
Class A ordinary shares | ||||||||
Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund |
December 31, 2019 | 5,500,000 | US$55,000,000 | |||||
Maoyan Entertainment |
December 31, 2019 | 300,000 | US$3,000,000 | |||||
EverGlory Strategic Investment Limited |
January 31, 2020 | 2,200,000 | US$22,000,000 | |||||
Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund |
March 10, 2020 | 1,226,667 | US$10,000,000 | |||||
Poly Platinum Enterprises Limited |
March 13, 2020 | 1,500,000 | US$15,000,000 | |||||
Chestnut Business Limited |
May 13, 2020 | 300,000 | US$3,000,000 | |||||
Shareholders of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. |
August 3, 2020 | 702,765 | 51% of PolicyPal Pte. Ltd.s equity interest minus US$3,000,000 | |||||
Osman Ershad Faiz |
August 3, 2020 | 38,710 | | |||||
NGSP Holdings Limited |
August 3, 2020 | 50,000 | US$500,000 | |||||
AMTD Assets Alpha Group |
March 8, 2021 | 8,500,000 | US$85,000,000 | |||||
AMTD Education Group |
March 8, 2021 | 8,500,000 | US$85,000,000 | |||||
Class B ordinary shares | ||||||||
Infinity Power Investments Limited |
January 31, 2020 | 2,000,000 | US$20,000,000 |
ITEM 8. | EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES. |
(a) | Exhibits |
See Exhibit Index beginning on page II-4 of this registration statement.
(b) | Financial Statement Schedules |
Schedules have been omitted because the information required to be set forth therein is not applicable or is shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements or the Notes thereto.
ITEM 9. | UNDERTAKINGS. |
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
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 provisions described in Item 6, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC 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.
II-2
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
1. | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant under Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
2. | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus 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. | For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
4. | For the purpose of determining any liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in an offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
(i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
(ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
(i) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
(ii) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
II-3
AMTD Digital Inc.
EXHIBIT INDEX
II-4
* | To be filed by amendment. |
II-5
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-1 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Hong Kong, on May 20, 2021.
AMTD Digital Inc. | ||||
By: | /s/ Mark Chi Hang Lo | |||
Name: |
Mark Chi Hang Lo | |||
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
II-6
Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Mark Chi Hang Lo and Xavier Ho Sum Zee as attorneys-in-fact with full power of substitution, for him or her in any and all capacities, to do any and all acts and all things and to execute any and all instruments which said attorney and agent may deem necessary or desirable to enable the registrant to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of Class A ordinary shares of the registrant (the Shares), including, without limitation, the power and authority to sign the name of each of the undersigned in the capacities indicated below to the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (the Registration Statement) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to such Shares, to any and all amendments or supplements to such Registration Statement, whether such amendments or supplements are filed before or after the effective date of such Registration Statement, to any related Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and to any and all instruments or documents filed as part of or in connection with such Registration Statement or any and all amendments thereto, whether such amendments are filed before or after the effective date of such Registration Statement; and each of the undersigned hereby ratifies and confirms all that such attorney and agent shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature |
Title |
Date | ||
/s/ Mark Chi Hang Lo Name: Mark Chi Hang Lo |
Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and Director |
May 20, 2021 | ||
/s/ Xavier Ho Sum Zee Name: Xavier Ho Sum Zee |
Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer) |
May 20, 2021 | ||
/s/ Frederic Lau Name: Frederic Lau |
President and Director |
May 20, 2021 | ||
/s/ Timothy Wai Cheung Tong Name: Timothy Wai Cheung Tong |
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Independent Director |
May 20, 2021 | ||
/s/ Nimil Rajnikant Parekh Name: Nimil Rajnikant Parekh |
Independent Director |
May 20, 2021 |
II-7
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 AMTD Digital Inc., has signed this registration statement or amendment thereto in Newark, Delaware, United States on May 20, 2021.
Authorized U.S. Representative | ||||
By: | /s/ Donald J. Puglisi | |||
Name: |
Donald J. Puglisi | |||
Title: |
Managing Director |
II-8
Exhibit 3.1
THE COMPANIES LAW (2018 REVISION)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
AMENDED AND RESTATED
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
OF
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
(Adopted by Special Resolution passed on December 2, 2019 and effective upon the adoption of the Special Resolution)
1. | The name of the Company is AMTD Digital Inc.. |
2. | The Registered Office of the Company will be situated at the offices of Conyers Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands, or at such other location within the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
3. | The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Law or any other law of the Cayman Islands. |
4. | The Company shall have and be capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit as provided by the Companies Law. |
5. | The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried on outside the Cayman Islands; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as to prevent the Company effecting and concluding contracts in the Cayman Islands, and exercising in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands. |
6. | The liability of each Shareholder is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the Shares held by such Shareholder. |
7. | The authorised share capital of the Company is US$1,000,000 divided into (i) 8,000,000,000 class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each and (ii) 2,000,000,000 class B ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each. Subject to the Companies Law and the Articles, the Company shall have power to redeem or purchase any of its Shares and to increase or reduce its authorised share capital and to sub-divide or consolidate the said Shares or any of them and to issue all or any part of its capital whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced with or without any preference, priority, special privilege or other rights or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or restrictions whatsoever and so that unless the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly provide every issue of shares whether stated to be ordinary, preference or otherwise shall be subject to the powers on the part of the Company hereinbefore provided. |
8. | The Company has the power contained in the Companies Law to deregister in the Cayman Islands and be registered by way of continuation in some other jurisdiction. |
9. | Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Memorandum of Association bear the same meanings as those given in the Articles of Association of the Company. |
THE COMPANIES LAW (2018 REVISION)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
AMENDED AND RESTATED
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
(Adopted by Special Resolution passed on December 2, 2019 and effective upon the adoption of the Special Resolution)
TABLE A
The regulations contained or incorporated in Table A in the First Schedule of the Companies Law shall not apply to the Company and the following Articles shall comprise the Articles of Association of the Company.
INTERPRETATION
1. | In these Articles the following defined terms will have the meanings ascribed to them, if not inconsistent with the subject or context: |
ADS | means an American Depositary Share to be issued by a depository representing Class A Ordinary Shares; | |
Affiliate | means in respect of a Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly, through one (1) or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such Person, and (i) in the case of a natural person, shall include, without limitation, such persons spouse, parents, children, siblings, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, a trust for the benefit of any of the foregoing, and a corporation, partnership or any other entity wholly or jointly owned by any of the foregoing, and (ii) in the case of an entity, shall include a partnership, a corporation or any other entity or any natural person which directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such entity. The term control shall mean the ownership, directly or indirectly, of shares possessing more than fifty per cent (50%) of the voting power of the corporation, partnership or other entity (other than, in the case of a corporation, securities having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency), or having the power to control the management or elect a majority of members to the board of directors or equivalent decision-making body of such corporation, partnership or other entity; | |
Articles | means these articles of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time; | |
Board and Board of Directors and Directors | means the directors of the Company for the time being, or as the case may be, the directors assembled as a board or as a committee thereof; | |
Chairman | means the chairman of the Board of Directors; |
2
Class or Classes | means any class or classes of Shares as may from time to time be issued by the Company; | |
Class A Ordinary Share | means a class A ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company and having the rights provided for in these Articles; | |
Class B Ordinary Share | means a class B ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company and having the rights provided for in these Articles; | |
Company | means AMTD Digital Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company; | |
Companies Law | means the Companies Law (as revised) of the Cayman Islands; | |
Designated Stock Exchange | means the stock exchange in the United States on which any Shares or ADSs are listed for trading; | |
Designated Stock Exchange Rules | means the relevant code, rules and regulations, as amended, from time to time, applicable as a result of the original and continued listing of any Shares or ADSs on the Designated Stock Exchange; | |
electronic | has the meaning given to it in the Electronic Transactions Law and any amendment thereto or re-enactments thereof for the time being in force and includes every other law incorporated therewith or substituted therefor; | |
electronic communication | means electronic posting to the Companys Website, transmission to any number, address or internet website or other electronic delivery methods as otherwise decided and approved by not less than two-thirds of the vote of the Board; | |
Electronic Transactions Law | means the Electronic Transactions Law (2003 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and any statutory amendment or re-enactment thereof; | |
electronic record | has the meaning given to it in the Electronic Transactions Law and any amendment thereto or re-enactments thereof for the time being in force and includes every other law incorporated therewith or substituted therefor; | |
Memorandum of Association | means the memorandum of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time; | |
Ordinary Resolution | means a resolution:
(a) passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorised representatives, at a general meeting of the Company held in accordance with these Articles; or | |
(b) approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument, or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed; |
3
Ordinary Share | means a Class A Ordinary Share or a Class B Ordinary Share; | |
paid up | means paid up as to the par value in respect of the issue of any Shares and includes credited as paid up; | |
Person | means any natural person, firm, company, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association or other entity (whether or not having a separate legal personality) or any of them as the context so requires; | |
Register | means the register of Members of the Company maintained in accordance with the Companies Law; | |
Registered Office | means the registered office of the Company as required by the Companies Law; | |
Seal | means the common seal of the Company (if adopted) including any facsimile thereof; | |
Secretary | means any Person appointed by the Directors to perform any of the duties of the secretary of the Company; | |
Securities Act | means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States of America, as amended, or any similar federal statute and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time; | |
Share | means a share in the share capital of the Company. All references to Shares herein shall be deemed to be Shares of any or all Classes or series as the context may require. For the avoidance of doubt in these Articles the expression Share shall include a fraction of a Share; | |
Shareholder or Member | means a Person who is registered as the holder of one or more Shares in the Register; | |
Share Premium Account | means the share premium account established in accordance with these Articles and the Companies Law; | |
signed | means bearing a signature or representation of a signature affixed by mechanical means or an electronic symbol or process attached to or logically associated with an electronic communication and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the electronic communication; | |
Special Resolution | means a special resolution of the Company passed in accordance with the Companies Law, being a resolution:
(a) passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorised representatives, at a general meeting of the Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given; or
(b) approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the special resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed; | |
Specified Persons | means Calvin Chi Kin Choi and any other Person designated by Calvin Chi Kin Choi; and | |
Treasury Share | means a Share held in the name of the Company as a treasury share in accordance with the Companies Law; and |
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2. | In these Articles, save where the context requires otherwise: |
(a) | words importing the singular number shall include the plural number and vice versa; |
(b) | words importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender and any Person as the context may require; |
(c) | the word may shall be construed as permissive and the word shall shall be construed as imperative; |
(d) | reference to a dollar or dollars (or US$) and to a cent or cents is reference to dollars and cents of the United States of America; |
(e) | reference to a statutory enactment shall include reference to any amendment or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force; |
(f) | reference to any determination by the Directors shall be construed as a determination by the Directors in their sole and absolute discretion and shall be applicable either generally or in any particular case; |
(g) | reference to in writing shall be construed as written or represented by any means reproducible in writing, including any form of print, lithograph, email, facsimile, photograph or telex or represented by any other substitute or format for storage or transmission for writing including in the form of an electronic record or partly one and partly another; |
(h) | any requirements as to delivery under the Articles include delivery in the form of an electronic record or an electronic communication; |
(i) | any requirements as to execution or signature under the Articles, including the execution of the Articles themselves, can be satisfied in the form of an electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Transaction Law; and |
(j) | Sections 8 and 19(3) of the Electronic Transactions Law shall not apply. |
3. | Subject to the last two preceding Articles, any words defined in the Companies Law shall, if not inconsistent with the subject or context, bear the same meaning in these Articles. |
PRELIMINARY
4. | The business of the Company may be conducted as the Directors see fit. |
5. | The Registered Office shall be at such address in the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine. The Company may in addition establish and maintain such other offices and places of business and agencies in such places as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
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6. | The expenses incurred in the formation of the Company and in connection with the offer for subscription and issue of Shares shall be paid by the Company. Such expenses may be amortised over such period as the Directors may determine and the amount so paid shall be charged against income and/or capital in the accounts of the Company as the Directors shall determine. |
7. | The Directors shall keep, or cause to be kept, the Register at such place as the Directors may from time to time determine and, in the absence of any such determination, the Register shall be kept at the Registered Office. |
SHARES
8. | Subject to these Articles, all Shares for the time being unissued shall be under the control of the Directors who may, in their absolute discretion and without the approval of the Members, cause the Company to: |
(a) | allot and issue Shares (including, without limitation, preferred shares) (whether in certificated form or non-certificated form) to such Persons, in such manner, on such terms and conditions and for such consideration, and at such times as they may from time to time determine; |
(b) | grant rights over Shares or other securities to be issued in one or more classes or series as they deem necessary or appropriate and determine the designations, powers, preferences, privileges and other rights attaching to such Shares or securities, including dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the powers, preferences, privileges and rights associated with the then issued and outstanding Shares, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper; and |
(c) | grant options with respect to Shares and issue warrants or similar instruments with respect thereto. |
9. | The Directors may from time to time authorise the creation of new Classes or series of Shares and the re-designation and re-classification of Shares of any Classes or series into any number of existing or new Classes or series of Shares (including Classes or series of preferred Shares) and any new Classes or series of Shares shall be authorised, created and designated with such rights (including, without limitation, voting, dividend and redemption rights), restrictions, preferences, privileges and payment obligations as may be fixed and determined by the Directors or by an Ordinary Resolution. The Directors may create and issue any new Class or series of Shares with such preferred or other rights, all or any of which may be greater than the rights of Ordinary Shares, at such time and on such terms as they may think appropriate. Notwithstanding Article 18, the Directors may create and issue from time to time, out of the authorised share capital of the Company, series of preferred Shares in their absolute discretion and without approval of the Members; provided, however, before any preferred Shares of any such series are issued, the Directors shall by resolution of Directors determine, with respect to any series of preferred Shares, the terms and rights of that series, including: |
(a) | the designation of such series, the number of preferred Shares to constitute such series and the subscription price thereof if different from the par value thereof; |
(b) | whether the preferred Shares of such series shall have voting rights, in addition to any voting rights provided by law, and, if so, the terms of such voting rights, which may be general or limited; |
(c) | the dividends, if any, payable on such series, whether any such dividends shall be cumulative, and, if so, from what dates, the conditions and dates upon which such dividends shall be payable, and the preference or relation which such dividends shall bear to the dividends payable on any Shares of any other class or any other series of Shares; |
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(d) | whether the preferred Shares of such series shall be subject to redemption by the Company, and, if so, the times, prices and other conditions of such redemption; |
(e) | whether the preferred Shares of such series shall have any rights to receive any part of the assets available for distribution amongst the Members upon the liquidation of the Company, and, if so, the terms of such liquidation preference, and the relation which such liquidation preference shall bear to the entitlements of the holders of Shares of any other class or any other series of Shares; |
(f) | whether the preferred Shares of such series shall be subject to the operation of a retirement or sinking fund and, if so, the extent to and manner in which any such retirement or sinking fund shall be applied to the purchase or redemption of the preferred Shares of such series for retirement or other corporate purposes and the terms and provisions relative to the operation thereof; |
(g) | whether the preferred Shares of such series shall be convertible into, or exchangeable for, Shares of any other class or any other series of preferred Shares or any other securities and, if so, the price or prices or the rate or rates of conversion or exchange and the method, if any, of adjusting the same, and any other terms and conditions of conversion or exchange; |
(h) | the limitations and restrictions, if any, to be effective while any preferred Shares of such series are outstanding upon the payment of dividends or the making of other distributions on, and upon the purchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Company of, the existing Shares or Shares of any other class of Shares or any other series of preferred Shares; |
(i) | the conditions or restrictions, if any, upon the creation of indebtedness of the Company or upon the issue of any additional Shares, including additional Shares of such series or of any other class of Shares or any other series of preferred Shares; and |
(j) | any other powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof; |
and, for such purposes, the Directors may reserve an appropriate number of Shares for the time being unissued. The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer.
10. | The Company may insofar as may be permitted by law, pay a commission to any Person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the lodgement of fully or partly paid-up Shares or partly in one way and partly in the other. The Company may also pay such brokerage as may be lawful on any issue of Shares. |
11. | The Directors may refuse to accept any application for Shares, and may accept any application in whole or in part, for any reason or for no reason. |
CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES AND CLASS B ORDINARY SHARES
12. | Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares shall at all times vote together as a single class on all resolutions submitted to a vote by the Members (including Ordinary Resolutions and Special Resolutions). Each Class A Ordinary Share shall entitle the holder thereof to one (1) vote on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of the Company, and each Class B Ordinary Share shall entitle the holder thereof to twenty (20) votes on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of the Company. |
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13. | Each Class B Ordinary Share is convertible into one (1) Class A Ordinary Share at any time by the holder thereof. The right to convert shall be exercisable by the holder of the Class B Ordinary Share delivering a written notice to the Company that such holder elects to convert a specified number of Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares. |
14. | Any number of Class B Ordinary Shares held by a holder thereof will be automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A Ordinary Shares upon the occurrence of any of the following: |
(a) | any direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of such number of Class B Ordinary Shares by the holder thereof or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such number of Class B Ordinary Shares through voting proxy or otherwise to any person other than a Specified Person; |
for the avoidance of doubt, the creation of any pledge, charge, encumbrance or other third party right of whatever description on any of Class B Ordinary Shares to secure contractual or legal obligations shall not be deemed as a sale, transfer, assignment or disposition unless and until any such pledge, charge, encumbrance or other third party right is enforced and results in a third party that is not a Specified Person holding directly or indirectly beneficial ownership or voting power through voting proxy or otherwise to the related Class B Ordinary Shares, in which case all the related Class B Ordinary Shares shall be automatically converted into the same number of Class A Ordinary Shares; or
(b) | the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of a majority of the issued and outstanding voting securities of, or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such voting securities through voting proxy or otherwise, or the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of, a holder of Class B Ordinary Shares that is an entity to any person other than a Specified Person; |
for the avoidance of doubt, the creation of any pledge, charge, encumbrance or other third party right of whatever description on the issued and outstanding voting securities or the assets of a holder of Class B Ordinary Shares that is an entity to secure contractual or legal obligations shall not be deemed as a sale, transfer, assignment or disposition under this clause (b) unless and until any such pledge, charge, encumbrance or other third party right is enforced and results in a third party that is not a Specified Person holding directly or indirectly beneficial ownership or voting power through voting proxy or otherwise to the related issued and outstanding voting securities or the assets.
15. | Any conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares pursuant to these Articles shall be effected by means of the re-designation and re-classification of each relevant Class B Ordinary Share as a Class A Ordinary Share. Such conversion shall become effective forthwith upon entries being made in the Register to record the re-designation and re-classification of the relevant Class B Ordinary Shares as Class A Ordinary Shares. |
16. | Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible into Class B Ordinary Shares under any circumstances. |
17. | Save and except for voting rights and conversion rights as set out in Articles 12 to 16 (inclusive), the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares shall rank pari passu with one another and shall have the same rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions. |
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MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS
18. | Whenever the share capital of the Company is divided into different Classes and series the rights attached to any such Class or series may, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any Class or series, only be materially adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of all of the issued Shares of that Class or series or with the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of that Class or series. To every such separate meeting all the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings of the Company or to the proceedings thereat shall, mutatis mutandis, apply, except that the necessary quorum shall be one or more Persons holding or representing by proxy at least one-third in nominal or par value amount of the issued Shares of the relevant Class or series (but so that if at any adjourned meeting of such holders a quorum as above defined is not present, those Shareholders who are present shall form a quorum) and that, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class or series, every Shareholder of the Class or series shall on a poll have one vote for each Share of the Class or series held by him. For the purposes of this Article the Directors may treat all the Classes or series or any two or more Classes or series as forming one Class or series if they consider that all such Classes or series would be affected in the same way by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate Classes or series. |
19. | The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any Class or series issued with preferred or other rights shall not, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class or series, be deemed to be materially adversely varied by, inter alia, the creation, allotment or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to them or the redemption or purchase of any Shares of any Class or series by the Company. The rights of the holders of Shares shall not be deemed to be materially adversely varied by the creation or issue of Class or series of Shares with preferred or other rights including, without limitation, the creation of Class or series of Shares with enhanced or weighted voting rights. |
CERTIFICATES
20. | Every Person whose name is entered as a Member in the Register may, without payment and upon its written request, request a certificate within two calendar months after allotment or lodgement of transfer (or within such other period as the conditions of issue shall provide) in the form determined by the Directors. All certificates shall specify the Share or Shares held by that Person, provided that in respect of a Share or Shares held jointly by several persons the Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate, and delivery of a certificate for a Share to one of several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all. All certificates for Shares shall be delivered personally or sent through the post addressed to the Member entitled thereto at the Members registered address as appearing in the Register. |
21. | Every share certificate of the Company shall bear legends required under the applicable laws, including the Securities Act. |
22. | Any two or more certificates representing Shares of any one Class or series held by any Member may at the Members request be cancelled and a single new certificate for such Shares issued in lieu on payment (if the Directors shall so require) of one dollar (US$1.00) or such smaller sum as the Directors shall determine. |
23. | If a share certificate shall be damaged or defaced or alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, a new certificate representing the same Shares may be issued to the relevant Member upon request, subject to delivery up of the old certificate or (if alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed) compliance with such conditions as to evidence and indemnity and the payment of out-of-pocket expenses of the Company in connection with the request as the Directors may think fit. |
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24. | In the event that Shares are held jointly by several persons, any request may be made by any one of the joint holders and if so made shall be binding on all of the joint holders. |
FRACTIONAL SHARES
25. | The Directors may issue fractions of a Share and, if so issued, a fraction of a Share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to nominal or par value, premium, contributions, calls or otherwise), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights (including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, voting and participation rights) and other attributes of a whole Share. If more than one fraction of a Share of the same Class or series is issued to or acquired by the same Shareholder such fractions shall be accumulated. |
LIEN
26. | The Company has a first and paramount lien on every Share (whether or not fully paid) for all amounts (whether presently payable or not) payable at a fixed time or called in respect of that Share. The Company also has a first and paramount lien on every Share registered in the name of a Person indebted or under liability to the Company (whether he is the sole registered holder of a Share or one of two or more joint holders) for all amounts owing by him or his estate to the Company (whether or not presently payable). The Directors may at any time declare a Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Companys lien on a Share extends to any amount payable in respect of it, including but not limited to dividends. |
27. | The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors in their absolute discretion think fit, any Share on which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless an amount in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable nor until the expiration of fourteen calendar days after a notice in writing, demanding payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, has been given to the registered holder for the time being of the Share, or the Persons entitled thereto by reason of his death or bankruptcy. |
28. | For giving effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise a Person to transfer the Shares sold to the purchaser thereof. The purchaser shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale. |
29. | The proceeds of the sale after deduction of expenses, fees and commission incurred by the Company shall be received by the Company and applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, and the residue shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares prior to the sale) be paid to the Person entitled to the Shares immediately prior to the sale. |
CALLS ON SHARES
30. | Subject to the terms of the allotment, the Directors may from time to time make calls upon the Shareholders in respect of any moneys unpaid on their Shares, and each Shareholder shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen calendar days notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on such Shares. A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed. |
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31. | The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay calls in respect thereof. |
32. | If a sum called in respect of a Share is not paid before or on the day appointed for payment thereof, the Person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest upon the sum at the rate of eight percent per annum from the day appointed for the payment thereof to the time of the actual payment, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of that interest wholly or in part. |
33. | The provisions of these Articles as to the liability of joint holders and as to payment of interest shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. |
34. | The Directors may make arrangements with respect to the issue of partly paid Shares for a difference between the Shareholders, or the particular Shares, in the amount of calls to be paid and in the times of payment. |
35. | The Directors may, if they think fit, receive from any Shareholder willing to advance the same all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon any partly paid Shares held by him, and upon all or any of the moneys so advanced may (until the same would, but for such advance, become presently payable) pay interest at such rate (not exceeding without the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution, eight percent per annum) as may be agreed upon between the Shareholder paying the sum in advance and the Directors. No such sum paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Member paying such sum to any portion of a dividend declared in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such sum would, but for such payment, become presently payable. |
FORFEITURE OF SHARES
36. | If a Shareholder fails to pay any call or instalment of a call in respect of partly paid Shares on the day appointed for payment, the Directors may, at any time thereafter during such time as any part of such call or instalment remains unpaid, serve a notice on him requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued. |
37. | The notice shall name a further day (not earlier than the expiration of fourteen calendar days from the date of the notice) on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made, and shall state that in the event of non-payment at or before the time appointed, the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited. |
38. | If the requirements of any such notice as aforesaid are not complied with, any Share in respect of which the notice has been given may at any time thereafter, before the payment required by notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect. |
39. | A forfeited Share may be sold or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. |
40. | A Person whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Shareholder in respect of the forfeited Shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all moneys which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of the Shares forfeited, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company receives payment in full of the amount unpaid on the Shares forfeited. |
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41. | A certificate in writing under the hand of a Director that a Share has been duly forfeited on a date stated in the certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the facts in the declaration as against all Persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. |
42. | The Company may receive the consideration, if any, given for a Share on any sale or disposition thereof pursuant to the provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture and may execute a transfer of the Share in favour of the Person to whom the Share is sold or disposed of and that Person shall be registered as the holder of the Share and shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the disposition or sale. |
43. | The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which by the terms of issue of a Share becomes due and payable, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. |
TRANSFER OF SHARES
44. | The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing and in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, approve and be executed by or on behalf of the transferor and if in respect of a nil or partly paid up Share, or if so required by the Directors, shall also be executed on behalf of the transferee and shall be accompanied by the certificate (if any) of the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer. The transferor shall be deemed to remain a Shareholder until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register in respect of the relevant Shares. |
45. (a) | The Directors may in their absolute discretion decline to register any transfer of Shares which is not fully paid up or on which the Company has a lien. |
(b) | The Directors may also decline to register any transfer of any Share unless: |
(i) | the instrument of transfer is lodged with the Company, accompanied by the certificate for the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Board may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; |
(ii) | the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one Class or series of Shares; |
(iii) | the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; |
(iv) | in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the Share is to be transferred does not exceed four; and |
(v) | a fee of such maximum sum as the Designated Stock Exchange may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as the Board of Directors may from time to time require, is paid to the Company in respect thereof. |
46. | The registration of transfers may, on ten calendar days notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers, by electronic means or by any other means in accordance with the Designated Stock Exchange Rules, be suspended and the Register closed at such times and for such periods as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, from time to time determine, provided always that such registration of transfer shall not be suspended nor the Register closed for more than thirty calendar days in any calendar year. |
47. | All instruments of transfer that are registered shall be retained by the Company. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer of any Shares, they shall within three calendar months after the date on which the transfer was lodged with the Company send notice of the refusal to each of the transferor and the transferee. |
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TRANSMISSION OF SHARES
48. | The legal personal representative of a deceased sole holder of a Share shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. In the case of a Share registered in the name of two or more holders, the survivors or survivor, or the legal personal representatives of the deceased survivor, shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. |
49. | Any Person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time be required by the Directors, have the right either to be registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share or, instead of being registered himself, to make such transfer of the Share as the deceased or bankrupt Person could have made; but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the deceased or bankrupt Person before the death or bankruptcy. |
50. | A Person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered Shareholder, except that he shall not, before being registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company, provided however, that the Directors may at any time give notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered himself or to transfer the Share, and if the notice is not complied with within ninety calendar days, the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all dividends, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with. |
REGISTRATION OF EMPOWERING INSTRUMENTS
51. | The Company shall be entitled to charge a fee not exceeding one dollar (US$1.00) on the registration of every probate, letters of administration, certificate of death or marriage, power of attorney, notice in lieu of distringas, or other instrument. |
ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL
52. | The Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase the share capital by such sum, to be divided into Shares of such Classes or series and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe. |
53. | The Company may by Ordinary Resolution: |
(a) | increase its share capital by new Shares of such amount as it thinks expedient; |
(b) | consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of a larger amount than its existing Shares; |
(c) | subdivide its Shares, or any of them, into Shares of an amount smaller than that fixed by the Memorandum, provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share is derived; and |
(d) | cancel any Shares that, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any Person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled. |
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54. | The Company may by Special Resolution reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorised by law. |
REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES
55. | Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and these Articles, the Company may: |
(a) | issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Shareholder or the Company. The redemption of Shares shall be effected in such manner and upon such terms as may be determined, before the issue of such Shares, by either the Board or by the Shareholders by Special Resolution; |
(b) | purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) on such terms and in such manner and terms as have been approved by the Board or by the Members by Ordinary Resolution, or are otherwise authorised by these Articles; and |
(c) | make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Companies Law, including out of capital. |
56. | The purchase of any Share shall not oblige the Company to purchase any other Share other than as may be required pursuant to applicable law and any other contractual obligations of the Company. |
57. | The holder of the Shares being purchased shall be bound to deliver up to the Company the certificate(s) (if any) thereof for cancellation and thereupon the Company shall pay to him the purchase or redemption monies or consideration in respect thereof. |
58. | The Directors may accept the surrender for no consideration of any fully paid Share. |
TREASURY SHARES
59. | The Directors may, prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of any Share, determine that such Share shall be held as a Treasury Share. |
60. | The Directors may determine to cancel a Treasury Share or transfer a Treasury Share on such terms as they think proper (including, without limitation, for nil consideration). |
GENERAL MEETINGS
61. | All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings. |
62. (a) | The Company may (but shall not be obliged to) in each calendar year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. The annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by the Directors. |
(b) | At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented. |
63. (a) | The Chairman or the Directors (acting by a resolution of the Board) may call general meetings, and they shall on a Shareholders requisition forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company. |
(b) | A Shareholders requisition is a requisition of Members holding at the date of deposit of the requisition Shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3) of all votes attaching to all issued and outstanding Shares of the Company that as at the date of the deposit carry the right to vote at general meetings of the Company. |
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(c) | The requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the Registered Office, and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more requisitionists. |
(d) | If there are no Directors as at the date of the deposit of the Shareholders requisition, or if the Directors do not within twenty-one (21) calendar days from the date of the deposit of the requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further twenty-one calendar days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three calendar months after the expiration of the said twenty-one calendar days. |
(e) | A general meeting convened as aforesaid by requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings are to be convened by Directors. |
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
64. | At least seven (7) calendar days notice shall be given for any general meeting. Every notice shall be exclusive of the day on which it is given or deemed to be given and of the day for which it is given and shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business and shall be given in the manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner if any as may be prescribed by the Company, provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this Article has been given and whether or not the provisions of these Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed: |
(a) | in the case of an annual general meeting, by all the Shareholders (or their proxies) entitled to attend and vote thereat; and |
(b) | in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by a majority of the Shareholders having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, present in person or by proxy or, in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy. |
65. | The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to or the non-receipt of a notice of a meeting by any Shareholder shall not invalidate the proceedings at any meeting. |
PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
66. | No business except for the appointment of a chairman for the meeting shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of Shareholders is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. One or more Shareholders holding Shares which carry in aggregate (or representing by proxy) not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all Shares in issue and entitled to vote at such general meeting, present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative, shall be a quorum for all purposes. |
67. | If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be dissolved. |
68. | If the Directors wish to make this facility available for a specific general meeting or all general meetings of the Company, participation in any general meeting of the Company may be by means of a telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting. |
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69. | The Chairman, if any, shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Company. |
70. | If there is no such Chairman, or if at any general meeting he is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting or is unwilling to act as chairman of the meeting, any Director or Person nominated by the Directors shall preside as chairman of that meeting, failing which the Shareholders present in person or by proxy shall choose any Person present to be chairman of that meeting. |
71. | The chairman may with the consent of any general meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn a meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting, or adjourned meeting, is adjourned for fourteen calendar days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Save as aforesaid it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting. |
72. | The Directors may cancel or postpone any duly convened general meeting at any time prior to such meeting, except for general meetings requisitioned by the Shareholders in accordance with these Articles, for any reason or for no reason, upon notice in writing to Shareholders. A postponement may be for a stated period of any length or indefinitely as the Directors may determine. |
73. | At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands, unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded by the chairman of the meeting or any Shareholder holding not less than ten per cent (10%) of the votes attaching to the Shares present in person or by proxy, and unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the chairman of the meeting that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried, or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book of the proceedings of the Company, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact, without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of, or against, that resolution. |
74. | If a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the chairman of the meeting directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded. |
75. | All questions submitted to a meeting shall be decided by an Ordinary Resolution except where a greater majority is required by these Articles or by the Companies Law. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place or at which the poll is demanded, shall be entitled to a second or casting vote. |
76. | A poll demanded on the election of a chairman of the meeting or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time as the chairman of the meeting directs. |
VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS
77. | Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Share, on a show of hands every Shareholder present in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) shall, at a general meeting of the Company, each have one vote and on a poll every Shareholder present in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) shall have one (1) vote for each Class A Ordinary Share of which he is the holder and twenty (20) votes for each Class B Ordinary Share of which he is the holder. |
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78. | In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior who tenders a vote whether in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders and for this purpose seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register. |
79. | Shares carrying the right to vote that are held by a Shareholder of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction in lunacy, may be voted, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, or other Person in the nature of a committee appointed by that court, and any such committee or other Person may vote in respect of such Shares by proxy. |
80. | No Shareholder shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting of the Company unless all calls, if any, or other sums presently payable by him in respect of Shares carrying the right to vote held by him have been paid. |
81. | On a poll votes may be given either personally or by proxy. |
82. | Each Shareholder, other than a recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)), may only appoint one proxy on a show of hand. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing or, if the appointor is a corporation, either under Seal or under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised. A proxy need not be a Shareholder. |
83. | An instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve. |
84. | The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company: |
(a) | not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote; or |
(b) | in the case of a poll taken more than 48 hours after it is demanded, be deposited as aforesaid after the poll has been demanded and not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the taking of the poll; or |
(c) | where the poll is not taken forthwith but is taken not more than 48 hours after it was demanded be delivered at the meeting at which the poll was demanded to the chairman or to the secretary or to any director; |
provided that the Directors may in the notice convening the meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, direct that the instrument appointing a proxy may be deposited at such other time (no later than the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting) at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company. The Chairman may in any event at his discretion direct that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted shall be invalid.
85. | The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll. |
86. | A resolution in writing signed by all the Shareholders for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings of the Company (or being corporations by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the same had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held. |
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CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS
87. | Any corporation which is a Shareholder or a Director may by resolution of its directors or other governing body authorise such Person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any meeting of holders of a Class or series of Shares or of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, and the Person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as that corporation could exercise if it were an individual Shareholder or Director. |
DEPOSITARY AND CLEARING HOUSES
88. | If a recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) is a Member of the Company it may, by resolution of its directors or other governing body or by power of attorney, authorise such Person(s) as it thinks fit to act as its representative(s) at any general meeting of the Company or of any Class or series of Shareholders provided that, if more than one Person is so authorised, the authorisation shall specify the number and Class or series of Shares in respect of which each such Person is so authorised. A Person so authorised pursuant to this Article shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) which he represents as that recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) could exercise if it were an individual Member holding the number and Class or series of Shares specified in such authorisation, including the right to vote individually on a show of hands. |
DIRECTORS
89. (a) | Unless otherwise determined by the Company in general meeting, the number of Directors shall not be less than three (3) Directors, the exact number of Directors to be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors. |
(b) | The Board of Directors shall have a Chairman elected and appointed by a majority of the Directors then in office. The period for which the Chairman will hold office will also be determined by a majority of all of the Directors then in office. The Chairman shall preside as chairman at every meeting of the Board of Directors. To the extent the Chairman is not present at a meeting of the Board of Directors within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the attending Directors may choose one of their number to be the chairman of the meeting. |
(c) | The Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director. |
(d) | The Board may, by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors present and voting at a Board meeting, appoint any person as a Director, to fill a vacancy on the Board arising from the office of any Director being vacated in any of the circumstances described in Article 110, or as an addition to the existing Board. |
(e) | An appointment of a Director may be on terms that the Director shall automatically retire from office (unless he has sooner vacated office) at the next or a subsequent annual general meeting or upon any specified event or after any specified period in a written agreement between the Company and the Director, if any; but no such term shall be implied in the absence of express provision. Each Director whose term of office expires shall be eligible for re-election at a meeting of the Shareholders or re-appointment by the Board. |
90. | A Director may be removed from office by Ordinary Resolution of the Company, notwithstanding anything in these Articles or in any agreement between the Company and such Director (but without prejudice to any claim for damages under such agreement). A vacancy on the Board created by the removal of a Director under the previous sentence may be filled by Ordinary Resolution or by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors present and voting at a Board meeting. |
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91. | The Board may, from time to time, and except as required by applicable law or Designated Stock Exchange Rules, adopt, institute, amend, modify or revoke the corporate governance policies or initiatives of the Company and determine on various corporate governance related matters of the Company as the Board shall determine by resolution of Directors from time to time. |
92. | A Director shall not be required to hold any Shares in the Company by way of qualification. A Director who is not a Member of the Company shall nevertheless be entitled to attend and speak at general meetings. |
93. | The remuneration of the Directors may be determined by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution. |
94. | The Directors shall be entitled to be paid for their travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in going to, attending and returning from meetings of the Directors, or any committee of the Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company, or to receive such fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors from time to time, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other. |
ALTERNATE DIRECTOR OR PROXY
95. | Any Director may in writing appoint another Person to be his alternate and, save to the extent provided otherwise in the form of appointment, such alternate shall have authority to sign written resolutions on behalf of the appointing Director, but shall not be required to sign such written resolutions where they have been signed by the appointing director, and to act in such Directors place at any meeting of the Directors at which the appointing Director is unable to be present. Every such alternate shall be entitled to attend and vote at meetings of the Directors as a Director when the Director appointing him is not personally present and where he is a Director to have a separate vote on behalf of the Director he is representing in addition to his own vote. A Director may at any time in writing revoke the appointment of an alternate appointed by him. Such alternate shall be deemed for all purposes to be a Director and shall not be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him. The remuneration of such alternate shall be payable out of the remuneration of the Director appointing him and the proportion thereof shall be agreed between them. |
96. | Any Director may appoint any Person, whether or not a Director, to be the proxy of that Director to attend and vote on his behalf, in accordance with instructions given by that Director, or in the absence of such instructions at the discretion of the proxy, at a meeting or meetings of the Directors which that Director is unable to attend personally. The instrument appointing the proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointing Director and shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve, and must be lodged with the chairman of the meeting of the Directors at which such proxy is to be used, or first used, prior to the commencement of the meeting. |
POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
97. | Subject to the Companies Law, these Articles and any resolutions passed in a general meeting, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors, who may pay all expenses incurred in setting up and registering the Company and may exercise all powers of the Company. No resolution passed by the Company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors that would have been valid if that resolution had not been passed. |
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98. | Subject to these Articles, the Directors may from time to time appoint any natural person or corporation, whether or not a Director to hold such office in the Company as the Directors may think necessary for the administration of the Company, including but not limited to, chief executive officer, one or more other executive officers, president, one or more vice-presidents, treasurer, assistant treasurer, manager or controller, and for such term and at such remuneration (whether by way of salary or commission or participation in profits or partly in one way and partly in another), and with such powers and duties as the Directors may think fit. Any natural person or corporation so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors. The Directors may also appoint one or more of their number to the office of managing director upon like terms, but any such appointment shall ipso facto terminate if any managing director ceases for any cause to be a Director, or if the Company by Ordinary Resolution resolves that his tenure of office be terminated. |
99. | The Directors may appoint any natural person or corporation to be a Secretary (and if need be an assistant Secretary or assistant Secretaries) who shall hold office for such term, at such remuneration and upon such conditions and with such powers as they think fit. Any Secretary or assistant Secretary so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors or by the Company by Ordinary Resolution. |
100. | The Directors may delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of such member or members of their body as they think fit; any committee so formed shall in the exercise of the powers so delegated conform to any regulations that may be imposed on it by the Directors. |
101. | The Directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney (whether under Seal or under hand) or otherwise appoint any company, firm or Person or body of Persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys or authorised signatory (any such person being an Attorney or Authorised Signatory, respectively) of the Company for such purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretion (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such power of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of Persons dealing with any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory as the Directors may think fit, and may also authorise any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretion vested in him. |
102. | The Directors may from time to time provide for the management of the affairs of the Company in such manner as they shall think fit and the provisions contained in the three next following Articles shall not limit the general powers conferred by this Article. |
103. | The Directors from time to time and at any time may establish any committees, local boards or agencies for managing any of the affairs of the Company and may appoint any natural person or corporation to be a member of such committees or local boards and may appoint any managers or agents of the Company and may fix the remuneration of any such natural person or corporation. |
104. | The Directors from time to time and at any time may delegate to any such committee, local board, manager or agent any of the powers, authorities and discretions for the time being vested in the Directors and may authorise the members for the time being of any such local board, or any of them to fill any vacancies therein and to act notwithstanding vacancies and any such appointment or delegation may be made on such terms and subject to such conditions as the Directors may think fit and the Directors may at any time remove any natural person or corporation so appointed and may annul or vary any such delegation, but no Person dealing in good faith and without notice of any such annulment or variation shall be affected thereby. |
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105. | Any such delegates as aforesaid may be authorised by the Directors to sub-delegate all or any of the powers, authorities, and discretion for the time being vested in them. |
BORROWING POWERS OF DIRECTORS
106. | The Directors may from time to time at their discretion exercise all the powers of the Company to raise or borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital or any part thereof, to issue debentures, debenture stock, bonds and other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party. |
THE SEAL
107. | The Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of the Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixings of the Seal. The Seal shall be affixed in the presence of a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose and every Person as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the Seal is so affixed in their presence. |
108. | The Company may maintain a facsimile of the Seal in such countries or places as the Directors may appoint and such facsimile Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of such facsimile Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixings of such facsimile Seal. The facsimile Seal shall be affixed in the presence of such Person or Persons as the Directors shall for this purpose appoint and such Person or Persons as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the facsimile Seal is so affixed in their presence and such affixing of the facsimile Seal and signing as aforesaid shall have the same meaning and effect as if the Seal had been affixed in the presence of and the instrument signed by a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose. |
109. | Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Secretary or any assistant Secretary shall have the authority to affix the Seal, or the facsimile Seal, to any instrument for the purposes of attesting authenticity of the matter contained therein but which does not create any obligation binding on the Company. |
DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS
110. | The office of Director shall be vacated, if the Director: |
(a) | becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; |
(b) | dies or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; |
(c) | resigns his office by notice in writing to the Company; |
(d) | without special leave of absence from the Board, is absent from meetings of the Board for three consecutive meetings and the Board resolves that his office be vacated; or |
(e) | is removed from office pursuant to any other provision of these Articles. |
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PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS
111. | The Directors may meet together (either within or without the Cayman Islands) for the despatch of business, adjourn, and otherwise regulate their meetings and proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. At any meeting of the Directors, each Director present in person or represented by his proxy or alternate shall be entitled to one vote. In case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director may, and a Secretary or assistant Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors. |
112. | A Director may participate in any meeting of the Directors, or of any committee appointed by the Directors of which such Director is a member, by means of telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting. |
113. | The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Board may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed, the quorum shall be a majority of Directors then in office, including the Chairman; provided, however, a quorum shall nevertheless exist at a meeting at which a quorum would exist but for the fact that the Chairman is voluntarily absent from the meeting and notifies the Board of his decision to be absent from that meeting, before or at the meeting. A Director represented by proxy or by an alternate Director at any meeting shall be deemed to be present for the purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present. |
114. | A Director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction with the Company shall declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of the Directors. A general notice given to the Directors by any Director to the effect that he is a member of any specified company or firm and is to be regarded as interested in any contract or transaction which may thereafter be made with that company or firm shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of interest in regard to any contract so made or transaction so consummated. Subject to the Designated Stock Exchange Rules and disqualification by the chairman of the relevant Board meeting, a Director may vote in respect of any contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction notwithstanding that he may be interested therein and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of the Directors at which any such contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction shall come before the meeting for consideration. |
115. | A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms (as to remuneration and otherwise) as the Directors may determine and no Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by his office from contracting with the Company either with regard to his tenure of any such other office or place of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director is in any way interested be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director, notwithstanding his interest, may be counted in the quorum present at any meeting of the Directors whereat he or any other Director is appointed to hold any such office or place of profit under the Company or whereat the terms of any such appointment are arranged and he may vote on any such appointment or arrangement. |
116. | Any Director may act by himself or through his firm in a professional capacity for the Company, and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director; provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his firm to act as auditor to the Company. |
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117. | The Directors shall cause minutes to be made for the purpose of recording: |
(a) | all appointments of officers made by the Directors; |
(b) | the names of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors; and |
(c) | all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company, and of the Directors and of committees of Directors. |
118. | When the chairman of a meeting of the Directors signs the minutes of such meeting the same shall be deemed to have been duly held notwithstanding that all the Directors have not actually come together or that there may have been a technical defect in the proceedings. |
119. | A resolution in writing signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of Directors entitled to receive notice of a meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be (an alternate Director, subject as provided otherwise in the terms of appointment of the alternate Director, being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointer), shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a duly called and constituted meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be. When signed a resolution may consist of several documents each signed by one or more of the Directors or his duly appointed alternate. |
120. | The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body but if and for so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors may act for the purpose of increasing the number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose. |
121. | Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, a committee appointed by the Directors may elect a chairman of its meetings. If no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the committee members present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
122. | A committee appointed by the Directors may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the committee members present and in case of an equality of votes the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. |
123. | All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, or by any Person acting as a Director, shall notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or Person acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such Person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a Director. |
PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT
124. | A Director who is present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which an action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the chairman or secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered post to such person immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action. |
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DIVIDENDS
125. | Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the same out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor. |
126. | Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Company by Ordinary Resolution may declare dividends, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors. |
127. | The Directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, in the absolute discretion of the Directors, be applicable for meeting contingencies or for equalising dividends or for any other purpose to which those funds may be properly applied, and pending such application may in the absolute discretion of the Directors, either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments (other than Shares of the Company) as the Directors may from time to time think fit. |
128. | Any dividend payable in cash to the holder of Shares may be paid in any manner determined by the Directors. If paid by cheque it will be sent by mail addressed to the holder at his address in the Register, or addressed to such person and at such addresses as the holder may direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall, unless the holder or joint holders otherwise direct, be made payable to the order of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the order of the holder whose name stands first on the Register in respect of such Shares, and shall be sent at his or their risk and payment of the cheque or warrant by the bank on which it is drawn shall constitute a good discharge to the Company. |
129. | The Directors may determine that a dividend shall be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets (which may consist of the shares or securities of any other company) and may settle all questions concerning such distribution. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Directors may fix the value of such specific assets, may determine that cash payment shall be made to some Shareholders in lieu of specific assets and may vest any such specific assets in trustees on such terms as the Directors think fit. |
130. | Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the Shares, but if and for so long as nothing is paid up on any of the Shares dividends may be declared and paid according to the par value of the Shares. No amount paid on a Share in advance of calls shall, while carrying interest, be treated for the purposes of this Article as paid on the Share. |
131. | If several Persons are registered as joint holders of any Share, any of them may give effective receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable on or in respect of the Share. |
132. | No dividend shall bear interest against the Company. |
133. | Any dividend unclaimed after a period of six calendar years from the date of declaration of such dividend may be forfeited by the Board of Directors and, if so forfeited, shall revert to the Company. |
ACCOUNTS, AUDIT AND ANNUAL RETURN AND DECLARATION
134. | The books of account relating to the Companys affairs shall be kept in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Directors. |
135. | The books of account shall be kept at the Registered Office, or at such other place or places as the Directors think fit, and shall always be open to the inspection of the Directors. |
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136. | The Directors may from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Shareholders not being Directors, and no Shareholder (not being a Director) shall have any right to inspect any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by law or authorised by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution. |
137. | The accounts relating to the Companys affairs shall be audited in such manner and with such financial year end as may be determined from time to time by the Directors or failing any determination as aforesaid shall not be audited. |
138. | The Directors may appoint an auditor of the Company who shall hold office until removed from office by a resolution of the Directors and may fix his or their remuneration. |
139. | Every auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and officers of the Company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the auditors. |
140. | The auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their appointment, and at any time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members. |
141. | The Directors in each calendar year shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, an annual return and declaration setting forth the particulars required by the Companies Law and deliver a copy thereof to the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands. |
CAPITALISATION OF RESERVES
142. | Subject to the Companies Law, the Directors may: |
(a) | resolve to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of reserves (including a Share Premium Account, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account), which is available for distribution; |
(b) | appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalised to the Shareholders in proportion to the nominal amount of Shares (whether or not fully paid) held by them respectively and apply that sum on their behalf in or towards: |
(i) | paying up the amounts (if any) for the time being unpaid on Shares held by them respectively, or |
(ii) | paying up in full unissued Shares or debentures of a nominal amount equal to that sum, |
and allot the Shares or debentures, credited as fully paid, to the Shareholders (or as they may direct) in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other, but the Share Premium Account, the capital redemption reserve and profits which are not available for distribution may, for the purposes of this Article, only be applied in paying up unissued Shares to be allotted to Shareholders credited as fully paid;
(c) | make any arrangements they think fit to resolve a difficulty arising in the distribution of a capitalised reserve and in particular, without limitation, where Shares or debentures become distributable in fractions the Directors may deal with the fractions as they think fit; |
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(d) | authorise a Person to enter (on behalf of all the Shareholders concerned) into an agreement with the Company providing for either: |
(i) | the allotment to the Shareholders respectively, credited as fully paid, of Shares or debentures to which they may be entitled on the capitalisation, or |
(ii) | the payment by the Company on behalf of the Shareholders (by the application of their respective proportions of the reserves resolved to be capitalised) of the amounts or part of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing Shares, |
and any such agreement made under this authority being effective and binding on all those Shareholders; and
(e) | generally do all acts and things required to give effect to the resolution. |
143. | Notwithstanding any provisions in these Articles, the Directors may resolve to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of reserves (including the share premium account, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account) or otherwise available for distribution by applying such sum in paying up in full unissued Shares to be allotted and issued to: |
(a) | employees (including Directors) or service providers of the Company or its Affiliates upon exercise or vesting of any options or awards granted under any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or the Members; |
(b) | any trustee of any trust or administrator of any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme to whom shares are to be allotted and issued by the Company in connection with the operation of any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or Members; or |
(c) | any depositary of the Company for the purposes of the issue, allotment and delivery by the depositary of ADSs to employees (including Directors) or service providers of the Company or its Affiliates upon exercise or vesting of any options or awards granted under any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or the Members. |
SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT
144. | The Directors shall in accordance with the Companies Law establish a Share Premium Account and shall carry to the credit of such account from time to time a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any Share. |
145. | There shall be debited to any Share Premium Account on the redemption or purchase of a Share the difference between the nominal value of such Share and the redemption or purchase price provided always that at the discretion of the Directors such sum may be paid out of the profits of the Company or, if permitted by the Companies Law, out of capital. |
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NOTICES
146. | Except as otherwise provided in these Articles, any notice or document may be served by the Company or by the Person entitled to give notice to any Shareholder either personally, or by posting it by airmail or a recognised courier service in a prepaid letter addressed to such Shareholder at his address as appearing in the Register, or by electronic mail to any electronic mail address such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by facsimile to any facsimile number such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by placing it on the Companys Website should the Directors deem it appropriate. In the case of joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to that one of the joint holders whose name stands first in the Register in respect of the joint holding, and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the joint holders. |
147. | Notices sent from one country to another shall be sent or forwarded by prepaid airmail or a recognized courier service. |
148. | Any Shareholder present, either personally or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company shall for all purposes be deemed to have received due notice of such meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which such meeting was convened. |
149. | Any notice or other document, if served by: |
(a) | post, shall be deemed to have been served five calendar days after the time when the letter containing the same is posted; |
(b) | facsimile, shall be deemed to have been served upon production by the transmitting facsimile machine of a report confirming transmission of the facsimile in full to the facsimile number of the recipient; |
(c) | recognised courier service, shall be deemed to have been served 48 hours after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier service; or |
(d) | electronic mail, shall be deemed to have been served immediately (i) upon the time of the transmission to the electronic mail address supplied by the Shareholder to the Company or (ii) upon the time of its placement on the Companys Website. |
In proving service by post or courier service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice or documents was properly addressed and duly posted or delivered to the courier service.
150. | Any notice or document delivered or sent by post to or left at the registered address of any Shareholder in accordance with the terms of these Articles shall notwithstanding that such Shareholder be then dead or bankrupt, and whether or not the Company has notice of his death or bankruptcy, be deemed to have been duly served in respect of any Share registered in the name of such Shareholder as sole or joint holder, unless his name shall at the time of the service of the notice or document have been removed from the Register as the holder of the Share, and such service shall for all purposes be deemed a sufficient service of such notice or document on all Persons interested (whether jointly with or as claiming through or under him) in the Share. |
151. | Notice of every general meeting of the Company shall be given to: |
(a) | all Shareholders holding Shares with the right to receive notice and who have supplied to the Company an address for the giving of notices to them; and |
(b) | every Person entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder, who but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting. |
No other Person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.
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INFORMATION
152. | No Member shall be entitled to require discovery of any information in respect of any detail of the Companys trading or any information which is or may be in the nature of a trade secret or secret process which may relate to the conduct of the business of the Company and which in the opinion of the Board would not be in the interests of the Members of the Company to communicate to the public. |
153. | The Board shall be entitled to release or disclose any information in its possession, custody or control regarding the Company or its affairs to any of its Members including, without limitation, information contained in the Register and transfer books of the Company. |
INDEMNITY
154. | Every Director (including for the purposes of this Article any alternate Director appointed pursuant to the provisions of these Articles), Secretary, assistant Secretary, or other officer for the time being and from time to time of the Company (but not including the Companys auditors) and the personal representatives of the same (each an Indemnified Person) shall be indemnified and secured harmless against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such Indemnified Person, other than by reason of such Indemnified Persons own dishonesty, wilful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of the Companys business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such Indemnified Person in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning the Company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. |
155. | No Indemnified Person shall be liable: |
(a) | for the acts, receipts, neglects, defaults or omissions of any other Director or officer or agent of the Company; or |
(b) | for any loss on account of defect of title to any property of the Company; or |
(c) | on account of the insufficiency of any security in or upon which any money of the Company shall be invested; or |
(d) | for any loss incurred through any bank, broker or other similar Person; or |
(e) | for any loss occasioned by any negligence, default, breach of duty, breach of trust, error of judgement or oversight on such Indemnified Persons part; or |
(f) | for any loss, damage or misfortune whatsoever which may happen in or arise from the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities, or discretions of such Indemnified Persons office or in relation thereto; |
unless the same shall happen through such Indemnified Persons own dishonesty, willful default or fraud.
FINANCIAL YEAR
156. | Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on December 31st in each calendar year and shall begin on January 1st in each calendar year. |
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NON-RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS
157. | No Person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share upon any trust and the Company shall not, unless required by law, be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share or (except only as otherwise provided by these Articles or as the Companies Law requires) any other right in respect of any Share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in each Shareholder registered in the Register. |
WINDING UP
158. | If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, with the sanction of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other sanction required by the Companies Law, divide amongst the Members in species or in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different Classes or series of Members. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like sanction, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability. |
159. | If the Company shall be wound up, and the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them. If in a winding up the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up subject to a deduction from those Shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise. This Article is without prejudice to the rights of the holders of Shares issued upon special terms and conditions. |
AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
160. | Subject to the Companies Law, the Company may at any time and from time to time by Special Resolution alter or amend these Articles in whole or in part. |
CLOSING OF REGISTER OR FIXING RECORD DATE
161. | For the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at any meeting of Shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination as to who is a Shareholder for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not exceed in any case thirty calendar days in any calendar year. |
162. | In lieu of or apart from closing the Register, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of the Shareholders and for the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend the Directors may, at or within ninety calendar days prior to the date of declaration of such dividend, fix a subsequent date as the record date for such determination. |
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163. | If the Register is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of those Shareholders entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is posted or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Shareholders. When a determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof. |
REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION
164. | The Company may by Special Resolution resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing. In furtherance of a resolution adopted pursuant to this Article, the Directors may cause an application to be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing and may cause all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company. |
DISCLOSURE
165. | The Directors, or any service providers (including the officers, the Secretary and the registered office agent of the Company) specifically authorised by the Directors, shall be entitled to disclose to any regulatory or judicial authority or to any stock exchange on which securities of the Company may from time to time be listed any information regarding the affairs of the Company including without limitation information contained in the Register and books of the Company. |
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Exhibit 5.1
Office: +852 2801 6066
Mobile: +852 9172 5754
Email: rsit@tta.lawyer
AMTD Digital Inc.
25/F Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
20 May 2021
Dear Sirs
AMTD Digital Inc. (the Company)
We have acted as to Cayman Islands law to the Company, and this legal opinion as to Cayman Islands law is addressed to you in connection with the Companys filing of a registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the Registration Statement, which term does not include any other document or agreement whether or not specifically referred to therein or attached as an exhibit or schedule thereto) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) relating to the offering by the Company of certain American depositary shares (the ADSs) representing the Companys class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each (the Shares).
We are furnishing this opinion as Exhibits 5.1, 8.1 and 23.2 to the Registration Statement.
1 | DOCUMENTS REVIEWED |
We have reviewed originals, copies, drafts or conformed copies of the documents listed in Schedule 1 to this opinion. Defined terms shall have the meanings set out in Schedule 1.
2 | ASSUMPTIONS |
The following opinion is given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion. This opinion only relates to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion. In giving this opinion we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy of the Directors Certificate, a copy of which is attached to this opinion. We have also relied upon the assumptions set out in Schedule 2 to this opinion and the Certificate of Good Standing, which we have not independently verified.
3 | QUALIFICATIONS |
The opinions expressed below are subject to the qualifications set out in Schedule 3 to this opinion.
Tel: +852 2801 6066 1205A The Centrium Fax: +852 2801 6767 60 Wyndham Street www.traversthorpalberga.com Central HONG KONG Cayman Islands & British Virgin Islands Attorneys-at-Law Resident Hong Kong Partners: Richard Thorp Anthony Travers, Jos Briggs, Catherine Tsang |
4 | OPINIONS |
Based upon, and subject to, the foregoing assumptions and qualifications, and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:
4.1 | The Company is an exempted company incorporated with limited liability and existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and is a separate legal entity. The Company is in good standing with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands. |
4.2 | The Shares to be allotted and issued by the Company have been duly authorised, and when fully paid, allotted and issued by the Company in the manner set out in the Registration Statement and in accordance with the Resolutions, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The reference in this opinion to Shares being non-assessable shall mean solely that no further sums of money are required to be paid by the holders of such Shares in connection with the issuance thereof. |
4.3 | The statements under the headings Taxation, Description of Share Capital and Enforceability of Civil Liabilities in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement, insofar as such statements constitute statements of Cayman Islands law and only to the extent governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands, are accurate in all material respects. The statements under the heading Taxation Cayman Islands Taxation in the Registration Statement constitute our opinion. |
4.4 | The Company is not required under Cayman Islands law to make any deduction or withholding for or on account of any tax from any payment to be made in respect of the issuance and transfer of the Shares. |
4.5 | Based solely on our inspection on our search on 17 May 2021 of the Register of Writs and Other Originating process and the Register of Appeals (together, the Court Registers) maintained by the Clerk of the Court of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands and by the Registrar of the Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands respectively from the date of incorporation of the Company to the close of business in the Cayman Islands on (the Litigation Search), the Court Registers disclosed no writ, originating summons, originating motion, petition, counterclaim nor third party notice (the Originating Process) nor any amended Originating Process pending before the courts of the Cayman Islands nor any appeal pending before the Court of Appeal, in which the Company is a defendant or respondent. |
5 | CONSENT |
This opinion is addressed to the Company in connection with the Registration Statement and the issuance of the Shares. We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm under the headings Enforceability of Civil Liabilities and Legal Matters in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In providing our consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States of America (as amended) or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.
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This opinion may be relied upon by the addressees only. It may not be relied upon by any other person except with our prior written consent.
Yours faithfully
/s/ TRAVERS THORP ALBERGA
TRAVERS THORP ALBERGA
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SCHEDULE 1
List of Documents Reviewed
We have reviewed originals, copies, drafts or conformed copies of the following documents:
1 | the certificate of incorporation of the Company dated 12 September 2019; |
2 | the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as adopted by special resolutions pass on 2 December 2019 (together, the Constitutional Documents); |
3 | certificate of good standing issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands dated 18 May 2021 (the Certificate of Good Standing) |
4 | certificate of incumbency issued by the registered office service provider dated 18 May 2021 (Certificate of Incumbency). |
5 | the directors certificate signed by Lo Chi Hang, a director of the Company on 18 May 2021, annexed to this opinion (the Directors Certificate); |
6 | the written resolutions of the directors of the Company dated 18 May 2021 (the Resolutions); |
7 | the register of directors and officers of the Company provided to us on 18 May 2021 (the Register of Directors and Officers); and |
8 | the draft Registration Statement. |
SCHEDULE 2
Assumptions
We have relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:
1 | (i) that the originals of all documents examined in connection with this opinion are authentic, accurate and complete; and (ii) the authenticity, accuracy, completeness and conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies; |
2 | that there has been no change to the information contained in the Certificate of Incorporation or the Certificate of Incumbency and that the Constitutional Documents remain in full force and effect and are unamended; |
3 | that where incomplete documents, drafts or signature pages only have been supplied to us for the purposes of issuing this opinion, the original documents have been duly completed and correspond in all material respects with the last version of the relevant documents examined by us prior to giving our opinion; |
4 | the accuracy, completeness and currency of the records and filing systems maintained at the public offices where we have searched or enquired or have caused searches or enquiries to be conducted, that such search and enquiry did not fail to disclose any information which had been filed with or delivered to the relevant body but had not been processed at the time when the search was conducted and the enquiries were made, and that the information disclosed by the Litigation Search is accurate and complete in all respects and such information has not been materially altered since the date and time of the Litigation Search; |
5 | that none of the Companys directors or its registered office has received any notice of any litigation or threatened litigation to which the Company is or may be party; |
6 | that the Company has not (i) received notice of any stop notice under Order 50 of the Grand Court Rules in respect of any of its shares or (ii) issued any restrictions notice under the Companies Act (as revised) in respect of the registration of the beneficial ownership of any of its shares, which restrictions notice has not been withdrawn by the Company or ceased by court order; |
7 | that (i) any meetings at which the Resolutions were passed were duly convened and had a duly constituted quorum present and voting throughout, (iii) all interests of the directors of the Company on the subject matter of the Resolutions, if any, were declared and disclosed in accordance with the law and Constitutional Documents, (iv) the Resolutions have not been revoked, amended or superseded, in whole or in part, and remain in full force and effect at the date of this opinion, and (v) the directors of the Company have concluded that the offering and issuance of the Shares and ADSs are bona fide in the best interests of the Company and for a proper purpose of the Company; |
8 | that the Certificate of Incumbency and the Register of Directors and Officers accurately reflects the names of all directors and officers of the Company as at the dates the Resolutions were passed or adopted and as at the date of this opinion; |
9 | that there is no matter affecting the authority of the directors of the Company to effect the offering and issuance of the Shares and ADSs including breach of duty, lack of good faith, not disclosed by the Constitutional Documents or the Resolutions, which would have any adverse implications in relation to the opinions expressed herein; and |
10 | that the directors or members of the Company have not taken any steps to have the Company struck off or placed in liquidation, no steps have been taken to wind up the Company and no receiver has been appointed over any of the Companys property or assets. |
SCHEDULE 3
Qualifications
The opinions expressed above are subject to the following qualifications:
1. | Currency of Court Judgments: The Cayman Islands Grand Court Rules 1995 expressly contemplate that judgments may be granted by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands in currencies other than Cayman Islands dollars or United States dollars. Such Rules provide for various specific rates of interest payable upon judgment debts according to the currency of the judgment. |
2. | Conversion of Debts: In the event the Company is placed into liquidation, the Cayman Islands court is likely to require that all debts are converted (at the official exchange rate at the date of conversion) into and paid in a common currency which is likely to be Cayman Islands dollars or United States dollars. |
3. | Litigation Search: The Litigation Search is not conclusively capable of revealing whether or not there is any originating process, amended originating process pending or any appeal pending in proceedings in which the Company is a defendant or respondent as notice of these matters might not be entered on the court registers immediately. The Litigation Search would not reveal any proceedings against any predecessor entities that may have merged with or into the Company under the laws of any jurisdiction nor any proceedings against the Company in a name other than the Companys current name. |
4. | Summary Court Register: We have not examined the register of the summary court of the Cayman Islands on the basis that claims in such court are limited to a maximum of approximately USD24,000. |
5. | Preferences: Every conveyance or transfer of property, or charge thereon, and every payment obligation and judicial proceeding, made, incurred, taken or suffered by a company at a time when that company was unable to pay its debts within the meaning of section 93 of the Companies Act (as revised), and made or granted in favour of a creditor with a view to giving that creditor a preference over the other creditors of the Company, would be invalid pursuant to section 145(1) of the Companies Act (as revised), if made, incurred, taken or suffered within the six months preceding the commencement of a liquidation of the Company. Such actions will be deemed to have been made with a view to giving such creditor a preference if it is a related party of the Company. A creditor shall be treated as a related party if it has the ability to control a company or exercise significant influence over a company in making financial and operating decisions. |
6. | Undervalues: Any disposition of property made at an undervalue by or on behalf of a company and with an intent to defraud its creditors (which means an intention to wilfully defeat an obligation owed to a creditor), shall be voidable (i) under section 146 of the Companies Act (as revised) at the instance of the companys official liquidator, and (ii) under the Fraudulent Dispositions Act (as revised), at the instance of a creditor thereby prejudiced. |
7. | Defrauding Creditors: If any business of a company has been carried on with intent to defraud creditors of the company or creditors of any other person or for any fraudulent purpose, the Cayman Islands court may declare that any persons who were knowingly parties to the carrying on of the business of the company in such manner are liable to make such contributions, if any, to the companys assets as the court thinks proper. |
8. | Good Standing: Our opinion as to good standing is based solely upon receipt of the Certificate of Good Standing issued by the Registrar of Companies. The Company shall be deemed to be in good standing under section 200A of the Companies Act (as revised) on the date of issue of the certificate if all fees and penalties under the Companies Act (as revised) have been paid and the Registrar of Companies has no knowledge that the Company is in default under the Companies Act (as revised). |
9. | Corporate Documents: The Registry of Companies in the Cayman Islands is not public in the sense that copies of the Constitutional Documents and information on shareholders is not publicly available and information on directors is limited. We have therefore obtained scanned copies of the corporate documents specified in Schedule 1 and relied exclusively on such scanned copies for the verification of such corporate information. |
10. | We reserve our opinion with respect to compliance, if any, with the International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act (Revised), and associated regulations and guidance. |
ANNEX
Exhibit 8.2
AMTD Digital Inc. CricketSquare, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman KY1-1111, Cayman Islands |
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL |
SENDERS REF |
RECIPIENTS REF | DATE | PAGE | |||
VRJ/KCT/Opinion |
| 20 May 2021 | 1/2 |
SINGAPORE TAX OPINION |
Dear Sirs,
1. | Introduction |
We are engaged as Singapore tax counsel to AMTD International Inc. (the Company), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and its subsidiaries established in Hong Kong in connection with (a) the proposed initial public offering (the Offering) of certain number of American depositary shares (the Offered ADSs), each Offered ADS representing certain number of Class A ordinary shares, par value of US$0.0001 per share, of the Company, by the Company as set forth in the Companys registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the Registration Statement), filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (as amended) in relation to the Offering, and (b) the Companys proposed listing of the Offered ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market/New York Stock Exchange.
2. | Opinion |
Subject to the Qualifications, the statements made in the Registration Statement under the caption TaxationSingapore Taxation, insofar as they purport to describe or summarise certain provisions of Singapore tax laws referred to therein, based on the assumptions of facts, and subject to the limitations, set forth therein, are accurate descriptions or summaries in all material respects.
3. | Qualifications |
Our opinion expressed above is subject to the following qualifications (the Qualifications):
(a) | this opinion is given only in respect of the tax laws of Singapore which are in force on the date of this opinion and this opinion is to be governed and interpreted in accordance with such laws and the courts of Singapore have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection herewith (including any non-contractual disputes or claims). |
(b) | the tax laws of Singapore referred to herein are laws and regulations publicly available and currently in force on the date hereof and there is no guarantee that any of such laws and regulations, or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, will not be changed, amended or revoked in the future with or without retrospective effect; |
(c) | this opinion is issued based on our understanding of the tax laws of Singapore. For matters not explicitly provided under the tax laws of Singapore, the interpretation, implementation and application of the specific requirements under the tax laws of Singapore are subject to the final discretion of competent Singapore legislative, administrative and judicial authorities, and there can be no assurance that the government agencies will ultimately take a view that is not contrary to our opinion stated above; and |
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(d) | this opinion is strictly limited to the matters stated in it and does not apply by implication to other matters. We have made no investigation into, and do not express or imply any views on, the laws of any country other than Singapore. Except as may be expressly described herein, we have not undertaken any independent investigation to determine the existence or absence of any facts and no inference as to our knowledge of the existence or absence of such facts should be drawn from our serving as counsel in giving this opinion. |
4. | Conclusion |
4.1 | This opinion is given for the sole benefit of the persons to whom the opinion is addressed. |
4.2 | This opinion may not, without our prior written consent, be: |
(a) | filed with a government agency or quoted or referred to in a public document; or |
(b) | disclosed to anyone else, |
except that it may be disclosed on a need-to-know basis and without our consent or notification:
(i) | to your professional advisers or auditors in the ordinary course of your business; |
(ii) | to your related corporations who in the ordinary course of your business have access to your papers and records; |
(iii) | if required by law or in accordance with an official directive or request with which responsible financiers generally comply in carrying on their business; or |
(iv) | in connection with any litigation or proposed litigation in relation to this opinion, |
provided that such persons to whom this opinion was disclosed pursuant to this paragraph 4.2 may not rely on it and no such person may provide a copy of this opinion to any other person.
4.3 | Notwithstanding paragraph 4.2 above, we hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and to the reference to our name in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder. |
4.4 | For the avoidance of doubt, we do not assume responsibility for updating this opinion as of any date subsequent to the date of this opinion, and assume no responsibility for advising you of any changes with respect to any matters described in this opinion that may occur subsequent to the date of this opinion or from the discovery subsequent to the date of this opinion of information not previously known to us pertaining to the events occurring on or prior to the date of this opinion. |
Yours faithfully
/s/ RAJAH & TANN SINGAPORE LLP
RAJAH & TANN SINGAPORE LLP
Vikna Rajah, Partner
T 6232 0597
F 6428 3494
E vikna.rajah@rajahtann.com
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Exhibit 10.1
AMTD Digital Inc.
AMTD SpiderNet Share Incentive Plan
ARTICLE 1
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Plan is to promote the success and enhance the value of AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company), by linking the personal interests of the Directors, Employees, and Consultants to those of the Companys shareholders and by providing such individuals with an incentive for outstanding performance to generate superior returns to the Companys shareholders.
ARTICLE 2
DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION
Wherever the following terms are used in the Plan they shall have the meanings specified below, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The singular pronoun shall include the plural where the context so indicates.
2.1 Applicable Laws means the legal requirements relating to the Plan and the Awards under applicable provisions of the corporate, securities, tax and other laws, rules, regulations and government orders, and the rules of any applicable stock exchange or national market system, of any jurisdiction applicable to Awards granted to residents therein.
2.2 Award means an Option, Restricted Share, Restricted Share Units or other types of award approved by the Committee granted to a Participant pursuant to the Plan.
2.3 Award Agreement means any written agreement, contract, or other instrument or document evidencing an Award, including through electronic medium.
2.4 Board means the Board of Directors of the Company.
2.5 Cause with respect to a Participant means (unless otherwise expressly provided in the applicable Award Agreement, or another applicable contract with the Participant that defines such term for purposes of determining the effect that a for cause termination has on the Participants Awards) a termination of employment or service based upon a finding by the Service Recipient, acting in good faith and based on its reasonable belief at the time, that the Participant:
(a) has been negligent in the discharge of his or her duties to the Service Recipient, has refused to perform stated or assigned duties or is incompetent in or (other than by reason of a disability or analogous condition) incapable of performing those duties;
(b) has been dishonest or committed or engaged in an act of theft, embezzlement or fraud, a breach of confidentiality, an unauthorized disclosure or use of inside information, customer lists, trade secrets or other confidential information;
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(c) has breached a fiduciary duty, or willfully and materially violated any other duty, law, rule, regulation or policy of the Service Recipient; or has been convicted of, or plead guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony or misdemeanor (other than minor traffic violations or similar offenses);
(d) has materially breached any of the provisions of any agreement with the Service Recipient;
(e) has engaged in unfair competition with, or otherwise acted intentionally in a manner injurious to the reputation, business or assets of, the Service Recipient; or
(f) has improperly induced a vendor or customer to break or terminate any contract with the Service Recipient or induced a principal for whom the Service Recipient acts as agent to terminate such agency relationship.
A termination for Cause shall be deemed to occur (subject to reinstatement upon a contrary final determination by the Committee) on the date on which the Service Recipient first delivers written notice to the Participant of a finding of termination for Cause.
2.6 Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of the United States, as amended.
2.7 Committee means a committee of the Board described in Article 10.
2.8 Consultant means any consultant or adviser if: (a) the consultant or adviser renders bona fide services to a Service Recipient; (b) the services rendered by the consultant or adviser are not in connection with the offer or sale of securities in a capital-raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Companys securities; and (c) the consultant or adviser is a natural person who has contracted directly with the Service Recipient to render such services.
2.9 Corporate Transaction, unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement, means any of the following transactions, provided, however, that the Committee shall determine under (d) and (e) whether multiple transactions are related, and its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive:
(a) an amalgamation, arrangement or consolidation or scheme of arrangement (i) in which the Company is not the surviving entity, except for a transaction the principal purpose of which is to change the jurisdiction in which the Company is incorporated or (ii) following which the holders of the voting securities of the Company do not continue to hold more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the surviving entity;
(b) the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company;
(c) the complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company;
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(d) any reverse takeover or series of related transactions culminating in a reverse takeover (including, but not limited to, a tender offer followed by a reverse takeover) in which the Company is the surviving entity but (A) the Companys equity securities outstanding immediately prior to such takeover are converted or exchanged by virtue of the takeover into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise, or (B) in which securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Companys outstanding securities are transferred to a person or persons different from those who held such securities immediately prior to such takeover or the initial transaction culminating in such takeover, but excluding any such transaction or series of related transactions that the Committee determines shall not be a Corporate Transaction; or
(e) acquisition in a single or series of related transactions by any person or related group of persons (other than the Company or by a Company-sponsored employee benefit plan) of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) of securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Companys outstanding securities but excluding any such transaction or series of related transactions that the Committee determines shall not be a Corporate Transaction.
2.10 Director, means a member of the Board or a member of the board of directors of any Subsidiary of the Company.
2.11 Disability, unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement, means that the Participant qualifies to receive long-term disability payments under the Service Recipients longterm disability insurance program, as it may be amended from time to time, to which the Participant provides services regardless of whether the Participant is covered by such policy. If the Service Recipient to which the Participant provides service does not have a long-term disability plan in place, Disability means that a Participant is unable to carry out the responsibilities and functions of the position held by the Participant by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment for a period of not less than ninety (90) consecutive days. A Participant will not be considered to have incurred a Disability unless he or she furnishes proof of such impairment sufficient to satisfy the Committee in its discretion.
2.12 Effective Date shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11.1.
2.13 Employee means any person, including an officer or a Director, who is in the employment of a Service Recipient, subject to the control and direction of the Service Recipient as to both the work to be performed and the manner and method of performance. The payment of a directors fee by a Service Recipient shall not be sufficient to constitute employment by the Service Recipient.
2.14 Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 of the United States, as amended.
2.15 Fair Market Value means, as of any date, the value of Shares determined as follows:
(a) If the Shares are listed on one or more established stock exchanges or national market systems, including without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such shares (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on the principal exchange or system on which the Shares are listed (as determined by the Committee) on the date of determination (or, if no closing sales price or closing bid was reported on that date, as applicable, on the last trading date such closing sales price or closing bid was reported), as reported on the website maintained by such exchange or market system or such other source as the Committee deems reliable; or
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(b) In the absence of an established market for the Shares of the type described in (a) above, the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined by the Committee in good faith and in its discretion by reference to (i) the placing price of the latest private placement of the Shares and the development of the Companys business operations and the general economic and market conditions since such latest private placement, (ii) other third party transactions involving the Shares and the development of the Companys business operation and the general economic and market conditions since such transaction, (iii) an independent valuation of the Shares, or (iv) such other methodologies or information as the Committee determines to be indicative of Fair Market Value.
2.16 Group Entity means any of the Company and Subsidiaries of the Company.
2.17 Incentive Share Option means an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision thereto.
2.18 Independent Director means (i) if the Shares or other securities representing the Shares are not listed on a stock exchange, a Director of the Company who is a Non-Employee Director; and (ii) if the Shares or other securities representing the Shares are listed on one or more stock exchange, a Director of the Company who meets the independence standards under the applicable corporate governance rules of the stock exchange(s).
2.19 Non-Employee Director means a member of the Board who qualifies as a Non-Employee Director as defined in Rule 16b-3(b)(3) of the Exchange Act, or any successor definition adopted by the Board.
2.20 Non-Qualified Share Option means an Option that is not intended to be an Incentive Share Option.
2.21 Option means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Article 5 of the Plan to purchase a specified number of Shares at a specified price during specified time periods. An Option may be either an Incentive Share Option or a Non-Qualified Share Option.
2.22 Participant means a person who, as a Director, Consultant or Employee, has been granted an Award pursuant to the Plan.
2.23 Parent means a parent corporation under Section 424(e) of the Code.
2.24 Plan means this AMTD SpiderNet Share Incentive Plan of AMTD Digital Inc., as amended and/or restated from time to time.
2.25 Related Entity means any business, corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity in which the Company, a Parent or Subsidiary of the Company holds a substantial ownership interest, directly or indirectly, or controls through contractual arrangements and consolidates the financial results according to applicable accounting standards, but which is not a Subsidiary and which the Board designates as a Related Entity for purposes of the Plan.
2.26 Restricted Share means a Share awarded to a Participant pursuant to Article 6 that is subject to certain restrictions and may be subject to risk of forfeiture.
2.27 Restricted Share Unit means the right granted to a Participant pursuant to Article 7 to receive a Share at a future date.
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2.28 Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States, as amended.
2.29 Service Recipient means the Company or Subsidiary of the Company to which a Participant provides services as an Employee, a Consultant or a Director.
2.30 Share means the ordinary shares of the Company, par value US$0.0001 per share, and such other securities of the Company that may be substituted for Shares pursuant to Article 9.
2.31 Subsidiary means any corporation or other entity of which a majority of the outstanding voting shares or voting power is beneficially owned directly or indirectly by the Company.
2.32 Trading Date means the closing of the first sale to the general public of the Shares pursuant to a registration statement filed with and declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act.
ARTICLE 3
HARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN
3.1 Number of Shares.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Article 9 and Section 3.1(b), the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be issued pursuant to all Awards (including Incentive Share Options) (the Award Pool) shall initially be 6,500,000 and on January 1 of each year after the Effective Date, automatically increase to the number of Shares that is equal to ten percent (10%) of the total issued and outstanding share capital of the Company as of December 31 of the preceding year. In addition, on January 1 of each year after the Effective Date, the Award Pool shall automatically increase by the number of Shares representing 1.0% of the total issued and outstanding share capital of the Company as of December 31 of the preceding year, or such less number as the Board shall determine.
(b) To the extent that an Award terminates, expires, or lapses for any reason, any Shares subject to the Award shall again be available for the grant of an Award pursuant to the Plan. To the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, Shares issued in assumption of, or in substitution for, any outstanding awards of any entity acquired in any form or combination by a Group Entity shall not be counted against Shares available for grant pursuant to the Plan. Shares delivered by the Participant or withheld by the Company upon the exercise of any Award under the Plan, in payment of the exercise price thereof or tax withholding thereon, may again be optioned, granted or awarded hereunder, subject to the limitations of Section 3.1(a). If any Restricted Shares are forfeited by the Participant or repurchased by the Company, such Shares may again be optioned, granted or awarded hereunder, subject to the limitations of Section 3.1(a). Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 3.1(b), no Shares may again be optioned, granted or awarded if such action would cause an Incentive Share Option to fail to qualify as an incentive share option under Section 422 of the Code.
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3.2 Shares Distributed. Any Shares distributed pursuant to an Award may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued Shares, treasury Shares (subject to Applicable Laws) or Shares purchased on the open market. Additionally, at the discretion of the Committee, any Shares distributed pursuant to an Award may be represented by American Depository Shares. If the number of Shares represented by an American Depository Share is other than on a one-to-one basis, the limitations of Section 3.1 shall be adjusted to reflect the distribution of American Depository Shares in lieu of Shares.
ARTICLE 4
ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
4.1 Eligibility. Persons eligible to participate in this Plan include Employees, Consultants, and Directors, as determined by the Committee.
4.2 Participation. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee may, from time to time, select from among all eligible individuals, those to whom Awards shall be granted and shall determine the nature and amount of each Award. No individual shall have any right to be granted an Award pursuant to this Plan.
ARTICLE 5
OPTIONS
5.1 General. The Committee is authorized to grant Options to Participants on the following terms and conditions:
(a) Exercise Price. The exercise price per Share subject to an Option shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement which may be a fixed price or a variable price related to the Fair Market Value of the Shares. The exercise price per Share subject to an Option may be amended or adjusted in the absolute discretion of the Committee, the determination of which shall be final, binding and conclusive. For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent not prohibited by Applicable Laws or any exchange rule, a downward adjustment of the exercise prices of Options mentioned in the preceding sentence shall be effective without the approval of the Companys shareholders or the approval of the affected Participants.
(b) Time and Conditions of Exercise. The Committee shall determine the time or times at which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part, including exercise prior to vesting; provided that the term of any Option granted under the Plan shall not exceed ten years, except as provided in Section 12.1. The Committee shall also determine any conditions, if any, that must be satisfied before all or part of an Option may be exercised.
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(c) Payment. The Committee shall determine the methods by which the exercise price of an Option may be paid, the form of payment, including, without limitation (i) cash or check denominated in U.S. Dollars, (ii) to the extent permissible under the Applicable Laws, cash or check in Hong Kong dollar, (iii) cash or check denominated in any other local currency as approved by the Committee, (iv) Shares held for such period of time as may be required by the Committee in order to avoid adverse financial accounting consequences and having a Fair Market Value on the date of delivery equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Option or exercised portion thereof, (v) after the Trading Date the delivery of a notice that the Participant has placed a market sell order with a broker with respect to Shares then issuable upon exercise of the Option, and that the broker has been directed to pay a sufficient portion of the net proceeds of the sale to the Company in satisfaction of the Option exercise price; provided that payment of such proceeds is then made to the Company upon settlement of such sale, (vi) other property acceptable to the Committee with a Fair Market Value equal to the exercise price, or (vii) any combination of the foregoing. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Participant who is a member of the Board or an executive officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act shall be permitted to pay the exercise price of an Option in any method which would violate Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act.
(d) Effects of Termination of Employment or Service on Options. Termination of employment or service shall have the following effects on Options granted to the Participants:
(i) Dismissal for Cause. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, if a Participants employment by or service to the Service Recipient is terminated by the Service Recipient for Cause, the Participants Options will terminate upon such termination, whether or not the Option is then vested and/or exercisable;
(ii) Death or Disability. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, if a Participants employment by or service to the Service Recipient terminates as a result of the Participants death or Disability:
(a) the Participant (or his or her legal representative or beneficiary, in the case of the Participants Disability or death, respectively), will have until the date that is 12 months after the Participants termination of Employment to exercise the Participants Options (or portion thereof) to the extent that such Options were vested and exercisable on the date of the Participants termination of Employment on account of death or Disability;
(b) the Options, to the extent not vested and exercisable on the date of the Participants termination of Employment or service, shall terminate upon the Participants termination of Employment or service on account of death or Disability; and
(c) the Options, to the extent exercisable for the 12-month period following the Participants termination of Employment or service and not exercised during such period, shall terminate at the close of business on the last day of the 12-month period.
(iii) Other Terminations of Employment or Service. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, if a Participants employment by or service to the Service Recipient terminates for any reason other than a termination by the Service Recipient for Cause or because of the Participants death or Disability:
(a) the Participant will have until the date that is 90 days after the Participants termination of Employment or service to exercise his or her Options (or portion thereof) to the extent that such Options were vested and exercisable on the date of the Participants termination of Employment or service;
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(b) the Options, to the extent not vested and exercisable on the date of the Participants termination of Employment or service, shall terminate upon the Participants termination of Employment or service; and
(c) the Options, to the extent exercisable for the 90-day period following the Participants termination of Employment or service and not exercised during such period, shall terminate at the close of business on the last day of the 90-day period.
5.2 Incentive Share Options. Incentive Share Options may be granted to Employees of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company. Incentive Share Options may not be granted to employees of a Related Entity or to Independent Directors or Consultants. The terms of any Incentive Share Options granted pursuant to the Plan, in addition to the requirements of Section 5.1, must comply with the following additional provisions of this Section 5.2:
(a) Individual Dollar Limitation. The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time the Option is granted) of all Shares with respect to which Incentive Share Options are first exercisable by a Participant in any calendar year may not exceed $100,000 or such other limitation as imposed by Section 422(d) of the Code, or any successor provision. To the extent that Incentive Share Options are first exercisable by a Participant in excess of such limitation, the excess shall be considered Non-Qualified Share Options.
(b) Exercise Price. The exercise price of an Incentive Share Option shall be equal to the Fair Market Value on the date of grant. However, the exercise price of any Incentive Share Option granted to any individual who, at the date of grant, owns Shares possessing more than ten percent of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company may not be less than 110% of Fair Market Value on the date of grant and such Option may not be exercisable for more than five years from the date of grant.
(c) Transfer Restriction. The Participant shall give the Company prompt notice of any disposition of Shares acquired by exercise of an Incentive Share Option within (i) two years from the date of grant of such Incentive Share Option or (ii) one year after the transfer of such Shares to the Participant, whichever is later.
(d) Expiration of Incentive Share Options. No Award of an Incentive Share Option may be made pursuant to this Plan after the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date.
(e) Right to Exercise. During a Participants lifetime, an Incentive Share Option may be exercised only by the Participant.
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ARTICLE 6
RESTRICTED SHARES
6.1 Grant of Restricted Shares. The Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Restricted Shares to Participants as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. The Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine the number of Restricted Shares to be granted to each Participant.
6.2 Restricted Shares Award Agreement. Each Award of Restricted Shares shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the period of restriction, the number of Restricted Shares granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, Restricted Shares shall be held by the Company as escrow agent until the restrictions on such Restricted Shares have lapsed.
6.3 Issuance and Restrictions. Restricted Shares shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability and other restrictions as the Committee may impose (including, without limitation, limitations on the right to vote Restricted Shares or the right to receive dividends on the Restricted Shares). These restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such times, pursuant to such circumstances, in such installments, or otherwise, as the Committee determines at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter.
6.4 Forfeiture/Repurchase. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter, upon termination of employment or service during the applicable restriction period, Restricted Shares that are at that time subject to restrictions shall be forfeited or repurchased in accordance with the Award Agreement; provided, however, the Committee may (a) provide in any Restricted Share Award Agreement that restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Shares will be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and (b) in other cases waive in whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Shares.
6.5 Certificates for Restricted Shares. Restricted Shares granted pursuant to the Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Committee shall determine. If certificates representing Restricted Shares are registered in the name of the Participant, certificates must bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Shares, and the Company may, at its discretion, retain physical possession of the certificate until such time as all applicable restrictions lapse.
6.6 Removal of Restrictions. Except as otherwise provided in this Article 6, Restricted Shares granted under the Plan shall be released from escrow as soon as practicable after the last day of the period of restriction. The Committee, in its discretion, may accelerate the time at which any restrictions shall lapse or be removed. After the restrictions have lapsed, the Participant shall be entitled to have any legend or legends under Section 6.5 removed from his or her Share certificate, and the Shares shall be freely transferable by the Participant, subject to applicable legal restrictions. The Committee (in its discretion) may establish procedures regarding the release of Shares from escrow and the removal of legends, as necessary or appropriate to minimize administrative burdens on the Company.
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ARTICLE 7
7.1 Grant of Restricted Share Units. The Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Restricted Share Units to Participants as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. The Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine the number of Restricted Share Units to be granted to each Participant.
7.2 Restricted Share Units Award Agreement. Each Award of Restricted Share Units shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify any vesting conditions, the number of Restricted Share Units granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine.
7.3 Form and Timing of Payment of Restricted Share Units. At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the date or dates on which the Restricted Share Units shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable. Upon vesting, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may pay Restricted Share Units in the form of cash, Shares or a combination thereof.
7.4 Forfeiture/Repurchase. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter, upon termination of employment or service during the applicable restriction period, Restricted Share Units that are at that time unvested shall be forfeited or repurchased in accordance with the Award Agreement; provided, however, the Committee may (a) provide in any Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement that restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Share Units will be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and (b) in other cases waive in whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Share Units.
ARTICLE 8
PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO AWARDS
8.1 Award Agreement. Awards under the Plan shall be evidenced by Award Agreements that set forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each Award which may include the term of an Award, the provisions applicable in the event the Participants employment or service terminates, and the Companys authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind an Award.
8.2 No Transferability; Limited Exception to Transfer Restrictions.
8.2.1 Limits on Transfer. Unless otherwise expressly provided in (or pursuant to) this Section 8.2, by applicable law and by the Award Agreement, as the same may be amended:
(a) all Awards are non-transferable and will not be subject in any manner to sale, transfer, anticipation, alienation, assignment, pledge, encumbrance or charge;
(b) Awards will be exercised only by the Participant; and
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(c) amounts payable or shares issuable pursuant to an Award will be delivered only to (or for the account of), and, in the case of Shares, registered in the name of, the Participant.
In addition, the shares shall be subject to the restrictions set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.
8.2.2 Further Exceptions to Limits on Transfer. The exercise and transfer restrictions in Section 8.2.1 will not apply to:
(a) transfers to the Company or a Subsidiary;
(b) transfers by gift to immediate family as that term is defined in SEC Rule 16a-1(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act;
(c) the designation of a beneficiary to receive benefits if the Participant dies or, if the Participant has died, transfers to or exercises by the Participants beneficiary, or, in the absence of a validly designated beneficiary, transfers by will or the laws of descent and distribution; or
(d) if the Participant has suffered a disability, permitted transfers or exercises on behalf of the Participant by the Participants duly authorized legal representative; or
(e) subject to the prior approval of the Committee or an executive officer or director of the Company authorized by the Committee, transfer to one or more natural persons who are the Participants family members or entities owned and controlled by the Participant and/or the Participants family members, including but not limited to trusts or other entities whose beneficiaries or beneficial owners are the Participant and/or the Participants family members, or to such other persons or entities as may be expressly approved by the Committee, pursuant to such conditions and procedures as the Committee or may establish. Any permitted transfer shall be subject to the condition that the Committee receives evidence satisfactory to it that the transfer is being made for estate and/or tax planning purposes and on a basis consistent with the Companys lawful issue of securities.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Section 8.2.2 to the contrary, but subject to compliance with all Applicable Laws, Incentive Share Options, Restricted Shares and Restricted Share Units will be subject to any and all transfer restrictions under the Code applicable to such Awards or necessary to maintain the intended tax consequences of such Awards. Notwithstanding clause (b) above but subject to compliance with all Applicable Laws, any contemplated transfer by gift to immediate family as referenced in clause (b) above is subject to the condition precedent that the transfer be approved by the Administrator in order for it to be effective.
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8.3 Beneficiaries. Notwithstanding Section 8.2, a Participant may, in the manner determined by the Committee, designate a beneficiary to exercise the rights of the Participant and to receive any distribution with respect to any Award upon the Participants death. A beneficiary, legal guardian, legal representative, or other person claiming any rights pursuant to the Plan is subject to all terms and conditions of the Plan and any Award Agreement applicable to the Participant, except to the extent the Plan and Award Agreement otherwise provide, and to any additional restrictions deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee. If the Participant is married and resides in a community property state, a designation of a person other than the Participants spouse as his or her beneficiary with respect to more than 50% of the Participants interest in the Award shall not be effective without the prior written consent of the Participants spouse. If no beneficiary has been designated or survives the Participant, payment shall be made to the person entitled thereto pursuant to the Participants will or the laws of descent and distribution. Subject to the foregoing, a beneficiary designation may be changed or revoked by a Participant at any time provided the change or revocation is filed with the Committee.
8.4 Performance Objectives and Other Terms. The Committee, in its discretion, shall set performance objectives or other vesting criteria which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number or value of the Awards that will be granted or paid out to the Participants.
ARTICLE 9
CHANGES IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE
9.1 Adjustments. In the event of any dividend, share split, combination or exchange of Shares, amalgamation, arrangement or consolidation, spin-off, recapitalization or other distribution (other than normal cash dividends) of Company assets to its shareholders, or any other change affecting the shares of Shares or the share price of a Share, the Committee shall make such proportionate adjustments, if any, as the Committee in its discretion may deem appropriate to reflect such change with respect to (a) the aggregate number and type of shares that may be issued under the Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments of the limitations in Section 3.1); (b) the terms and conditions of any outstanding Awards (including, without limitation, any applicable performance targets or criteria with respect thereto); and (c) the grant or exercise price per share for any outstanding Awards under the Plan.
9.2 Corporate Transactions. Except as may otherwise be provided in any Award Agreement or any other written agreement entered into by and between the Company and a Participant, if the Committee anticipates the occurrence, or upon the occurrence, of a Corporate Transaction, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide for (i) any and all Awards outstanding hereunder to terminate at a specific time in the future and shall give each Participant the right to exercise the vested portion of such Awards during a period of time as the Committee shall determine, or (ii) the purchase of any Award for an amount of cash equal to the amount that could have been attained upon the exercise of such Award (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of such date the Committee determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment), or (iii) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Committee in its sole discretion or the assumption of or substitution of such Award by the successor or surviving corporation, or a Parent or Subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of Shares and prices, or (iv) payment of such Award in cash based on the value of Shares on the date of the Corporate Transaction plus reasonable interest on the Award through the date as determined by the Committee when such Award would otherwise be vested or have been paid in accordance with its original terms, if necessary to comply with Section 409A of the Code.
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9.3 Outstanding Awards Other Changes. In the event of any other change in the capitalization of the Company or corporate change other than those specifically referred to in this Article 9, the Committee may, in its absolute discretion, make such adjustments in the number and class of shares subject to Awards outstanding on the date on which such change occurs and in the per share grant or exercise price of each Award as the Committee may consider appropriate to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights.
9.4 No Other Rights. Except as expressly provided in the Plan, no Participant shall have any rights by reason of any subdivision or consolidation of Shares of any class, the payment of any dividend, any increase or decrease in the number of shares of any class or any dissolution, liquidation, merger, or consolidation of the Company or any other corporation. Except as expressly provided in the Plan or pursuant to action of the Committee under the Plan, and no issuance by the Company of shares of any class, or securities convertible into shares of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number of Shares subject to an Award or the grant or exercise price of any Award.
ARTICLE 10
ADMINISTRATION
10.1 Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Board or a committee of one or more members of the Board (the Committee) to whom the Board shall delegate the authority to grant or amend Awards to Participants other than any of the Committee members, Independent Directors and executive officers of the Company. Reference to the Committee shall refer to the Board in absence of the Committee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the full Board, acting by majority of its members in office, shall conduct the general administration of the Plan if required by Applicable Laws, and with respect to Awards granted to the Committee members, Independent Directors and executive officers of the Company and for purposes of such Awards the term Committee as used in the Plan shall be deemed to refer to the Board.
10.2 Action by the Committee. A majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. The acts of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, and acts approved unanimously in writing all members of the Committee in lieu of a meeting, shall be deemed the acts of the Committee. Each member of the Committee is entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to that member by any officer or other employee of a Group Entity, the Companys independent certified public accountants, or any executive compensation consultant or other professional retained by the Company to assist in the administration of the Plan.
10.3 Authority of the Committee. Subject to any specific designation in the Plan, the Committee has the exclusive power, authority and discretion to:
(a) designate Participants to receive Awards;
(b) determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Participant;
(c) determine the number of Awards to be granted and the number of Shares to which an Award will relate;
(d) determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted pursuant to the Plan, including, but not limited to, the exercise price, grant price, or purchase price, any restrictions or limitations on the Award, any schedule for lapse of forfeiture restrictions or restrictions on the exercisability of an Award, and accelerations or waivers thereof, and any provisions related to non-competition and recapture of gain on an Award, based in each case on such considerations as the Committee in its sole discretion determines;
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(e) determine whether, to what extent, and pursuant to what circumstances an Award may be settled in, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid in, cash, Shares, other Awards, or other property, or an Award may be canceled, forfeited, or surrendered;
(f) prescribe the form of each Award Agreement, which need not be identical for each Participant;
(g) decide all other matters that must be determined in connection with an Award;
(h) establish, adopt, or revise any rules and regulations as it may deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;
(i) interpret the terms of, and any matter arising pursuant to, the Plan or any Award Agreement;
(j) amend terms and conditions of Award Agreements; and
(k) make all other decisions and determinations that may be required pursuant to the Plan or as the Committee deems necessary or advisable to administer the Plan, including design and adopt from time to time new types of Awards that are in compliance with Applicable Laws.
10.4 Decisions Binding. The Committees interpretation of the Plan, any Awards granted pursuant to the Plan, any Award Agreement and all decisions and determinations by the Committee with respect to the Plan are final, binding, and conclusive on all parties.
ARTICLE 11
EFFECTIVE AND EXPIRATION DATE
11.1 Effective Date. The Plan shall become effective as of the date it is adopted and approved by the Board (the Effective Date).
11.2 Expiration Date. The Plan will expire on, and no Award may be granted pursuant to the Plan after, the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date. Any Awards that are outstanding on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date shall remain in force according to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement.
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ARTICLE 12
AMENDMENT, MODIFICATION, AND TERMINATION
12.1 Amendment, Modification, and Termination. At any time and from time to time, the Board may terminate, amend or modify the Plan; provided, however, that (a) to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws or stock exchange rules, the Company shall obtain shareholder approval of any Plan amendment in such a manner and to such a degree as required, unless the Company decides to follow home country practice, and (b) unless the Company decides to follow home country practice, shareholder approval is required for any amendment to the Plan that (i) increases the number of Shares available under the Plan (other than any adjustment as provided by Article 9 or Section 3.1(a)), or (ii) permits the Committee to extend the term of the Plan or the exercise period for an Option beyond ten years from the date of grant.
12.2 Awards Previously Granted. Except with respect to amendments made pursuant to Section 12.1, no termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan shall adversely affect in any material way any Award previously granted pursuant to the Plan without the prior written consent of the Participant.
ARTICLE 13
GENERAL PROVISIONS
13.1 No Rights to Awards. No Participant, employee, or other person shall have any claim to be granted any Award pursuant to the Plan, and neither the Company nor the Committee is obligated to treat Participants, employees, and other persons uniformly.
13.2 No Shareholders Rights. No Award gives the Participant any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company unless and until Shares are in fact issued to such person in connection with such Award.
13.3 Taxes. No Shares shall be delivered under the Plan to any Participant until such Participant has made arrangements acceptable to the Committee for the satisfaction of any income and employment tax withholding obligations under Applicable Laws. The Company or any Subsidiary shall have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy all applicable taxes (including the Participants payroll tax obligations) required or permitted by Applicable Laws to be withheld with respect to any taxable event concerning a Participant arising as a result of this Plan. The Committee may in its discretion and in satisfaction of the foregoing requirement allow a Participant to elect to have the Company withhold Shares otherwise issuable under an Award (or allow the return of Shares) having a Fair Market Value equal to the sums required to be withheld. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the number of Shares which may be withheld with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of any Award (or which may be repurchased from the Participant of such Award after such Shares were acquired by the Participant from the Company) in order to satisfy any income and payroll tax liabilities applicable to the Participant with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of the Award shall, unless specifically approved by the Committee, be limited to the number of Shares which have a Fair Market Value on the date of withholding or repurchase equal to the aggregate amount of such liabilities based on the minimum statutory withholding rates for the applicable income and payroll tax purposes that are applicable to such supplemental taxable income.
13.4 No Right to Employment or Services. Nothing in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Service Recipient to terminate any Participants employment or services at any time, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue in the employment or services of any Service Recipient.
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13.5 Unfunded Status of Awards. The Plan is intended to be an unfunded plan for incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give the Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the relevant Group Entity.
13.6 Indemnification. To the extent allowable pursuant to Applicable Laws, each member of the Committee or of the Board shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such member in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action or failure to act pursuant to the Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by him or her in satisfaction of judgment in such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her; provided he or she gives the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such persons may be entitled pursuant to the Companys Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power that the Company may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.
13.7 Expenses. The expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Group Entities.
13.8 Fractional Shares. No fractional Shares shall be issued and the Committee shall determine, in its discretion, whether cash shall be given in lieu of fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares shall be eliminated by rounding up or down as appropriate.
13.9 Government and Other Regulations. The obligation of the Company to make payment of awards in Shares or otherwise shall be subject to all Applicable Laws, and to such approvals by government agencies as may be required. The Company shall be under no obligation to register any of the Shares paid pursuant to the Plan under the Securities Act or any other similar law in any applicable jurisdiction. If the Shares paid pursuant to the Plan may in certain circumstances be exempt from registration pursuant to the Securities Act or other Applicable Laws, the Company may restrict the transfer of such Shares in such manner as it deems advisable to ensure the availability of any such exemption.
13.10 Governing Law. The Plan and all Award Agreements shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands.
13.11 Section 409A. To the extent that the Committee determines that any Award granted under the Plan is or may become subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Award Agreement evidencing such Award shall incorporate the terms and conditions required by Section 409A of the Code. To the extent applicable, the Plan and the Award Agreements shall be interpreted in accordance with Section 409A of the Code and the U.S. Department of Treasury regulations and other interpretative guidance issued thereunder, including without limitation any such regulation or other guidance that may be issued after the Effective Date. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in the event that following the Effective Date the Committee determines that any Award may be subject to Section 409A of the Code and related Department of Treasury guidance (including such Department of Treasury guidance as may be issued after the Effective Date), the Committee may adopt such amendments to the Plan and the applicable Award agreement or adopt other policies and procedures (including amendments, policies and procedures with retroactive effect), or take any other actions, that the Committee determines are necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt the Award from Section 409A of the Code and/or preserve the intended tax treatment of the benefits provided with respect to the Award, or (b) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code and related U.S. Department of Treasury guidance.
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Exhibit 10.2
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is entered into as of , 20 by and between AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company incorporated and existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company) and , an individual with [passport/ID number] (the Executive).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company desires to employ the Executive and to assure itself of the services of the Executive during the term of Employment (as defined below) and under the terms and conditions of the Agreement;
WHEREAS, the Executive desires to be employed by the Company during the term of Employment and under the terms and conditions of the Agreement;
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained, the Company and the Executive agree as follows:
1. | EMPLOYMENT |
The Company hereby agrees to employ the Executive and the Executive hereby accepts such employment, on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth (the Employment).
2. | TERM |
Subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, the initial term of the Employment shall be years, commencing on , 20 (the Effective Date) and ending on , 20 (the Initial Term), unless terminated earlier pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. Upon expiration of the Initial Term of the Employment, the Employment shall be automatically extended for successive periods of months each (each, an Extension Period) unless either party shall have given 60 days advance written notice to the other party, in the manner set forth in Section 19 below, prior to the end of the Extension Period in question, that the term of this Agreement that is in effect at the time such written notice is given is not to be extended or further extended, as the case may be (the period during which this Agreement is effective being referred to hereafter as the Term).
3. | POSITION AND DUTIES |
(a) | During the Term, the Executive shall serve as of the Company or in such other position or positions with a level of duties and responsibilities consistent with the foregoing with the Company and/or its subsidiaries and affiliated entities as the board of directors of the Company (the Board) may specify from time to time and shall have the duties, responsibilities and obligations customarily assigned to individuals serving in the position or positions in which the Executive serves hereunder and as assigned by the Board, or with the Boards authorization, by the Companys President. |
(b) | The Executive agrees to serve without additional compensation, if elected or appointed thereto, as a director of the Company or any subsidiaries or affiliated entities of the Company (collectively, the Group) and as a member of any committees of the board of directors of any such entity, provided that the Executive is indemnified for serving in any and all such capacities on a basis no less favorable than is currently provided to any other director of any member of the Group. |
(c) | The Executive agrees to devote all of his/her working time and efforts to the performance of his/her duties for the Company and to faithfully and diligently serve the Company in accordance with the Agreement and the guidelines, policies and procedures of the Company approved from time to time by the Board. |
4. | NO BREACH OF CONTRACT |
The Executive hereby represents to the Company that: (i) the execution and delivery of the Agreement by the Executive and the performance by the Executive of the Executives duties hereunder shall not constitute a breach of, or otherwise contravene, the terms of any other agreement or policy to which the Executive is a party or by which the Executive is otherwise bound, except that the Executive does not make any representation with respect to agreements required to be entered into by and between the Executive and any member of the Group pursuant to the applicable law of the jurisdiction in which the Executive is based, if any; (ii) that the Executive is not in possession of any information (including, without limitation, confidential information and trade secrets) the knowledge of which would prevent the Executive from freely entering into the Agreement and carrying out his/her duties hereunder; and (iii) that the Executive is not bound by any confidentiality, trade secret or similar agreement with any person or entity other than any member of the Group.
5. | LOCATION |
The Executive will be based in [Hong Kong/Singapore] or any other location as requested by the Company during the Term.
6. | COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS |
(a) | Cash Compensation. As compensation for the performance by the Executive of his/her obligations hereunder, during the Term, the Company shall pay the Executive cash compensation (inclusive of the statutory benefit contributions that the Company is required to set aside for the Executive under applicable law) pursuant to Schedule A hereto, subject to annual review and adjustment by the Board or any committee designated by the Board. |
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(b) | Equity Incentives. During the Term, the Executive shall be eligible to participate, at a level comparable to similarly situated executives of the Company, in such long-term compensation arrangements as may be authorized from time to time by the Board, including any share incentive plan the Company may adopt from time to time in its sole discretion. |
(c) | Benefits. During the Term, the Executive shall be entitled to participate in all of the employee benefit plans and arrangements made available by the Company to its similarly situated executives, including, but not limited to, any retirement plan, medical insurance plan and travel/holiday policy, subject to and on a basis consistent with the terms, conditions and overall administration of such plans and arrangements. |
7. | TERMINATION OF THE AGREEMENT |
The Employment may be terminated as follows:
(a) | Death. The Employment shall terminate upon the Executives death. |
(b) | Disability. The Employment shall terminate if the Executive has a disability, including any physical or mental impairment which, as reasonably determined by the Board, renders the Executive unable to perform the essential functions of his/her position at the Company, even with reasonable accommodation that does not impose an undue burden on the Company, for more than 180 days in any 12-month period, unless a longer period is required by applicable law, in which case that longer period shall apply. |
(c) | Cause. The Company may terminate the Executives employment hereunder for Cause. The occurrence of any of the following, as reasonably determined by the Company, shall be a reason for Cause, provided that, if the Company determines that the circumstances constituting Cause are curable, then such circumstances shall not constitute Cause unless and until the Executive has been informed by the Company of the existence of Cause and given an opportunity of ten business days to cure, and such Cause remains uncured at the end of such ten-day period: |
(1) | continued failure by the Executive to satisfactorily perform his/her duties; |
(2) | willful misconduct or gross negligence by the Executive in the performance of his/her duties hereunder, including insubordination; |
(3) | the Executives conviction or entry of a guilty or nolo contendere plea of any felony or any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; |
(4) | the Executives commission of any act involving dishonesty that results in material financial, reputational or other harm, monetary or otherwise, to any member of the Group, including but not limited to an act constituting misappropriation or embezzlement of the property of any member of the Group as determined in good faith by the Board; or |
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(5) | any material breach by the Executive of this Agreement. |
(d) | Good Reason. The Executive may terminate his/her employment hereunder for Good Reason upon the occurrence, without the written consent of the Executive, of an event constituting a material breach of this Agreement by the Company that has not been fully cured within ten business days after written notice thereof has been given by the Executive to the Company setting forth in sufficient detail the conduct or activities the Executive believes constitute grounds for Good Reason, including but not limited to: the failure by the Company to pay to the Executive any portion of the Executives current compensation or to pay to the Executive any portion of an installment of deferred compensation under any deferred compensation program of the Company, within twenty business days of the date such compensation is due. |
(e) | Without Cause by the Company; Without Good Reason by the Executive. The Company may terminate the Executives employment hereunder at any time without Cause upon 60-day prior written notice to the Executive. The Executive may terminate the Executives employment voluntarily for any reason or no reason at any time by giving 60-day prior written notice to the Company. |
(f) | Notice of Termination. Any termination of the Executives employment under the Agreement shall be communicated by written notice of termination (Notice of Termination) from the terminating party to the other party. The notice of termination shall indicate the specific provision(s) of the Agreement relied upon in effecting the termination. |
(g) | Date of Termination. The Date of Termination shall mean (i) the date specified in the Notice of Termination, or (ii) if the Executives employment is terminated by the Executives death, the date of his/her death. |
(h) | Compensation upon Termination. |
(1) | Death. If the Executives employment is terminated by reason of the Executives death, the Company shall have no further obligations to the Executive under this Agreement and the Executives benefits shall be determined under the Companys retirement, insurance and other benefit and compensation plans or programs then in effect in accordance with the terms of such plans and programs. |
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(2) | By Company without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason. If the Executives employment is terminated by the Company other than for Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall (i) continue to pay and otherwise provide to the Executive, during any notice period, all compensation, base salary and previously earned but unpaid incentive compensation, if any, and shall continue to allow the Executive to participate in any benefit plans in accordance with the terms of such plans during such notice period; and (ii) pay to the Executive, in lieu of benefits under any severance plan or policy of the Company, any such amount as may be agreed between the Company and the Executive. |
(3) | By Company for Cause or by the Executive other than for Good Reason. If the Executives employment shall be terminated by the Company for Cause or by the Executive other than for Good Reason, the Company shall pay the Executive his/her base salary at the rate in effect at the time Notice of Termination is given through the Date of Termination, and the Company shall have no additional obligations to the Executive under this Agreement. |
(i) | Return of Company Property. The Executive agrees that following the termination of the Executives employment for any reason, or at any time prior to the Executives termination upon the request of the Company, he/she shall return all property of the Group that is then in or thereafter comes into his/her possession, including, but not limited to, any Confidential Information (as defined below) or Intellectual Property (as defined below), or any other documents, contracts, agreements, plans, photographs, projections, books, notes, records, electronically stored data and all copies, excerpts or summaries of the foregoing, as well as any automobile or other materials or equipment supplied by the Group to the Executive, if any. |
(j) | Requirement for a Release. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Companys obligations to pay or provide any benefits shall (1) cease as of the date the Executive breaches any of the provisions of Sections 8, 9 and 11 hereof, and (2) be conditioned on the Executive signing the Companys customary release of claims in favor of the Group and the expiration of any revocation period provided for in such release. |
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8. | CONFIDENTIALITY AND NONDISCLOSURE |
(a) | Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure. |
(1) | The Executive acknowledges and agrees that: (A) the Executive holds a position of trust and confidence with the Company and that his/her employment by the Company will require that the Executive have access to and knowledge of valuable and sensitive information, material, and devices relating to the Company and/or its businesses, activities, products, services, customers and vendors, including, but not limited to, the following, regardless of the form in which the same is accessed, maintained or stored: the identity of the Companys actual and prospective customers and, as applicable, their representatives; prior, current or future research or development activities of the Company; the products and services provided or offered by the Company to customers or potential customers and the manner in which such services are performed or to be performed; the product and/or service needs of actual or prospective customers; pricing and cost information; information concerning the development, engineering, design, specifications, acquisition or disposition of products and/or services of the Company; user base personal data, programs, software and source codes, licensing information, personnel information, advertising client information, vendor information, marketing plans and techniques, forecasts, and other trade secrets (Confidential Information); and (B) the direct and indirect disclosure of any such Confidential Information would place the Company at a competitive disadvantage and would do damage, monetary or otherwise, to the Companys businesses. |
(2) | During the Term and at all times thereafter, the Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, whether individually, as a director, stockholder, owner, partner, employee, consultant, principal or agent of any business, or in any other capacity, publish or make known, disclose, furnish, reproduce, make available, or utilize any of the Confidential Information without the prior express written approval of the Company, other than in the proper performance of the duties contemplated herein, unless and until such Confidential Information is or shall become general public knowledge through no fault of the Executive. |
(3) | In the event that the Executive is required by law to disclose any Confidential Information, the Executive agrees to give the Company prompt advance written notice thereof and to provide the Company with reasonable assistance in obtaining an order to protect the Confidential Information from public disclosure. |
(4) | The failure to mark any Confidential Information as confidential shall not affect its status as Confidential Information under this Agreement. |
(b) | Third Party Information in the Executives Possession. The Executive agrees that he/she shall not, during the Term, (i) improperly use or disclose any proprietary information or trade secrets of any former employer or other person or entity with which the Executive has an agreement or duty to keep in confidence information acquired by Executive, if any, or (ii) bring into the premises of Company any document or confidential or proprietary information belonging to such former employer, person or entity unless consented to in writing by such former employer, person or entity. The Executive will indemnify the Company and hold it harmless from and against all claims, liabilities, damages and expenses, including reasonable attorneys fees and costs of litigation, arising out of or in connection with any violation of the foregoing. |
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(c) | Third Party Information in the Companys Possession. The Executive recognizes that the Company may have received, and in the future may receive, from third parties their confidential or proprietary information subject to a duty on the Companys part to maintain the confidentiality of such information and to use it only for certain limited purposes. The Executive agrees that the Executive owes the Company and such third parties, during the Term and thereafter, a duty to hold all such confidential or proprietary information in strict confidence and not to disclose such information to any person or firm, or otherwise use such information, in a manner inconsistent with the limited purposes permitted by the Companys agreement with such third party. |
This Section 8 shall survive the termination of the Agreement for any reason. In the event the Executive breaches this Section 8, the Company shall have the right to seek remedies permissible under applicable law.
9. | INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY |
(a) | Prior Inventions. The Executive has attached hereto, as Schedule B, a list describing all inventions, ideas, improvements, designs and discoveries, whether or not patentable and whether or not reduced to practice, original works of authorship and trade secrets made or conceived by or belonging to the Executive (whether made solely by the Executive or jointly with others) that (i) were developed by the Executive prior to the Executives employment by the Company (collectively, Prior Inventions), (ii) relate to the Company actual or proposed businesses, products or research and development, and (iii) are not assigned to the Company hereunder; or, if no such list is attached, the Executive represents that there are no such Prior Inventions. Except to the extent set forth in Schedule B, the Executive hereby acknowledges that, if in the course of his/her service for the Company, the Executive incorporates into a Company product, process or machine a Prior Invention owned by the Executive or in which he/she has an interest, the Company is hereby granted and shall have a nonexclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right and license (which may be freely transferred by the Company to any other person or entity) to make, have made, modify, use, sell, sublicense and otherwise distribute such Prior Invention as part of or in connection with such product, process or machine. |
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(b) | Assignment of Intellectual Property. The Executive hereby assigns to the Company or its designees, without further consideration and free and clear of any lien or encumbrance, the Executives entire right, title and interest (within the United States and all foreign jurisdictions) to any and all inventions, discoveries, improvements, developments, works of authorship, concepts, ideas, plans, specifications, software, formulas, databases, designees, processes and contributions to Confidential Information created, conceived, developed or reduced to practice by the Executive (alone or with others) during the Term which (i) are related to the Companys current or anticipated businesses, activities, products, or services, (ii) result from any work performed by Executive for the Company, or (iii) are created, conceived, developed or reduced to practice with the use of Company property, including any and all Intellectual Property Rights (as defined below) therein (Work Product). Any Work Product which falls within the definition of work made for hire, as such term is defined in the U.S. Copyright Act, shall be considered a work made for hire, the copyright in which vests initially and exclusively in the Company. The Executive waives any rights to be attributed as the author of any Work Product and any droit morale (moral rights) in Work Product. The Executive agrees to immediately disclose to the Company all Work Product. For purposes of this Agreement, Intellectual Property shall mean any patent, copyright, trademark or service mark, trade secret, or any other proprietary rights protection legally available. |
(c) | Patent and Copyright Registration. The Executive agrees to execute and deliver any instruments or documents and to do all other things reasonably requested by the Company in order to more fully vest the Company with all ownership rights in the Work Product. If any Work Product is deemed by the Company to be patentable or otherwise registrable, the Executive shall assist the Company (at the Companys expense) in obtaining letters of patent or other applicable registration therein and shall execute all documents and do all things, including testifying (at the Companys expense) as necessary or appropriate to apply for, prosecute, obtain, or enforce any Intellectual Property right relating to any Work Product. Should the Company be unable to secure the Executives signature on any document deemed necessary to accomplish the foregoing, whether due to the Executives disability or other reason, the Executive hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Company and each of its duly authorized officers and agents as the Executives agent and attorney-in-fact to act for and on the Executives behalf and stead to take any of the actions required of Executive under the previous sentence, with the same effect as if executed and delivered by the Executive, such appointment being coupled with an interest. |
This Section 9 shall survive the termination of the Agreement for any reason. In the event the Executive breaches this Section 9, the Company shall have the right to seek remedies permissible under applicable law.
10. | CONFLICTING EMPLOYMENT. |
The Executive hereby agrees that, during the Term, he/she will not engage in any other employment, occupation, consulting or other business activity related to the businesses in which the Company is now involved or becomes involved during the Term, nor will the Executive engage in any other activities that conflict with his/her obligations to the Company without the prior written consent of the Company.
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11. | NON-COMPETITION AND NON-SOLICITATION |
(a) | Non-Competition. In consideration of the compensation provided to the Executive by the Company hereunder, the adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged by the parties hereto, the Executive agrees that during the Term and for a period of one year following the termination of the Employment for whatever reason, the Executive shall not engage in Competition (as defined below) with the Group. For purposes of this Agreement, Competition by the Executive shall mean the Executives engaging in, or otherwise directly or indirectly being employed by or acting as a consultant or lender to, or being a director, officer, employee, principal, agent, stockholder, member, owner or partner of, or permitting the Executives name to be used in connection with the activities of, any other business or organization which competes, directly or indirectly, with the Group in the Businesses; provided, however, it shall not be a violation of this Section 11(a) for the Executive to become the registered or beneficial owner of up to five percent (5%) of any class of the capital stock of a publicly traded corporation in Competition with the Group, provided that the Executive does not otherwise participate in the businesses of such corporation. |
For purposes of this Agreement, Businesses means investment banking, asset management, strategic investment, and any other business which the Group engages in, or is preparing to become engaged in, during the Term.
(b) | Non-Solicitation; Non-Interference. During the Term and for a period of one year following the termination of the Executives employment for any reason, the Executive agrees that he/she will not, directly or indirectly, for the Executives benefit or for the benefit of any other person or entity, do any of the following: |
(1) | approach the suppliers, clients, direct or end customers or contacts or other persons or entities introduced to the Executive in his/her capacity as a representative of the Group for the purpose of doing businesses of the same or of a similar nature to the Businesses or doing business that will harm the business relationships of the Group with the foregoing persons or entities; |
(2) | assume employment with or provide services to any competitors of the Group, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, any of the Groups competitors, without the Groups express consent; |
(3) | seek, directly or indirectly, to solicit the services of, or hire or engage, any person who is known to be employed or engaged by the Group; or |
(4) | otherwise interfere with the businesses or accounts of the Group. |
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(c) | Injunctive Relief; Indemnity of Company. The Executive agrees that any breach or threatened breach of subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 11 would result in irreparable injury and damage to the Company for which an award of money to the Company would not be an adequate remedy. The Executive therefore also agrees that in the event of said breach or any reasonable threat of breach, the Company shall be entitled to seek an immediate injunction and restraining order to prevent such breach and/or threatened breach and/or continued breach by the Executive and/or any and all persons and/or entities acting for and/or with the Executive. The terms of this paragraph shall not prevent the Company from pursuing any other available remedies for any breach or threatened breach hereof, including, but not limited to, remedies available under this Agreement and the recovery of damages. The Executive and the Company further agree that the provisions of this Section 11 are reasonable. The Executive agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company from and against all reasonable expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) which may be incurred by the Company in connection with, or arising out of, any violation of this Agreement by the Executive. This Section 11 shall survive the termination of the Agreement for any reason. |
12. | WITHHOLDING TAXES |
Notwithstanding anything else herein to the contrary, the Company may withhold (or cause there to be withheld, as the case may be) from any amounts otherwise due or payable under or pursuant to the Agreement such national, state, provincial, local or any other income, employment, or other taxes as may be required to be withheld pursuant to any applicable law or regulation.
13. | ASSIGNMENT |
The Agreement is personal in its nature and neither of the parties hereto shall, without the consent of the other, assign or transfer the Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder; provided, however, that the Company may assign or transfer the Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder to any member of the Group without such consent. If the Executive should die while any amounts would still be payable to the Executive hereunder if the Executive had continued to live, all such amounts unless otherwise provided herein, shall be paid in accordance with the terms of this Agreement to the Executives devisee, legatee, or other designee or, if there be no such designee, to the Executives estate. The Company will require any and all successors (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the businesses and/or assets of the Company to expressly assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it if no such succession had taken place. Failure of the Company to obtain such assumption and agreement prior to the effectiveness of any such succession shall be a breach of this Agreement and shall entitle the Executive to compensation from the Company in the same amount and on the same terms as the Executive would be entitled to hereunder if the Company had terminated the Executives employment other than for Cause, except that for purposes of implementing the foregoing, the date on which any such succession becomes effective shall be deemed the Date of Termination. As used in this Section, Company shall mean the Company as herein before defined and any successor to its businesses and/or assets as aforesaid which executes and delivers the agreement provided for in this Section 13 or which otherwise becomes bound by all the terms and provisions of this Agreement by operation of law.
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14. | SEVERABILITY |
If any provision of the Agreement or the application thereof is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the Agreement which can be given effect without the invalid provisions or applications and to this end the provisions of the Agreement are declared to be severable.
15. | ENTIRE AGREEMENT |
The Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the Executive and the Company regarding the terms of the Employment and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral or written agreements between the Executive and the Company concerning such subject matter. The Executive acknowledges that he/she has not entered into the Agreement in reliance upon any representation, warranty or undertaking which is not set forth in the Agreement.
16. | GOVERNING LAW |
The Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong.
17. | AMENDMENT |
The Agreement may not be amended, modified or changed (in whole or in part), except by a formal, definitive written agreement expressly referring to the Agreement, which agreement is executed by both of the parties hereto.
18. | WAIVER |
Neither the failure nor any delay on the part of a party to exercise any right, remedy, power or privilege under the Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise of the same or of any right, remedy, power or privilege, nor shall any waiver of any right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any occurrence be construed as a waiver of such right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any other occurrence. No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and is signed by the party asserted to have granted such waiver.
19. | NOTICES |
All notices, requests, demands and other communications required or permitted under the Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given and made if (i) delivered by hand, (ii) otherwise delivered against receipt therefor, (iii) sent by a recognized courier with next-day or second-day delivery to the last known address of the other party; or (iv) sent by e-mail with confirmation of receipt.
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20. | COUNTERPARTS |
The Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original as against any party whose signature appears thereon, and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. The Agreement shall become binding when one or more counterparts hereof, individually or taken together, shall bear the signatures of all of the parties reflected hereon as the signatories. Photographic copies of such signed counterparts may be used in lieu of the originals for any purpose.
21. | NO INTERPRETATION AGAINST DRAFTER |
Each party recognizes that the Agreement is a legally binding contract and acknowledges that such party has had the opportunity to consult with legal counsel of choice. In any construction of the terms of the Agreement, the same shall not be construed against either party on the basis of that party being the drafter of such terms.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Agreement has been executed as of the date first written above.
COMPANY: | AMTD Digital Inc. | |||||
a Cayman Islands exempted company | ||||||
By: |
| |||||
Name: | ||||||
Title: | ||||||
EXECUTIVE: | ||||||
| ||||||
Name: | ||||||
Address: |
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SCHEDULE A
Cash Compensation
a) | Salary |
Your base salary shall be HK$ per year, which shall be payable in arrears by the 25th day of each calendar month. You will not be entitled to any end-of-year payment.
b) | Discretionary Performance-related Bonus |
The Employee is eligible for an annual performance-related bonus in the absolute discretion of the Company in respect of each calendar year during which the Employee is employed by the Company, which will be assessed on the basis of the Employees job performance and the Companys overall performance. If a bonus is awarded to the Employee by the Company for any calendar year, payment will usually be made in the 1st quarter of the following calendar year. The Employee will only be eligible for the bonus provided that he/she is in full service with the Company and he/she is not serving notice of resignation on or before the payment date of the annual performance-related bonus.
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SCHEDULE B
Prior Inventions
15
Exhibit 10.3
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (this Agreement) is made as of , 2021 by and between AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability incorporated and existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company), and ([Passport/ID] Number ) (the Indemnitee).
WHEREAS, the Indemnitee has agreed to serve as a director or executive officer of the Company and in such capacity will render valuable services to the Company; and
WHEREAS, in order to induce and encourage highly experienced and capable persons such as the Indemnitee to render valuable services to the Company, the board of directors of the Company (the Board of Directors) has determined that this Agreement is not only reasonable and prudent, but necessary to promote and ensure the best interests of the Company and its shareholders;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual agreements hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, including, without limitation, the service of the Indemnitee, the receipt of which hereby is acknowledged, and in order to induce the Indemnitee to render valuable services the Company, the Company and the Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions. As used in this Agreement:
(a) Change in Control shall mean a change in control of the Company of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or in response to any similar item on any similar or successor schedule or form) promulgated under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the Act), whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting requirement; provided, however, that, without limitation, such a Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred (irrespective of the applicability of the initial clause of this definition) if (i) any person (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Act, but excluding any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities pursuant to an employee benefit or welfare plan or employee share plan of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate of the Company, or any entity organized, appointed, established or holding securities of the Company with voting power for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing 30% or more of the combined voting power of the Companys then outstanding securities without the prior approval of at least two-thirds of the Continuing Directors (as defined below) in office immediately prior to such persons attaining such interest; (ii) the Company is a party to a merger, consolidation, scheme of arrangement, sale of assets or other reorganization, or a proxy contest, as a consequence of which Continuing Directors in office immediately prior to such transaction or event constitute less than a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company (or any successor entity) thereafter; or (iii) during any period of two (2) consecutive years, Continuing Directors cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company.
(b) Continuing Director shall mean an individual (i) who served on the Board of Directors of the Company at the effective date of the Companys registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Companys initial public offering; or (ii) whose election or nomination for election by the Companys shareholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Continuing Directors then in office.
(c) Disinterested Director with respect to any request by the Indemnitee for indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder shall mean a director of the Company who neither is nor was a party to the Proceeding (as defined below) in respect of which indemnification or advancement is being sought by the Indemnitee.
(d) The term Expenses shall mean, without limitation, expenses of Proceedings, including attorneys fees, disbursements and retainers, accounting and witness fees, expenses related to preparation for service as a witness and to service as a witness, travel and deposition costs, expenses of investigations, judicial or administrative proceedings and appeals, amounts paid in settlement of a Proceeding by or on behalf of the Indemnitee, costs of attachment or similar bonds, any expenses of attempting to establish or establishing a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses, under this Agreement, the Companys Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association as currently in effect (the Articles), applicable law or otherwise, and reasonable compensation for time spent by the Indemnitee in connection with the investigation, defense or appeal of a Proceeding or action for indemnification for which the Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party. The term Expenses shall not include the amount of judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are actually levied against or sustained by the Indemnitee to the extent sustained after final adjudication.
(e) The term Independent Legal Counsel shall mean any firm of attorneys reasonably selected by the Board of Directors of the Company, so long as such firm has not represented the Company, the Companys subsidiaries or affiliates, the Indemnitee, any entity controlled by the Indemnitee, or any party adverse to the Company, within the preceding five (5) years. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term Independent Legal Counsel shall not include any person who, under applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or the Indemnitee in an action to determine the Indemnitees right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement, the Companys Articles, applicable law or otherwise.
(f) The term Proceeding shall mean any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, or other proceeding (including, without limitation, an appeal therefrom), formal or informal, whether brought in the name of the Company or otherwise, whether of a civil, criminal, administrative or investigative nature, and whether by, in or involving a court or an administrative, other governmental or private entity or body (including, without limitation, an investigation by the Company or its Board of Directors), by reason of (i) the fact that the Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, whether or not the Indemnitee is serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification or reimbursement is to be provided under this Agreement, (ii) any actual or alleged act or omission or neglect or breach of duty, including, without limitation, any actual or alleged error or misstatement or misleading statement, which the Indemnitee commits or suffers while acting in any such capacity, or (iii) the Indemnitee attempting to establish or establishing a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses pursuant to this Agreement, the Companys Articles, applicable law or otherwise.
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(g) The phrase serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise or any similar terminology shall mean, unless the context otherwise requires, serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, employee benefit or welfare plan or other enterprise, foreign or domestic. The phrase serving at the request of the Company shall include, without limitation, any service as a director/an executive officer of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director/executive officer with respect to the Company or any of the Companys subsidiaries, affiliates, employee benefit or welfare plans, such plans participants or beneficiaries or any other enterprise, foreign or domestic. In the event that the Indemnitee shall be a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, employee benefit or welfare plan or other enterprise, foreign or domestic, 50% or more of the ordinary shares, combined voting power or total equity interest of which is owned by the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate thereof, then it shall be presumed conclusively that the Indemnitee is so acting at the request of the Company.
2. Services by the Indemnitee. The Indemnitee agrees to serve as a director or officer of the Company under the terms of the Indemnitees agreement with the Company for so long as the Indemnitee is duly elected or appointed or until such time as the Indemnitee tenders a resignation in writing or is removed from the Indemnitees position; provided, however, that the Indemnitee may at any time and for any reason resign from such position (subject to any other contractual obligation or other obligation imposed by operation of law).
3. Proceedings by or in the Right of the Company. The Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee if the Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, against all Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement of such a Proceeding, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner the Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company; except that no indemnification under this section shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudicated by final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to be liable to the Company for willful misconduct in the performance of his/her duty to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the court in which such Proceeding was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such amounts which such other court shall deem proper.
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4. Proceeding Other Than a Proceeding by or in the Right of the Company. The Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee if the Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any Proceeding (other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company) by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, against all Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such a Proceeding, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law; provided, however, that any settlement of a Proceeding must be approved in advance in writing by the Company (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld).
5. Indemnification for Costs, Charges and Expenses of Witness or Successful Party. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (except as set forth in subparagraph 9(a) hereof), and without a requirement for determination as required by Paragraph 8 hereof, to the extent that the Indemnitee (a) has prepared to serve or has served as a witness in any Proceeding in any way relating to (i) the Company or any of the Companys subsidiaries, affiliates, employee benefit or welfare plans or such plans participants or beneficiaries or (ii) anything done or not done by the Indemnitee as a director or officer of the Company or in connection with serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, or (b) has been successful in defense of any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, on the merits or otherwise, including the dismissal of a Proceeding without prejudice or the settlement of a Proceeding without an admission of liability, the Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection therewith to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.
6. Partial Indemnification. If the Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for a portion of the Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in the investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any Proceeding, but not, however, for the total amount of the Indemnitees Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify the Indemnitee for the portion of such Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties to which the Indemnitee is entitled.
7. Advancement of Expenses. The Expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in any Proceeding shall be paid promptly by the Company in advance of the final disposition of the Proceeding at the written request of the Indemnitee, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law; provided, however, that the Indemnitee shall set forth in such request reasonable evidence that such Expenses have been incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such Proceeding, a statement that such Expenses do not relate to any matter described in subparagraph 9(a) of this Agreement, and an undertaking in writing to repay any advances if it is ultimately determined as provided in subparagraph 8(b) of this Agreement that the Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement.
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8. Indemnification Procedure; Determination of Right to Indemnification.
(a) Promptly after receipt by the Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any Proceeding, the Indemnitee shall, if a claim for indemnification or advancement of Expenses in respect thereof is to be made against the Company under this Agreement, notify the Company of the commencement thereof in writing. The failure and delay to so notify the Company will not relieve the Company from any liability which the Company may have to the Indemnitee under this Agreement unless the Company shall have lost significant substantive or procedural rights with respect to the defense of any Proceeding as a result of such omission to so notify.
(b) The Indemnitee shall be conclusively presumed to have met the relevant standards of conduct, if any, as defined by applicable law, for indemnification pursuant to this Agreement and shall be absolutely entitled to such indemnification, unless a determination is made that the Indemnitee has not met such standards by (i) the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum thereof consisting of Disinterested Directors, (ii) the shareholders of the Company by majority vote of a quorum thereof consisting of shareholders who are not parties to the Proceeding due to which a claim for indemnification is made under this Agreement, (iii) Independent Legal Counsel as set forth in a written opinion (it being understood that such Independent Legal Counsel shall make such determination only if the quorum of Disinterested Directors referred to in clause (i) of this subparagraph 8(b) is not obtainable or if the Board of Directors of the Company by a majority vote of a quorum thereof consisting of Disinterested Directors so directs), or (iv) a court of competent jurisdiction; provided, however, that if a Change in Control shall have occurred and the Indemnitee so requests in writing, such determination shall be made only by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) If a claim for indemnification or advancement of Expenses under this Agreement is not paid by the Company within thirty (30) days after receipt by the Company of written notice thereof, the rights provided by this Agreement shall be enforceable by the Indemnitee in any court of competent jurisdiction. Such judicial proceeding shall be made de novo. The burden of proving that indemnification or advances are not appropriate shall be on the Company. Neither the failure of the directors or shareholders of the Company or Independent Legal Counsel to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such action that indemnification or advancement of Expenses is proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct, if any, nor an actual determination by the directors or shareholders of the Company or Independent Legal Counsel that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct shall be a defense to an action by the Indemnitee or create a presumption for the purpose of such an action that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct. The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself (i) create a presumption that the Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the Company and/or its shareholders, and, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, that the Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful or (ii) otherwise adversely affect the rights of the Indemnitee to indemnification or advancement of Expenses under this Agreement, except as may be provided herein.
(d) If a court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that the Indemnitee is entitled to any indemnification or advancement of Expenses hereunder, the Company shall pay all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such adjudication (including, but not limited to, any appellate proceedings).
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(e) With respect to any Proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of Expenses is requested, the Company will be entitled to participate therein at its own expense and, except as otherwise provided below, to the extent that it may wish, the Company may assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnitee. After notice from the Company to the Indemnitee of its election to assume the defense of a Proceeding, the Company will not be liable to the Indemnitee under this Agreement for any Expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the defense thereof, other than as provided below. The Company shall not settle any Proceeding in any manner which would impose any penalty or limitation on the Indemnitee without the Indemnitees written consent. The Indemnitee shall have the right to employ his/her own counsel in any Proceeding, but the fees and expenses of such counsel incurred after notice from the Company of its assumption of the defense of the Proceeding shall be at the expense of the Indemnitee, unless (i) the employment of counsel by the Indemnitee has been authorized by the Company, (ii) the Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict of interest between the Company and the Indemnitee in the conduct of the defense of a Proceeding, or (iii) the Company shall not in fact have employed counsel to assume the defense of a proceeding, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of the Indemnitees counsel shall be advanced by the Company. The Company shall not be entitled to assume the defense of any Proceeding brought by or on behalf of the Company or as to which the Indemnitee has reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict of interest between the Company and the Indemnitee.
9. Limitations on Indemnification. No payments pursuant to this Agreement shall be made by the Company:
(a) To indemnify or advance funds to the Indemnitee for Expenses with respect to (i) Proceedings initiated or brought voluntarily by the Indemnitee and not by way of defense, except with respect to Proceedings brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification under this Agreement or any other statute or law or otherwise as required under applicable law or (ii) Expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with preparing to serve or serving as a witness in cooperation with any party or entity who or which has threatened or commenced any action or proceeding against the Company, or any director, officer, employee, trustee, agent, representative, subsidiary, parent corporation or affiliate of the Company, but such indemnification or advancement of Expenses in each such case may be provided by the Company if the Board of Directors finds it to be appropriate;
(b) To indemnify the Indemnitee for any Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties sustained in any Proceeding for which payment is actually made to the Indemnitee under a valid and collectible insurance policy, except in respect of any excess beyond the amount of payment under such insurance;
(c) To indemnify the Indemnitee for any Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties sustained in any Proceeding for an accounting of profits made from the purchase or sale by the Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Act or similar provisions of any foreign or United States federal, state or local statute or regulation;
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(d) To indemnify the Indemnitee for any Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties for which the Indemnitee is indemnified by the Company otherwise than pursuant to this Agreement;
(e) To indemnify the Indemnitee for any Expenses (including without limitation any Expenses relating to a Proceeding attempting to enforce this Agreement), judgments, fines, interest or penalties on account of the Indemnitees conduct if such conduct shall be finally adjudged to have been knowingly fraudulent or deliberately dishonest or to have constituted willful misconduct, including, without limitation, breach of the duty of loyalty; or
(f) If a court of competent jurisdiction finally determines that any indemnification hereunder is unlawful. In this respect, the Company and the Indemnitee have been advised that the Securities and Exchange Commission takes the position that indemnification for liabilities arising under securities laws is against public policy and is, therefore, unenforceable;
(g) To indemnify the Indemnitee in connection with Indemnitees personal tax matter; or
(h) To indemnify the Indemnitee with respect to any claim related to any dispute or breach arising under any contract or similar obligation between the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates and such Indemnitee.
10. Continuation of Indemnification. All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein shall continue during the period that the Indemnitee is a director or officer of the Company (or is or was serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, foreign or domestic) and shall continue thereafter so long as the Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible Proceeding by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee was a director or officer of the Company or serving in any other capacity referred to in this Paragraph 10.
11. Indemnification Hereunder Not Exclusive. The indemnification provided by this Agreement shall not be deemed to be exclusive of any other rights to which the Indemnitee may be entitled under the Companys Articles, any agreement, vote of shareholders or vote of Disinterested Directors, provisions of applicable law, or otherwise, both as to action or omission in the Indemnitees official capacity and as to action or omission in another capacity on behalf of the Company while holding such office.
12. Successors and Assigns.
(a) This Agreement shall be binding upon the Indemnitee, and shall inure to the benefit of, the Indemnitee and the Indemnitees heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, whether or not the Indemnitee has ceased to be a director or officer, and the Company and its successors and assigns. Upon the sale of all or substantially all of the business, assets or share capital of the Company to, or upon the merger of the Company into or with, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other person, this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon both the Indemnitee and such purchaser or successor person. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the prior written consent of the other party hereto.
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(b) If the Indemnitee is deceased and is entitled to indemnification under any provision of this Agreement, the Company shall indemnify the Indemnitees estate and the Indemnitees spouse, heirs, executors, administrators and assigns against, and the Company shall, and does hereby agree to assume, any and all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by or for the Indemnitee or the Indemnitees estate, in connection with the investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any Proceeding. Further, when requested in writing by the spouse of the Indemnitee, and/or the Indemnitees heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, the Company shall provide appropriate evidence of the Companys agreement set out herein to indemnify the Indemnitee against and to itself assume such Expenses.
13. Subrogation. In the event of payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee, who shall execute all documents required and shall do all acts that may be necessary to secure such rights and to enable the Company effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.
14. Severability. Each and every paragraph, sentence, term and provision of this Agreement is separate and distinct so that if any paragraph, sentence, term or provision thereof shall be held to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable for any reason, such invalidity, unlawfulness or unenforceability shall not affect the validity, unlawfulness or enforceability of any other paragraph, sentence, term or provision hereof. To the extent required, any paragraph, sentence, term or provision of this Agreement may be modified by a court of competent jurisdiction to preserve its validity and to provide the Indemnitee with the broadest possible indemnification permitted under applicable law. The Companys inability, pursuant to a court order or decision, to perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement.
15. Savings Clause. If this Agreement or any paragraph, sentence, term or provision hereof is invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify the Indemnitee as to any Expenses, judgments, fines, interest or penalties, which are incurred with respect to any Proceeding to the fullest extent permitted by any (a) applicable paragraph, sentence, term or provision of this Agreement that has not been invalidated or (b) applicable law.
16. Interpretation; Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed as a whole and in accordance with its fair meaning and any ambiguities shall not be construed for or against either party. Headings are for convenience only and shall not be used in construing meaning. This Agreement shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong.
17. Amendments. No amendment, waiver, modification, termination or cancellation of this Agreement shall be effective unless in writing signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought. The indemnification rights afforded to the Indemnitee hereby are contract rights and may not be diminished, eliminated or otherwise affected by amendments to the Companys Articles, or by other agreements, including directors and officers liability insurance policies, of the Company.
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18. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other.
19. Notices. Any notice required to be given under this Agreement shall be directed to the Chief Financial Officer of the Company at 25/F Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong, and to the Indemnitee at or to such other address as either shall designate to the other in writing.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Indemnification Agreement as of the date first written above.
INDEMNITEE | ||
| ||
Name: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Indemnification Agreement]
Exhibit 10.4
MASTER TRANSACTION AGREEMENT
Between
AMTD GROUP COMPANY LIMITED
and
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
Dated as of May 18, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS |
2 | |||||
Section 1.1 |
Defined Terms | 2 | ||||
ARTICLE II DOCUMENTS AND ITEMS TO BE DELIVERED PRIOR TO F-1 FILING |
5 | |||||
Section 2.1 |
Documents to be delivered by AMTD Parent | 5 | ||||
Section 2.2 |
Documents to be delivered by AMTD Digital | 6 | ||||
ARTICLE III THE IPO AND ACTIONS PENDING THE IPO |
6 | |||||
Section 3.1 |
Transactions prior to the IPO | 6 | ||||
Section 3.2 |
Cooperation | 7 | ||||
ARTICLE IV COVENANTS AND OTHER MATTERS |
7 | |||||
Section 4.1 |
Other Agreements and Instruments | 7 | ||||
Section 4.2 |
Further Instruments | 7 | ||||
Section 4.3 |
Auditors and Audits; Financial Statements; Accounting Matters | 8 | ||||
Section 4.4 |
Investment Opportunities | 10 | ||||
Section 4.5 |
License of Intellectual Property | 11 | ||||
Section 4.6 |
Confidentiality | 11 | ||||
Section 4.7 |
Privileged Matters | 13 | ||||
Section 4.8 |
Future Litigation and Other Proceedings | 14 | ||||
Section 4.9 |
Mail and other Communications | 15 | ||||
Section 4.10 |
Other Inter-Company Services Agreements | 15 | ||||
Section 4.11 |
Payment of Expenses | 15 | ||||
ARTICLE V MUTUAL RELEASES; INDEMNIFICATION |
16 | |||||
Section 5.1 |
Release of Claims | 16 | ||||
Section 5.2 |
Indemnification by AMTD Digital | 16 | ||||
Section 5.3 |
Indemnification by AMTD Parent | 17 | ||||
Section 5.4 |
Procedures for Defense, Settlement, and Indemnification of the Third Party Claims | 18 | ||||
Section 5.5 |
Additional Matters | 19 | ||||
Section 5.6 |
Survival of Indemnities | 19 | ||||
ARTICLE VI DISPUTE RESOLUTION |
19 | |||||
Section 6.1 |
Dispute Resolution | 19 | ||||
ARTICLE VII MISCELLANEOUS |
20 | |||||
Section 7.1 |
Consent of AMTD Parent | 20 | ||||
Section 7.2 |
Limitation of Liability | 20 | ||||
Section 7.3 |
Entire Agreement | 21 | ||||
Section 7.4 |
Governing Law and Jurisdiction | 21 | ||||
Section 7.5 |
Termination; Amendment | 21 |
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Section 7.6 |
Notices | 21 | ||||
Section 7.7 |
Counterparts | 22 | ||||
Section 7.8 |
Binding Effect; Assignment | 22 | ||||
Section 7.9 |
Severability | 22 | ||||
Section 7.10 |
Failure or Indulgence not Waiver; Remedies Cumulative | 22 | ||||
Section 7.11 |
Authority | 22 | ||||
Section 7.12 |
Interpretation | 23 | ||||
Section 7.13 |
Conflicting Agreements | 23 | ||||
Section 7.14 |
Third Party Beneficiaries | 23 |
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MASTER TRANSACTION AGREEMENT
This Master Transaction Agreement is dated as of May 18, 2021, by and between AMTD Group Company Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (AMTD Parent), and AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (AMTD Digital) (each of AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital a Party and, together, the Parties).
R E C I T A L S
WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, AMTD Parent, together with its subsidiaries including AMTD International Inc., AMTD Education Group and AMTD Assets Alpha Group, effectively owns 28,953,305 and 19,892,000 issued and outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares of AMTD Digital respectively, representing in aggregate 72.2% of the total issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares of AMTD Digital;
WHEREAS, the Parties currently contemplate that AMTD Digital will seek an initial public offering (the IPO) pursuant to a registration statement on Form F-1 confidentially submitted for review and comment by the SEC under the Securities Act (as so submitted and as amended from time to time prior to the Public Filing Date, the Draft IPO Registration Statement), to be filed publicly with the SEC via its EDGAR system (the date of such public filing, the Public Filing Date) following the substantial completion of such review and comment and as financial market conditions permit (as so filed, and as amended thereafter from time to time, the IPO Registration Statement);
WHEREAS, AMTD Parent has been engaged in the AMTD Digital Business through AMTD Digital and AMTD Digitals subsidiaries, as more fully described in the IPO Registration Statement;
WHEREAS, prior to the date hereof, all of the then existing assets and liabilities in connection with the AMTD Digital Business have already been transferred to or assumed by AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries;
WHEREAS, the Parties intend in this Agreement, including the exhibits and schedules hereto, to set forth and memorialize the principal arrangements between AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital regarding the relationship of the Parties from and after the filing of the IPO Registration Statement and the consummation of the IPO; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements, covenants, and provisions contained in this Agreement, the Parties, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:
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ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1 Defined Terms. The following capitalized terms have the meanings given to them in this Section 1.1:
Action means any demand, action, suit, countersuit, claim, counterclaim, arbitration, inquiry, proceeding or investigation by or before any Governmental Authority or any arbitration or mediation tribunal.
ADSs has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(c) of this Agreement.
Agreement means this Master Transaction Agreement, together with the schedules and exhibits hereto, as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions hereof.
AMTD Digital has the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.
AMTD Digital Balance Sheet means AMTD Digitals unaudited consolidated interim statement of financial position as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal quarter prior to the Public Filing Date.
AMTD Digital Business means the digital financial services, digital investments, digital ecosystem solutions, and digital media, content, and marketing businesses as of the date hereof by the AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries, as more completely described in the IPO Registration Statement.
AMTD Digital Indemnitees means AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries and each of their respective directors, officers, and employees.
AMTD Digital Liabilities means (without duplication) the following Liabilities:
(i) all Liabilities reflected on the AMTD Digital Balance Sheet;
(ii) all Liabilities of AMTD Parent or its subsidiaries that arise after the date of the AMTD Digital Balance Sheet that would be reflected on a consolidated statement of financial position of AMTD Digital as of the date of such Liabilities, if such consolidated statement of financial position was prepared using the same principles and accounting policies under which the AMTD Digital Balance Sheet was prepared;
(iii) all Liabilities that should have been reflected on the AMTD Digital Balance Sheet but are not reflected on the AMTD Digital Balance Sheet due to mistake or unintentional omission;
(iv) all Liabilities, whether arising before, on, or after the Public Filing Date, that relate to, arise or result from: (1) the operation of the AMTD Digital Business or (2) the operation of any business conducted by AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries at any time after the Public Filing Date; and
(v) Liabilities of AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries under this Agreement or any of the Inter-Company Agreements.
AMTD Digitals Auditors has the meaning set forth in Section 4.3(b)(i) of this Agreement.
AMTD Group means AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries, other than AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries.
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AMTD Parent has the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.
AMTD Parent Business means any business that is conducted by AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries, other than the AMTD Digital Business.
AMTD Parent Indemnitees means AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries (excluding AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries) and each of their respective directors, officers, and employees.
AMTD Parent Liabilities means (without duplication) the following Liabilities:
(i) all Liabilities, whether arising before, on, or after the Public Filing Date, that relate to, arise, or result from the operation of the AMTD Parent Business, other than AMTD Digital Liabilities; and
(ii) Liabilities of AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries under this Agreement or any of the Inter-Company Agreements.
AMTD Parents Auditors has the meaning set forth in Section 4.3(b)(i) of this Agreement.
Class A Ordinary Shares means the class A ordinary shares of AMTD Digital, par value US$0.0001 per share.
Class B Ordinary Shares means the class B ordinary shares of AMTD Digital, par value US$0.0001 per share.
Confidential Business Information has the meaning set forth in Section 4.6(a)(iii) of this Agreement.
Confidential Information has the meaning set forth in Section 4.6(a)(i) of this Agreement.
Confidential Technical Information has the meaning set forth in Section 4.6(a)(ii) of this Agreement.
Contract means any contract, agreement, lease, license, sales order, purchase order, instrument, or other commitment that is binding on any Person or any part of its property under applicable law.
Control Ending Date means the first date upon which members of the AMTD Group no longer collectively own at least twenty percent (20%) of the voting power of the then outstanding securities of AMTD Digital.
Direct Costs has the meaning set forth in Section 4.10 of this Agreement.
Dispute has the meaning set forth in Section 6.1(a) of this Agreement.
Dispute Resolution Commencement Date has the meaning set forth in Section 6.1(a) of this Agreement.
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Draft IPO Registration Statement has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
Exchange Act means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Governmental Authority shall mean any national, state, or local, foreign or international court, government, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, official, or other regulatory, administrative, or governmental authority.
Indemnifying Party means any party which may be obligated to provide indemnification to an Indemnitee pursuant to Section 5.2 or Section 5.3 hereof or any other section of this Agreement or any Inter-Company Agreement.
Indemnitee means any party which may be entitled to indemnification from an Indemnifying Party pursuant to Article V hereof or any other section of this Agreement or any Inter-Company Agreement.
Indirect Costs has the meaning set forth in Section 4.10 of this Agreement.
Information means information, whether or not patentable or copyrightable, in written, oral, electronic, or other tangible or intangible forms, stored in any medium, including studies, reports, records, books, contracts, instruments, surveys, discoveries, ideas, concepts, know-how, techniques, designs, specifications, drawings, blueprints, diagrams, models, prototypes, samples, flow charts, data, computer data, disks, diskettes, tapes, computer programs or other software, marketing plans, customer names, communications by or to attorneys (including attorney-client privileged communications), memos and other materials prepared by attorneys or under their direction (including attorney work product), and other technical, financial, employee, or business information or data.
Inter-Company Agreements means the Transitional Services Agreement and Non-Competition Agreement.
Investment Opportunity Referral Procedures has the meaning set forth in Section 4.4 of this Agreement.
IPO has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
IPO Registration Statement has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
Liabilities means all debts, liabilities, guarantees, assurances, commitments, and obligations, whether fixed, contingent, or absolute, asserted or unasserted, matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, accrued or not accrued, known or unknown, due or to become due, whenever or however arising (including, without limitation, whether arising out of any Contract or tort based on negligence or strict liability) and whether or not the same would be required by the International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standard Board as in effect from time to time to be reflected in financial statements or disclosed in the notes thereto.
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Loss and Losses mean any and all damages, losses, deficiencies, Liabilities, obligations, penalties, judgments, settlements, claims, payments, fines, interest, costs, and expenses (including, without limitation, the costs and expenses of any and all Actions and demands, assessments, judgments, settlements, and compromises relating thereto and the reasonable costs and expenses of attorneys, accountants, consultants and other professionals fees and expenses incurred in the investigation or defense thereof or the enforcement of rights hereunder), but excluding punitive damages (other than punitive damages awarded to any third party against an indemnified party).
Non-Competition Agreement has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1 of this Agreement.
Ordinary Shares means the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares.
Party or Parties has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.
Person means an individual, a partnership, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization, or a governmental entity or any department, agency, or political subdivision thereof.
Privileged Information has the meaning set forth in Section 4.7(a) of this Agreement.
Privileges has the meaning set forth in Section 4.7(a) of this Agreement.
Public Filing Date has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
Rule 10A-3(b)(2) means Rule 10A-3(b)(2) (or any successor rule to similar effect) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
SEC means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Specified Period has the meaning set forth in Section 4.4(a) of this Agreement.
Third Party Claim has the meaning set forth in Section 5.4(a) of this Agreement.
Transitional Services Agreement has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1 of this Agreement.
Underwriters has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(a) of this Agreement.
Underwriting Agreement has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(a) of this Agreement.
ARTICLE II
DOCUMENTS AND ITEMS TO BE DELIVERED PRIOR TO F-1 FILING
Section 2.1 Documents to be delivered by AMTD Parent. AMTD Parent has delivered and its subsidiaries have delivered, as appropriate, or AMTD Parent will deliver, or will cause its subsidiaries to deliver, as appropriate, prior to the Public Filing Date, to AMTD
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Digital and/or its subsidiaries, as appropriate: (a) a duly executed transitional services agreement, substantially in the form attached to the Draft IPO Registration Statement as an exhibit, with such changes, if any, to such form as may be agreed to by the Parties prior to such execution (the Transitional Services Agreement); (b) duly executed non-competition agreement, substantially in the form attached to the Draft IPO Registration Statement as an exhibit, with such changes, if any, to such form as may be agreed to by the Parties prior to such execution (the Non-Competition Agreement); and (c) such other agreements, documents, or instruments as the Parties may agree are necessary or desirable in order to achieve the purposes hereof. For purposes of this Agreement, AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries will not be considered subsidiaries of AMTD Parent.
Section 2.2 Documents to be delivered by AMTD Digital. AMTD Digital has delivered and its subsidiaries have delivered, as appropriate, or AMTD Digital will deliver, or will cause its subsidiaries to deliver, as appropriate, prior to the Public Filing Date, on the closing date of the IPO, to AMTD Parent or its subsidiaries, as appropriate: (a) in each case where AMTD Digital or any of its subsidiaries is a party to any agreement or instrument referred to in Section 2.1, a duly executed counterpart of such agreement or instrument; and (b) such other agreements, documents or instruments as the Parties may agree are necessary or desirable in order to achieve the purposes hereof.
ARTICLE III
THE IPO AND ACTIONS PENDING THE IPO
Section 3.1 Transactions prior to the IPO. Subject to the occurrence of the events described in this Article III, the Parties intend to consummate the IPO and to take, or cause to be taken, the actions specified in this Section 3.1.
(a) Registration Statement. AMTD Digital has submitted or plans to submit on a confidential basis for review by the SEC the Draft IPO Registration Statement, and intends to submit such amendments or supplements thereto as may be requested by the SEC staff in connection with such review and agreed to by AMTD Digital, and subsequently to file with the SEC the IPO Registration Statement and make such amendments and supplements thereto as may be necessary or desirable in order to cause the same to comply with the Securities Act and other applicable law, to become and remain effective under the Securities Act, or as may be requested by the representatives of the underwriters for the IPO (the Underwriters), including, without limitation, filing such amendments or supplements to the IPO Registration Statement as may be required by the underwriting agreement to be entered into among AMTD Digital and the Underwriters (the Underwriting Agreement) following the effectiveness of the IPO Registration Statement under the Securities Act.
(b) Underwriting Agreement. Following the effectiveness of the IPO Registration Statement, AMTD Digital will enter into the Underwriting Agreement, which shall in form and substance be satisfactory to AMTD Digital, as determined by its board of directors or authorized designees, as appropriate, and AMTD Digital shall comply with its obligations thereunder.
(c) Nasdaq Global Market or NYSE Listing. AMTD Digital plans to prepare, file, and have approved an application for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market or the New York Stock Exchange of the American depositary shares (the ADSs), representing Class A Ordinary Shares, to be offered and sold in the IPO.
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Section 3.2 Cooperation. AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital shall each consult with, and cooperate in all respects with, the other in connection with the marketing, including any roadshow presentations, and pricing of the ADSs and shall take any and all actions as may be reasonably necessary or desirable to consummate the IPO as contemplated by the IPO Registration Statement and the Underwriting Agreement.
ARTICLE IV
COVENANTS AND OTHER MATTERS
Section 4.1 Other Agreements and Instruments. Each of the Parties agrees to execute or cause to be executed by the appropriate parties and deliver, as appropriate, such other agreements, instruments, and other documents as may be necessary or desirable in order to effect the purposes of this Agreement and the Inter-Company Agreements.
Section 4.2 Further Instruments.
(a) To the extent it has not been done prior to the date hereof, AMTD Parent will execute and deliver, and will cause its subsidiaries to execute and deliver, to AMTD Digital and any of its subsidiaries, as the case may be, such instruments of transfer, conveyance, assignment, substitution, and confirmation, and will take such action as may be reasonably necessary or desirable in order to transfer, convey, and assign to AMTD Digital and any of its subsidiaries and confirm AMTD Digitals and any of its subsidiaries title to all assets, rights, interests, and other things of value used in or necessary for the conduct and operation of the AMTD Digital Business on or prior to the Public Filing Date or to be transferred or licensed to AMTD Digital and any of its subsidiaries pursuant to this Agreement or any document referred to herein, to put AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries in actual possession and operating control thereof and to permit AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries to exercise all rights with respect thereto (including, without limitation, rights under Contracts and other arrangements as to which the consent of any third party to the transfer thereof have not previously been obtained) relating to the AMTD Digital Business; provided, however, that in the absence of such execution and delivery by AMTD Parent and any of its subsidiaries, such execution and delivery shall be deemed for all purposes to have occurred subject only to AMTD Digitals obligation to pay to AMTD Parent or its applicable subsidiary an amount equal to the book value thereof to the extent not previously so paid.
(b) AMTD Parent will execute and deliver, and will cause its appropriate subsidiaries to execute and deliver, to AMTD Digital and any of its subsidiaries, as the case may be, all instruments, assumptions, novations, undertakings, substitutions, or other documents and take such other action as may be reasonably necessary or desirable in order to have AMTD Parent and any of its subsidiaries, as the case may be, fully and unconditionally assume and discharge the AMTD Parent Liabilities; provided, however, that in the absence of such execution and delivery by AMTD Parent and any of such appropriate subsidiaries, such execution and delivery shall be deemed for all purposes to have occurred.
(c) AMTD Digital will, and will cause its appropriate subsidiaries to, execute and deliver to AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries all instruments, assumptions, novations, undertakings, substitutions or other documents and take such other action as may be reasonably necessary or desirable in order to have AMTD Digital and any of its subsidiaries, as the case may be, fully and unconditionally assume and discharge the AMTD Digital Liabilities; provided, however, that in the absence of such execution and delivery by AMTD Digital and any such appropriate subsidiaries, such execution and delivery shall be deemed for all purposes to have occurred.
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(d) Except as hereinabove provided, neither AMTD Parent, AMTD Digital, nor their respective subsidiaries shall be obligated, in connection with the foregoing matters set forth in this Section, to expend money other than reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, attorneys fees, and recording or similar fees, unless reimbursed by the other relevant Party. Furthermore, each Party, at the request of the other Party hereto, shall execute and deliver such other instruments and do and perform such other acts and things as may be necessary or desirable for effecting completely the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
Section 4.3 Auditors and Audits; Financial Statements; Accounting Matters. Each Party agrees that:
(a) Internal Accounting Controls; Financial Information. After the Public Filing Date, each Party shall maintain in effect at its own cost and expense adequate systems and controls for its business to the extent necessary to enable the other Party to satisfy its reporting, tax return, accounting, audit, and other obligations, and each Party shall provide, or cause to be provided, to the other Party and its subsidiaries in such form as such requesting Party shall request, at no charge to the requesting Party, all financial and other data and information as the requesting Party determines necessary or advisable in order to prepare its financial statements and reports or filings with any Governmental Authority.
(b) Selection of Auditors.
(i) Until the first AMTD Parent fiscal year end occurring after the Control Ending Date, AMTD Digital shall use its reasonable best efforts to select the independent registered public accounting firm used by AMTD Parent (AMTD Parents Auditors and, for the avoidance of doubt, should AMTD Parent at any time change the independent registered public accounting firm serving as its auditors, AMTD Parents Auditors shall thereafter mean the new firm serving as AMTD Parents auditors) to serve as its auditors (AMTD Digitals Auditors) for purposes of providing an opinion on its consolidated financial statements; provided, however, that AMTD Digitals Auditors may be different from AMTD Parents Auditors if necessary to comply with applicable laws regarding auditor independence and qualifications (provided, however, that AMTD Digital shall not take any actions, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause its directors, officers, and employees not to take any actions, that could reasonably be expected to require AMTD Digital to engage auditors other than AMTD Parents Auditors). After the Public Filing Date, the foregoing shall not be construed so as to unlawfully limit any responsibility of the audit committee of AMTD Digitals board of directors, pursuant to SEC Rule 10A-3(b)(2) and rules of the Nasdaq Global Market or the New York Stock Exchange, as applicable, to appoint, compensate, retain and oversee the work of the registered public accounting firm AMTD Digital engages.
(ii) Until the first AMTD Parent fiscal year end occurring after the Control Ending Date, AMTD Digital shall provide to AMTD Parent as much prior notice as reasonably practical of any change in AMTD Digitals Auditors for purposes of providing an opinion on its consolidated financial statements.
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(c) Annual and Quarterly Financial Statements. Until the Control Ending Date, AMTD Parent shall provide to AMTD Digital on a timely basis all financial Information that AMTD Digital reasonably requires to meet its schedule for the preparation, printing, filing, and public dissemination of AMTD Digitals annual and quarterly financial statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, AMTD Parent will provide all required financial Information with respect to AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries to AMTD Parents Auditors in a sufficient and reasonable time and in sufficient detail to permit AMTD Parents Auditors to take all steps and perform all procedures necessary to provide sufficient assistance to AMTD Digitals Auditors with respect to Information to be included or contained in AMTD Digitals annual and quarterly financial statements.
(d) Certifications and Attestations. To the extent necessary for the timely filing by AMTD Digital of annual and quarterly reports under the Exchange Act or in connection with any investigations of prior periods, AMTD Parent shall cause its appropriate officers and employees to provide to AMTD Digital on a timely basis and as reasonably requested by such Party (A) any certificates requested as support for the certifications and attestations required by Sections 302, 906, and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to be filed with such annual and quarterly reports, (B) any certificates or other Information which such appropriate officers and employees received as support for the certificates provided to AMTD Digital and (C) a reasonable opportunity to discuss with such appropriate officers and employees any issues reasonably related to the foregoing.
(e) Identity of Personnel Performing the Annual Audit and Quarterly Reviews. AMTD Parent shall authorize AMTD Parents Auditors to make available to AMTD Digitals Auditors both the personnel who performed or will perform the annual audits and quarterly reviews of AMTD Parent and work papers related to the annual audits and quarterly reviews of AMTD Parent, in all cases within a reasonable time prior to AMTD Parents Auditors opinion date, so that AMTD Digitals Auditors are able to perform the procedures they consider necessary to take responsibility for the work of AMTD Parents Auditors as it relates to AMTD Digitals Auditors report on AMTD Digitals financial statements, all within sufficient time to enable AMTD Digital to meet its timetable for the printing, filing, and public dissemination of AMTD Digitals annual and quarterly financial statements.
(f) Access to Books and Records. AMTD Parent shall provide AMTD Digitals internal auditors, counsel, and other designated representatives of AMTD Digital access during normal business hours to (i) the premises of AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries and all Information (and duplicating rights with respect thereto) within the knowledge, possession or control of AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries and (ii) the officers and employees of AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries, so that AMTD Digital may conduct reasonable audits relating to the financial statements provided by AMTD Parent pursuant hereto as well as to the internal accounting controls and operations of AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries.
(g) Notice of Change in Accounting Principles. Until the Control Ending Date, and thereafter if a change in accounting principles by a Party would affect the historical financial statements of the other Party, no such Party shall make or adopt any significant changes in its accounting estimates or accounting principles from those in effect on the Public Filing Date without first consulting with the other Party, and if requested by the other Party, such other Partys independent registered public accounting firm with respect thereto. AMTD Parent shall give AMTD Digital as much prior notice as reasonably practical of any proposed determination of, or any significant changes in, its accounting estimates or accounting
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principles from those in effect on the Public Filing Date. AMTD Parent will consult with AMTD Digital and, if requested by AMTD Digital, AMTD Digitals independent registered public accounting firm with respect thereto. AMTD Digital shall give AMTD Parent as much prior notice as reasonably practical of any proposed determination of, or any significant changes in, its accounting estimates or accounting principles from those in effect on the Public Filing Date. AMTD Digital will consult with AMTD Parent and, if requested by AMTD Parent, AMTD Parents independent registered public accounting firm with respect thereto.
(h) Conflict With Third-Party Agreements. Nothing in this Section 4.3 shall require a Party to violate any agreement with any third party regarding the confidentiality of confidential and proprietary Information relating to that third party or its business; provided, however, that in the event that a Party is required under this Section 4.3 to disclose any such Information, such Party shall use its reasonable best efforts to seek to obtain such third partys consent to the disclosure of such Information.
Section 4.4 Investment Opportunities. With respect to investment opportunities, AMTD Parent will, and will cause members of the AMTD Group to, strictly follow the procedures set forth in this Section 4.4 (the Investment Opportunity Referral Procedures).
(a) Where an investment opportunity relates to digital financial services or digital financial licenses, or investment in new technology or new media companies, is presented to the investment committee or other equivalent body of AMTD Parent for consideration, AMTD Parent will, and will cause appropriate members of the AMTD Group to, promptly notify AMTD Digital in writing of such investment opportunity and specify a period for consideration of no less than one week (the Specified Period) and refrain from pursuing this investment opportunity unless permitted in accordance with this Section 4.4.
(i) If AMTD Digital notifies AMTD Parent in writing of its interests to pursue this investment opportunity within the Specified Period, AMTD Parent and other members of the AMTD Group will, upon receipt of such notice, continue to refrain from pursuing this investment opportunity until, where applicable, AMTD Digital later notifies AMTD Parent again in writing of its decision to forego pursuing this investment opportunity, after which AMTD Parent and other members of the AMTD Group may pursue this investment opportunity for itself without further obligations to inform AMTD Digital.
(ii) If AMTD Digital notifies AMTD Parent in writing that it does not intend to pursue this investment opportunity or AMTD Digital fails to indicate its interests to pursue this investment opportunity within the Specified Period, AMTD Parent and other members of the AMTD Group may, upon receipt of the written notice of AMTD Digital or upon expiration of the Specified Period, as applicable, pursue this investment opportunity for itself without further obligation to inform AMTD Digital.
(b) In determining whether or not to pursue an investment opportunity, members of the investment committee of AMTD Digital that have overlapping duties as directors or officers in AMTD Parent shall abstain from participating in the investment decision-making and approval process.
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(c) The rights and obligations created by this Section 4.4 shall not apply to any subsequent investments made by AMTD Parent or other members of the AMTD Group in its existing investee companies as of the date hereof.
Section 4.5 License of Intellectual Property. Both Parties acknowledge that AMTD Parent (on behalf of itself and other members of AMTD Group) grants AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries a perpetual, world-wide license to use, for free, any and all intellectual property as set out in Schedule I attached hereto.
Section 4.6 Confidentiality. Each of the Parties shall hold and shall cause each of their respective subsidiaries to hold, and shall each cause their respective officers, employees, agents, consultants, and advisors and those of their respective subsidiaries to hold, in strict confidence and not to disclose or release without the prior written consent of the other Party, any and all Confidential Information concerning such other Party and its respective subsidiaries; provided, that each of the Parties may disclose, or may permit disclosure of, Confidential Information (i) to their respective subsidiaries, auditors, attorneys, financial advisors, bankers, and other appropriate consultants and advisors who have a need to know such information and, in each case, are informed of their obligation to hold such information confidential to the same extent as is applicable to the Parties hereto and in respect of whose failure to comply with such obligations, AMTD Digital or AMTD Parent, as the case may be, will be responsible, (ii) if the Parties or any of their respective subsidiaries are compelled to disclose any such Confidential Information by judicial or administrative process or (iii) if the Parties reasonably determine in good faith that such disclosure is required by other requirements of law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any demand or request for disclosure of Confidential Information is made in connection with any judicial or administrative process, or a Party determines in good faith that disclosure is otherwise required by law, such Party shall promptly notify the other Party of the existence of such request, demand, or conclusion, and shall provide such other Party a reasonable opportunity to seek an appropriate protective order or other remedy, which the notifying Party will cooperate in obtaining. In the event that an appropriate protective order or other remedy is not obtained, the Party whose Confidential Information is required to be disclosed shall or shall cause the notifying Party to furnish, or cause to be furnished, only that portion of the Confidential Information that is required to be disclosed and shall use its reasonable best efforts to obtain reasonable assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded to such Information.
(a) As used in this Section 4.6:
(i) Confidential Information shall mean Confidential Business Information and Confidential Technical Information concerning one Party which, prior to, on or following the Public Filing Date, has been disclosed by such Party or its subsidiaries, that (1) is in written, recorded, graphical or other tangible form and is marked Proprietary, Confidential, or Trade Secret, or where it is evident from the nature and content of such Information that the disclosing Party considers it to be confidential, (2) is in oral form and identified by the disclosing Party as Proprietary, Confidential, or Trade Secret at the time of oral disclosure, including pursuant to the access provisions of Section 4.3 hereof or any other provision of this Agreement or where it is evident from the nature and content of such Information that the disclosing Party considers it to be confidential, or (3) in the case of such Information disclosed on or prior to the date hereof, either such Information is identified by the owning Party to the other relevant Party as Confidential Business Information or
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Confidential Technical Information, orally or in writing on or prior to the Public Filing Date, or it is evident from the nature and content of such Information that the disclosing Party considers it to be confidential, and includes any modifications or derivatives prepared by the receiving Party that contain or are based upon any Confidential Information obtained from the disclosing Party, including any analysis, reports, or summaries of the Confidential Information. Confidential Information may also include Information disclosed to a disclosing Party by third parties. Confidential Information shall not, however, include any information which (A) was publicly known and made generally available in the public domain prior to the time of disclosure by the disclosing Party; (B) becomes publicly known and made generally available after disclosure by the disclosing Party to the receiving Party through no action or inaction of the receiving Party; (C) is obtained by the receiving Party from a third party without a breach of such third partys obligations of confidentiality; or (D) is on or after the Public Filing Date independently developed by the receiving Party without use of or reference to the disclosing Partys Confidential Information.
(ii) Confidential Technical Information shall mean all proprietary scientific, engineering, mathematical or design information, data and material of the disclosing Party including, without limitation, (1) specifications, ideas, concepts, models, and strategies for products or services, (2) quality assurance policies, procedures and specifications, (3) source code and object code, (4) training materials and information, and (5) all other know-how, methodology, processes, procedures, techniques, and trade secrets related to product or service design, development, manufacture, implementation, use, support, and maintenance.
(iii) Confidential Business Information shall mean all proprietary information, data or material of the disclosing Party other than Confidential Technical Information, including, but not limited to (1) proprietary earnings reports and forecasts, (2) proprietary macro-economic reports and forecasts, (3) proprietary business plans, (4) proprietary general market evaluations and surveys, (5) proprietary financing and credit-related information, and (6) customer information.
(b) Nothing in this Agreement shall restrict (i) the disclosing Party from using, disclosing, or disseminating its own Confidential Information in any way, or (ii) reassignment of the receiving Partys employees. Moreover, nothing in the Agreement supersedes any restriction imposed by third parties on their Confidential Information, and there is no obligation on the disclosing Party to conform third party agreements to the terms of this Agreement except as expressly set forth therein.
(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, (i) a Party and its subsidiaries shall be deemed to have satisfied their obligations hereunder with respect to Confidential Information if they exercise the same degree of care (but no less than a reasonable degree of care) as they take to preserve confidentiality for their own similar Information and (ii) confidentiality obligations provided for in any agreement between a Party or any of its subsidiaries and any employee of such Party or any of its subsidiaries shall remain in full force and effect.
(d) Confidential Information of a Party and its subsidiaries in the possession of and used by the other Party as of the Public Filing Date may continue to be used by such Party in possession of the Confidential Information in and only in the operation of the AMTD Parent Business, in the case of AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries, or the
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AMTD Digital Business, in the case of AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries, and may be used only so long as the Confidential Information is maintained in confidence and not disclosed in violation of Section 4.4(b). Such continued right to use Confidential Information may not be transferred, including by merger, consolidation, reorganization, operation of law, or otherwise, to any third party unless such third party (i) purchases all or substantially all of the business or business line and assets in one transaction or in a series of related transactions for which or in which the relevant Confidential Information is used or employed and (ii) expressly agrees in writing to be bound by the provisions of this Section 4.6. In the event that such right to use is transferred in accordance with the preceding sentence, the transferring Party shall not disclose the source of the relevant Confidential Information.
Section 4.7 Privileged Matters. The Parties agree that their respective rights and obligations to maintain, preserve, assert, or waive any or all privileges belonging to each such Party or its subsidiaries including but not limited to the attorney-client and work product privileges (collectively, Privileges), shall be governed by the provisions of this Section 4.7. With respect to Privileged Information (as defined below) of AMTD Parent, AMTD Parent shall have sole authority in perpetuity to determine whether to assert or waive any or all Privileges, and AMTD Digital shall take no action (nor permit any of its subsidiaries to take action) without the prior written consent of AMTD Parent that could result in any waiver of any Privilege that could be asserted by AMTD Parent or any of its subsidiaries under applicable law and this Agreement. With respect to Privileged Information of AMTD Digital, AMTD Digital shall have sole authority in perpetuity to determine whether to assert or waive any or all Privileges, and AMTD Parent shall take no action (nor permit any of its subsidiaries to take action) without the prior written consent of AMTD Digital that could result in any waiver of any Privilege that could be asserted by AMTD Digital or any of its subsidiaries under applicable law and this Agreement.
(a) The rights and obligations created by this Section 4.7 shall apply to all Information as to which the Parties or their respective subsidiaries would be entitled to assert or has asserted a Privilege (Privileged Information). Privileged Information of AMTD Parent includes but is not limited to (i) any and all Information regarding the business of AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries (other than Information regarding the AMTD Digital Business), whether or not it is in the possession of AMTD Digital or any of its subsidiaries; (ii) all communications subject to a Privilege between counsel for AMTD Parent (including in-house counsel) and any individual who, at the time of the communication, was an employee of AMTD Parent, regardless of whether such employee is or becomes an employee of AMTD Digital or any of its subsidiaries; and (iii) all Information generated, received or arising after the Public Filing Date that refers or relates to Privileged Information of AMTD Parent generated, received or arising prior to the Public Filing Date. Privileged Information of AMTD Digital includes but is not limited to (x) any and all Information regarding the AMTD Digital Business, whether or not it is in the possession of AMTD Parent or any of its subsidiaries; (y) all communications subject to a Privilege occurring after the Public Filing Date between counsel for AMTD Digital (including in-house counsel and former in-house counsel who are or were employees of AMTD Parent) and any person who, at the time of the communication, was an employee of AMTD Digital, regardless of whether such employee was, is or becomes an employee of AMTD Parent or any of its subsidiaries; and (z) all Information generated, received or arising after the Public Filing Date that refers or relates to Privileged Information of AMTD Digital generated, received or arising prior to the Public Filing Date.
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(b) Upon receipt by a Party or its subsidiaries of any subpoena, discovery, or other request from any third party that actually or arguably calls for the production or disclosure of Privileged Information of the other Party or its subsidiaries, or if a Party or any of its subsidiaries obtains knowledge that any of its current or former employees has received any subpoena, discovery, or other request from any third party that actually or arguably calls for the production or disclosure of Privileged Information of the other Party or its subsidiaries, such Party shall promptly notify that other Party of the existence of the request and shall provide that other Party a reasonable opportunity to review the Information and to assert any rights such other Party may have under this Section 4.7 or otherwise to prevent the production or disclosure of Privileged Information. AMTD Parent or its subsidiaries, or AMTD Digital or its subsidiaries, as the case may be, will not produce or disclose to any third party any of the other Partys Privileged Information under this Section 4.7 unless (i) such other Party has provided its express written consent to such production or disclosure or (ii) a court of competent jurisdiction has entered an order not subject to interlocutory appeal or review finding that the Information is not entitled to protection from disclosure under any applicable privilege, doctrine or rule.
(c) AMTD Parents transfer of books and records pertaining to the AMTD Digital Business and other Information pertaining to AMTD Digital, if any, AMTD Parents agreement to permit AMTD Digital to obtain Information existing prior to the Public Filing Date, AMTD Digitals transfer of books and records and other Information pertaining to AMTD Parent, if any, and AMTD Digitals agreement to permit AMTD Parent to obtain Information existing prior to the Public Filing Date are made in reliance on AMTD Parents and AMTD Digitals respective agreements, as set forth in Section 4.6 and this Section 4.7, to maintain the confidentiality of such Information and to take the steps provided herein for the preservation of all Privileges that may belong to or be asserted by AMTD Parent, or AMTD Digital, as the case may be. The access to Information and individuals being granted pursuant to Section 4.3 and the disclosure to one Party of Privileged Information relating to the other Partys businesses pursuant to this Agreement shall not be asserted by AMTD Parent or AMTD Digital to constitute, or otherwise be deemed, a waiver of any Privilege that has been or may be asserted under this Section 4.7 or otherwise. Nothing in this Agreement shall operate to reduce, minimize or condition the rights granted to, or the obligations imposed upon, AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital by this Section 4.7.
Section 4.8 Future Litigation and Other Proceedings. In the event that AMTD Digital (or any of its subsidiaries or any of its or their respective officers or directors) or AMTD Parent (or any of its subsidiaries or any of its or their respective officers or directors) at any time after the date hereof initiates or becomes subject to any litigation or other proceedings before any Governmental Authority or arbitration panel with respect to which the Parties have no prior agreements (as to indemnification or otherwise), the Party (and its subsidiaries and its and their respective officers and directors) that has not initiated and is not subject to such litigation or other proceedings shall comply, at the litigant Partys expense, with any reasonable requests by the litigant Party for assistance in connection with such litigation or other proceedings (including by way of provision of Information and making available of employees as witnesses). In the event that AMTD Digital (or any of its subsidiaries or any of its or their respective officers or directors) and AMTD Parent (or any of its subsidiaries or any of its or their respective officers or directors), or any combination thereof, at any time after the date hereof initiate or become subject to any litigation or other proceedings before any Governmental Authority or arbitration panel with respect to which the litigant Parties have no prior agreements (as to indemnification or otherwise), each
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litigant Party (and its officers and directors) shall, at their own expense, coordinate their strategies and actions with respect to such litigation or other proceedings to the extent such coordination would not be detrimental to their respective interests and shall comply, at the expense of the requesting Party, with any reasonable requests of such Party for assistance in connection therewith (including by way of provision of information and making available of employees as witnesses).
Section 4.9 Mail and other Communications. Each of AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital may receive mail, facsimiles, packages, and other communications properly belonging to the other. Accordingly, each Party authorizes each of the other Party to receive and open all mail, telegrams, packages, and other communications received by it and not unambiguously intended for the other Party or any of the other Party officers or directors, and to retain the same to the extent that they relate to the business of the receiving Party or, to the extent that they do not relate to the business of the receiving Party, the receiving Party shall promptly deliver such mail, telegrams, packages, or other communications, including, without limitation, notices of any liens or encumbrances on any asset transferred to AMTD Digital or its subsidiaries in connection with the separation from AMTD Parent, if any, (or, in case the same relate to both businesses, copies thereof) to the other Party as provided for in Section 7.6 hereof. The provisions of this Section 4.9 are not intended to, and shall not, be deemed to constitute (a) an authorization by either AMTD Parent or AMTD Digital to permit the other to accept service of process on its behalf and no Party is or shall be deemed to be the agent of the other Party for service of process purposes or (b) a waiver of any Privilege with respect to Privileged Information contained in such mail, telegrams, packages or other communications.
Section 4.10 Other Inter-Company Services Agreements. To the extent not covered under the Inter-Company Agreements, AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries, on the other, may enter into interim services agreements from time to time covering the provision of various interim services, if any, including financial, accounting, legal, and other services by AMTD Parent (and its subsidiaries) to AMTD Digital (and its subsidiaries) or, in certain circumstances, vice versa. Such services will generally be provided for a fee equal to the actual Direct Costs and Indirect Costs of providing such services plus an additional amount as agreed to by the Parties, subject to other considerations being agreed to by the Parties. Direct Costs shall include labor-related compensation and travel expenses, materials and supplies consumed, and agency fees arising from performing the services. Indirect Costs shall include occupancy, information technology support, and other overhead costs of the department incurring the direct costs of providing the service. Payment for any such services will be due within thirty (30) days after AMTD Parent renders an invoice for such services.
Section 4.11 Payment of Expenses. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the Inter-Company Agreements, or any other agreement between the Parties relating to the IPO, (a) all costs and expenses of the Parties in connection with the IPO (including costs associated with drafting this Agreement, the Inter-Company Agreements, and the documents relating to the formation of AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries) shall be paid by AMTD Digital and (b) all costs and expenses of the Parties in connection with any matter not relating to the IPO shall be paid by the Party which incurs such cost or expense. Notwithstanding the foregoing, AMTD Digital and AMTD Parent shall each be responsible for their own internal fees, costs, and expenses (e.g., salaries of personnel) incurred in connection with the IPO.
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ARTICLE V
MUTUAL RELEASES; INDEMNIFICATION
Section 5.1 Release of Claims.
(a) AMTD Digital Release. Except as provided in Section 5.1(c), AMTD Digital, for itself and as agent for each of its subsidiaries, does hereby assume, and does hereby remise, release, and forever discharge the AMTD Parent Indemnitees from, any and all Liabilities whatsoever, whether at law or in equity (including any right of contribution), whether arising under any contract or agreement, by operation of law or otherwise, existing or arising from any past acts or events occurring or failing to occur or alleged to have occurred or to have failed to occur or any conditions existing or alleged to have existed on or before the Public Filing Date, including in connection with the transactions and all other activities to implement the IPO.
(b) AMTD Parent Release. Except as provided in Section 5.1(c), AMTD Parent, for itself and as agent for each of its subsidiaries, does hereby remise, release and forever discharge the AMTD Digital Indemnitees from any and all Liabilities whatsoever, whether at law or in equity (including any right of contribution), whether arising under any contract or agreement, by operation of law or otherwise, existing or arising from any past acts or events occurring or failing to occur or alleged to have occurred or to have failed to occur or any conditions existing or alleged to have existed on or before the Public Filing Date, including in connection with the transactions and all other activities to implement the IPO.
(c) No Impairment. Nothing contained in Section 5.1(a) or Section 5.1(b) shall limit or otherwise affect any Partys rights or obligations pursuant to or contemplated by this Agreement or any Inter-Company Agreement, in each case in accordance with its terms, including, without limitation, any obligations relating to indemnification, including indemnification pursuant to Section 5.2 and Section 5.3 of this Agreement.
Section 5.2 Indemnification by AMTD Digital. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, AMTD Digital shall, for itself and as agent for each of its subsidiaries, indemnify, defend (or, where applicable, pay the defense costs for), and hold harmless the AMTD Parent Indemnitees from and against, and shall reimburse the AMTD Parent Indemnitees with respect to, any and all Losses that any third party seeks to impose upon the AMTD Parent Indemnitees, or which are imposed upon the AMTD Parent Indemnitees, and that relate to, arise out of, or result from, whether prior to, on or following the Public Filing Date, any of the following items (without duplication):
(a) any AMTD Digital Liability;
(b) any breach by AMTD Digital or any of its subsidiaries of this Agreement or any of the Inter-Company Agreements; and
(c) any Liabilities relating to, arising out of, or resulting from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, with respect to all information (i) contained in the IPO Registration Statement, any issuer free writing prospectus, or any preliminary, final, or supplemental prospectus forming a part of the IPO Registration Statement (other than information provided
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in writing by AMTD Parent or any of its subsidiaries to AMTD Digital specifically for inclusion in the IPO Registration Statement, any issuer free writing prospectus, or any preliminary, final, or supplemental prospectus forming a part of the IPO Registration Statement) or (ii) contained in any public filings made by AMTD Digital with the SEC following the Public Filing Date.
In the event that AMTD Digital or any of its subsidiaries makes a payment to the AMTD Parent Indemnitees hereunder, and any of the AMTD Parent Indemnitees subsequently diminishes the Liability on account of which such payment was made, either directly or through a third-party recovery (other than a recovery indirectly from AMTD Parent or its subsidiaries), AMTD Parent will promptly repay (or will procure an AMTD Parent Indemnitee to promptly repay) AMTD Digital (or its subsidiary that has made the payment) the amount by which the payment made by AMTD Digital (or its subsidiary that has made the payment) exceeds the actual cost of the associated indemnified Liability.
Section 5.3 Indemnification by AMTD Parent. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, AMTD Parent shall, for itself and as agent for each of its subsidiaries, indemnify, defend (or, where applicable, pay the defense costs for), and hold harmless the AMTD Digital Indemnitees from and against, and shall reimburse each such AMTD Digital Indemnitee with respect to, any and all Losses that any third party seeks to impose upon the AMTD Digital Indemnitees or which are imposed upon the AMTD Digital Indemnitees to the extent relating to, arising out of, or resulting from, whether prior to, on or following the Public Filing Date, any of the following items (without duplication):
(a) any Liability of AMTD Parent or its subsidiaries and all Liabilities arising out of the operation or conduct of the AMTD Parent Business (in each case excluding the AMTD Digital Liabilities);
(b) any breach by AMTD Parent or any member of the AMTD Group of this Agreement or any of the Inter-Company Agreements; and
(c) any Liabilities relating to, arising out of, or resulting from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, with respect to all information (i) contained in the IPO Registration Statement, any issuer free writing prospectus, or any preliminary, final, or supplemental prospectus forming a part of the IPO Registration Statement and provided in writing by AMTD Parent or any of its subsidiaries to AMTD Digital specifically for inclusion in the IPO Registration Statement, any issuer free writing prospectus, or any preliminary, final, or supplemental prospectus forming a part of the IPO Registration Statement) or (ii) provided in writing by AMTD Parent or its subsidiaries to AMTD Digital specifically for inclusion in AMTD Digitals annual or quarterly reports following the Public Filing Date to the extent (1) such information pertains to (A) AMTD Parent or any of its subsidiaries or (B) the AMTD Parent Business or (2) AMTD Digital has provided prior written notice to AMTD Parent that such information will be included in one or more annual or quarterly reports, specifying how such information will be presented, and the information is included in such annual or quarterly reports; provided that this sub-clause (2) shall not apply to the extent that any such Liability arises out of or results from, or in connection with, any action or inaction of AMTD Digital or any of its subsidiaries, including as a result of any misstatement or omission of any information by AMTD Digital or any of its subsidiaries to AMTD Parent.
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In the event that AMTD Parent or any of its subsidiaries makes a payment to the AMTD Digital Indemnitees hereunder, and any of the AMTD Digital Indemnitees subsequently diminishes the Liability on account of which such payment was made, either directly or through a third-party recovery (other than a recovery indirectly from AMTD Digital or its subsidiaries), AMTD Digital will promptly repay (or will procure a AMTD Digital Indemnitee to promptly repay) AMTD Parent (or its subsidiary that has made the payment) the amount by which the payment made by AMTD Parent (or its subsidiary that has made the payment) exceeds the actual cost of the indemnified Liability.
Section 5.4 Procedures for Defense, Settlement, and Indemnification of the Third Party Claims.
(a) Notice of Claims. If an Indemnitee shall receive notice or otherwise learn of the assertion by a Person (including any Governmental Authority) other than AMTD Parent, AMTD Digital and their subsidiaries of any claim or of the commencement by any such Person of any Action (collectively, a Third Party Claim) with respect to which an Indemnifying Party may be obligated to provide indemnification, AMTD Parent or AMTD Digital, as applicable, will ensure that such Indemnitee shall give such Indemnifying Party written notice thereof within thirty (30) days after becoming aware of such Third Party Claim. Any such notice shall describe the Third Party Claim in reasonable detail. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the delay or failure of any Indemnitee or other Person to give notice as provided in this Section 5.4 shall not relieve the related Indemnifying Party of its obligations under this Article V, except to the extent that such Indemnifying Party is actually and substantially prejudiced by such delay or failure to give notice.
(b) Defense by Indemnifying Party. An Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to participate in the defense of any Third Party Claim and, to the extent that it wishes, at its cost, risk, and expense, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnitee, unless the Indemnifying Party is also a party to such proceeding and the Indemnitee determines in good faith that joint representation would be materially prejudicial to the Indemnitees defense. After timely notice from the Indemnifying Party to the Indemnitee of such election to so assume the defense thereof, the Indemnifying Party shall not be liable to the Indemnitee for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the defense thereof. The Indemnitee agrees to cooperate in all reasonable respects with the Indemnifying Party and its counsel in the defense against any Third Party Claim. The Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to compromise or settle any Third Party Claim as to which it is providing indemnification, provided that any compromise or settlement shall be made only with the written consent of the Indemnitee, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.
(c) Defense by Indemnitee. If an Indemnifying Party fails to assume the defense of a Third Party Claim within thirty (30) days after receipt of notice of such claim, the Indemnitee will, upon delivering notice to such effect to the Indemnifying Party, have the right to undertake the defense, compromise, or settlement of such Third Party Claim on behalf of and for the account of the Indemnifying Party subject to the limitations as set forth in this Section 5.4; provided, however, that such Third Party Claim shall not be compromised or settled without the written consent of the Indemnifying Party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. If the Indemnitee assumes the defense of any Third Party Claim, it shall keep the Indemnifying Party reasonably informed of the progress of any such defense, compromise or settlement. The Indemnifying Party shall reimburse all such costs and expenses of the Indemnitee in the event it is ultimately determined that the Indemnifying Party is obligated to indemnify the Indemnitee with respect to such Third Party Claim. In no event shall an Indemnifying Party be liable for any settlement effected without its consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
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Section 5.5 Additional Matters.
(a) Cooperation in Defense and Settlement. With respect to any Third Party Claim that implicates both AMTD Digital and AMTD Parent in a material way due to the allocation of Liabilities, responsibilities for management of defense, and related indemnities set forth in this Agreement or any of the Inter-Company Agreements, the Parties agree to cooperate fully and maintain a joint defense (in a manner that will preserve the attorney-client privilege, joint defense, or other privilege with respect thereto) so as to minimize such Liabilities and defense costs associated therewith. Any Party that is not responsible for managing the defense of such Third Party Claims shall, upon reasonable request, be consulted with respect to significant matters relating thereto and may, if necessary or helpful, engage counsel to assist in the defense of such claims.
(b) Subrogation. In the event of payment by or on behalf of any Indemnifying Party to or on behalf of any Indemnitee in connection with any Third Party Claim, such Indemnifying Party shall be subrogated to and shall stand in the place of such Indemnitee, in whole or in part based upon whether the Indemnifying Party has paid all or only part of the Indemnitees Liability, as to any events or circumstances in respect of which such Indemnitee may have any right, defense, or claim relating to such Third Party Claim against any claimant or plaintiff asserting such Third Party Claim or against any other person. Such Indemnitee shall cooperate with such Indemnifying Party in a reasonable manner, and at the cost and expense of such Indemnifying Party, in prosecuting any subrogated right, defense or claim.
Section 5.6 Survival of Indemnities. The rights and obligations of the Parties under this Article V shall survive the sale or other transfer by any Party of any of its assets or businesses or the assignment by it of any Liabilities or the acquisition of control of such Party (by sale of capital stock or other equity interests, merger, consolidation, or otherwise).
ARTICLE VI
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Section 6.1 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any Inter-Company Agreement, or the breach, termination or validity thereof (Dispute) which arises between the Parties shall first be negotiated between appropriate senior executives of each Party who shall have the authority to resolve the matter. Such executives shall meet to attempt in good faith to negotiate a resolution of the Dispute prior to pursuing other available remedies, within ten (10) days of receipt by a Party of written notice of a Dispute, which date of receipt shall be referred to herein as the Dispute Resolution Commencement Date. Discussions and correspondence relating to trying to resolve such Dispute shall be treated as Confidential Information and Privileged Information of each of AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital developed for the purpose of settlement and shall be exempt from discovery or production and shall not be admissible in any subsequent proceeding between the Parties.
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(b) If the senior executives are unable to resolve the Dispute within 60 days from the Dispute Resolution Commencement Date, then, the Dispute will be submitted to the boards of directors of AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital. Representatives of each board of directors shall meet as soon as practicable to attempt in good faith to negotiate a resolution of the Dispute.
(c) If the representatives of the two boards of directors are unable to resolve the Dispute within 120 days from the Dispute Resolution Commencement Date, on the request of any Party, the Dispute will be mediated by a mediator appointed pursuant to the mediation rules of the American Arbitration Association. Both Parties will share the administrative costs of the mediation and the mediators fees and expenses equally, and each Party shall bear all of its other costs and expenses related to the mediation, including but not limited to attorneys fees, witness fees, and travel expenses. The mediation shall take place in Hong Kong or in whatever alternative forum on which the Parties may agree.
(d) If the Parties cannot resolve any Dispute through mediation within 45 days after the appointment of the mediator (or the earlier withdrawal thereof), each Party shall be entitled to seek relief in a court of competent jurisdiction.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the Parties will continue to provide service and honor all other commitments under this Agreement and each Inter-Company Agreement during the course of dispute resolution pursuant to the provisions of this Section 6.1 with respect to all matters not subject to such dispute, controversy or claim.
ARTICLE VII
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 7.1 Consent of AMTD Parent.
(a) Any consent of AMTD Parent pursuant to this Agreement or any of the Inter-Company Agreements shall not be effective unless it is in writing and evidenced by the signature of the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of AMTD Parent (or such other person that the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, or board of directors of AMTD Parent has specifically authorized in writing to give such consent).
(b) Any consent of AMTD Digital pursuant to this Agreement or any of the Inter-Company Agreements shall not be effective unless it is in writing and evidenced by the signature of the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of AMTD Digital (or such other person that the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, or board of directors of AMTD Digital has specifically authorized in writing to give such consent).
Section 7.2 Limitation of Liability. IN NO EVENT SHALL AMTD PARENT OR ANY MEMBER OF THE AMTD GROUP OR AMTD DIGITAL OR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY, OR ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES FOR ANY SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OR LOST PROFITS, HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER OR NOT SUCH PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS SHALL NOT LIMIT EACH PARTYS INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATIONS FOR LIABILITIES AS SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT OR IN ANY INTER-COMPANY AGREEMENT.
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Section 7.3 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the Inter-Company Agreements and the exhibits and schedules referenced or attached hereto and thereto constitute the entire agreement among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and shall supersede all prior written and oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements and understandings with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof.
Section 7.4 Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Hong Kong. Subject to Section 6.1, each of the Parties hereby submits unconditionally to the jurisdiction of, and agrees that venue shall lie exclusively in, the courts located in Hong Kong for purposes of the resolution of any disputes arising under this Agreement.
Section 7.5 Termination; Amendment. This Agreement may be terminated or amended by mutual consent of the Parties, evidenced by an instrument in writing signed on behalf of each of the Parties. In the event of termination pursuant to this Section 7.5, no Party shall have any liability of any kind to the other Party. This Agreement shall terminate on the date that is two (2) years after the first date upon which members of the AMTD Group no longer collectively own at least twenty percent (20%) of the voting power of the then outstanding securities of AMTD Digital; provided, however, that (i) the provisions of Section 4.8 shall survive for a period of seven (7) years after the termination of this Agreement, and (ii) the provisions of Section 4.6, Article V, Article VI and Article VII shall survive indefinitely after the termination of this Agreement. For avoidance of doubt, the termination of this Agreement shall not affect the validity and effectiveness of any of the Inter-Company Agreements.
Section 7.6 Notices. Notices, offers, requests or other communications required or permitted to be given by a Party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be given in writing to the other Party to the following addresses:
if to AMTD Parent:
23/F-25/F Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
Attention: *********************
Facsimile: *********************
Email: *********************
if to AMTD Digital:
25/F Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
Attention: *********************
Facsimile: *********************
Email: *********************
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or to such other address, facsimile number, or email address as the Party to whom notice is given may have previously furnished to the other in writing as provided herein. Any notice involving non-performance or termination shall be sent by hand delivery or recognized overnight courier. All other notices may also be sent by facsimile or email, confirmed by mail. All notices shall be deemed to have been given when received, if hand delivered; when transmitted, if transmitted by facsimile or email; upon confirmation of delivery, if sent by recognized overnight courier; and upon receipt if mailed.
Section 7.7 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original but all of which shall constitute one and the same agreement.
Section 7.8 Binding Effect; Assignment. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Parties hereto and their respective legal representatives and successors, and nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any other Person any rights or remedies of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement. This Agreement may be enforced separately by each Partys subsidiaries. No Party may assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder, without the prior written consent of the other Party, and any such assignment shall be void; provided, however, each Party may assign this Agreement to a successor entity in conjunction with such Partys reincorporation in another jurisdiction or into another business form.
Section 7.9 Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement or the Exhibits or Schedules attached hereto is determined by a court, administrative agency, or arbitrator to be invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any Party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal, or incapable of being enforced, the Parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the Parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner to the end that transactions contemplated hereby are fulfilled to the fullest extent possible.
Section 7.10 Failure or Indulgence not Waiver; Remedies Cumulative. No failure or delay on the part of any Party hereto in the exercise of any right hereunder shall impair such right or be construed to be a waiver of, or acquiescence in, any breach of any representation, warranty or agreement herein, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right preclude other or further exercise thereof or of any other right. All rights and remedies existing under this Agreement or the exhibits or schedules attached hereto are cumulative to, and not exclusive of, any rights or remedies otherwise available.
Section 7.11 Authority. Each of the Parties hereto represents to the others that (a) it has the corporate or other requisite power and authority to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, (b) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by it have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other actions, (c) it has duly and validly executed and delivered this Agreement, and (d) this Agreement is a legal, valid, and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, or other similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and general equity principles.
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Section 7.12 Interpretation. The headings contained in this Agreement, in any exhibit or schedule hereto and in the table of contents to this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. Any capitalized term used in any exhibit or schedule but not otherwise defined therein, has the meaning assigned to such term in this Agreement. For all purposes of this Agreement: (i) all references in this Agreement to designated sections, schedules, exhibits, and other subdivisions are to the designated sections, schedules, exhibits, and other subdivisions of the body of this Agreement unless otherwise indicated; (ii) the words herein, hereof, and hereunder and other words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular section or other subdivision; (iii) or is not exclusive; (iv) including and includes will be deemed to be followed by but not limited to and but is not limited to, respectively; (v) any definition of, or reference to, any law, agreement, instrument, or other document herein will be construed as referring to such law, agreement, instrument, or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified; and (vi) any definition of, or reference to, any statute will be construed as referring also to any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Section 7.13 Conflicting Agreements. None of the provisions of this Agreement is intended to supersede any provision in any Inter-Company Agreement or any other agreement with respect to the respective subject matters thereof. In the event of conflict between this Agreement and any Inter-Company Agreement or other agreement executed in connection herewith, the provisions of such other agreement shall prevail.
Section 7.14 Third Party Beneficiaries. None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of or enforceable by any third party, including any creditor of any Person. No such third party shall obtain any right under any provision of this Agreement or shall by reasons of any such provision make any claim in respect of any Liability (or otherwise) against either Party hereto.
[Signature page follows]
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WHEREFORE, the Parties have signed this Master Transaction Agreement effective as of the date first set forth above.
AMTD Group Company Limited | ||
By: | /s/ Marcellus Wong | |
Name: Marcellus Wong | ||
Title: Director | ||
AMTD Digital Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ Mark Lo | |
Name: Mark Lo | ||
Title: Director |
[Signature page to Master Transaction Agreement]
Exhibit 10.5
TRANSITIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
Between
AMTD GROUP COMPANY LIMITED
and
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
Dated as of May 18, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS |
1 | |||||
Section 1.1 |
Defined Terms | 1 | ||||
ARTICLE II SERVICES |
4 | |||||
Section 2.1 |
Initial Services | 4 | ||||
Section 2.2 |
Additional Services | 4 | ||||
Section 2.3 |
Scope of Services | 4 | ||||
Section 2.4 |
Limitation on Provision of Services | 5 | ||||
Section 2.5 |
Standard of Performance; Standard of Care | 6 | ||||
Section 2.6 |
Prices for Services | 7 | ||||
Section 2.7 |
Changes in Services | 7 | ||||
Section 2.8 |
Services Performed by Third Parties | 8 | ||||
Section 2.9 |
Responsibility for Provider Personnel | 8 | ||||
Section 2.10 |
Services Rendered as a Work-For-Hire; Return of Equipment; Internal Use; No Sale, Transfer, Assignment; Copies | 8 | ||||
Section 2.11 |
Cooperation | 9 | ||||
ARTICLE III CHARGES AND PAYMENT |
9 | |||||
Section 3.1 |
Procedure | 9 | ||||
Section 3.2 |
Late Payments | 9 | ||||
ARTICLE IV TERM AND TERMINATION |
9 | |||||
Section 4.1 |
Termination Dates | 9 | ||||
Section 4.2 |
Early Termination by the Recipient | 9 | ||||
Section 4.3 |
Termination by the Provider | 10 | ||||
Section 4.4 |
Effect of Termination of Services | 10 | ||||
Section 4.5 |
Data Transmission | 10 | ||||
ARTICLE V MISCELLANEOUS |
10 | |||||
Section 5.1 |
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES | 10 | ||||
Section 5.2 |
Limitation of Liability; Indemnification | 11 | ||||
Section 5.3 |
Compliance with Law and Governmental Regulations | 12 | ||||
Section 5.4 |
No Partnership or Joint Venture; Independent Contractor | 12 | ||||
Section 5.5 |
Non-Exclusivity | 13 | ||||
Section 5.6 |
Expenses | 13 | ||||
Section 5.7 |
Further Assurances | 13 | ||||
Section 5.8 |
Confidentiality | 13 | ||||
Section 5.9 |
Headings | 14 | ||||
Section 5.10 |
Interpretation | 14 | ||||
Section 5.11 |
Amendments | 14 | ||||
Section 5.12 |
Inconsistency | 14 | ||||
Section 5.13 |
Notices | 15 | ||||
Section 5.14 |
Assignment; No Third-Party Beneficiaries | 15 | ||||
Section 5.15 |
Entire Agreement | 16 |
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Section 5.16 |
Counterparts | 16 | ||||
Section 5.17 |
Severability | 16 | ||||
Section 5.18 |
Incorporation by Reference | 16 | ||||
Section 5.19 |
Governing Law and Jurisdiction | 16 |
ii
TRANSITIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
This Transitional Services Agreement is dated as of May 18, 2021, by and between AMTD Group Company Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (AMTD Parent), and AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (AMTD Digital).
R E C I T A L S
WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, AMTD Parent, together with its subsidiaries including AMTD International Inc., AMTD Education Group and AMTD Assets Alpha Group, effectively owns 28,953,305 and 19,892,000 issued and outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares of AMTD Digital respectively, representing in aggregate 72.2% of the total issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares of AMTD Digital;
WHEREAS, the parties currently contemplate that AMTD Digital will seek an initial public offering (the IPO) pursuant to a registration statement on Form F-1 confidentially submitted for review and comment by the SEC under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to be filed publicly with the SEC via its EDGAR system (the date of such public filing, the Public Filing Date) following the substantial completion of such review and comment and as financial market conditions permit (as so filed, and as amended thereafter from time to time, the IPO Registration Statement);
WHEREAS, AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital have entered into that certain master transaction agreement, dated as of May 18, 2021 (the Master Transaction Agreement), which sets forth and memorializes the principal arrangements between AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital regarding their relationship from and after the filing of the IPO Registration Statement and the consummation of the IPO, including the entering into of this Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the parties desire that members of AMTD Group will continue to provide certain services to members of AMTD Digital Group and that members of AMTD Digital Group will also provide certain services to members of AMTD Group.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual covenants, and undertakings contained herein and the transactions contemplated by the Master Transaction Agreement, the receipt and sufficiency of which are acknowledged, the parties hereby mutually agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1 Defined Terms. Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein will have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Master Transaction Agreement. Capitalized terms used in the Schedule but not otherwise defined therein, will have the meaning ascribed to such word in this Agreement. For purposes of this Agreement, the following words and phrases will have the following meanings:
Additional Services has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 of this Agreement.
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Affiliate of any Person means a Person that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person; provided that, under this Agreement, Affiliate of any member of AMTD Group excludes members of AMTD Digital Group, and Affiliate of any member of AMTD Digital Group excludes members of AMTD Group. As used herein, control means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such entity, whether through ownership of voting securities or other interests, by contract or otherwise.
Agreement means this Transitional Services Agreement, together with the Schedule hereto, as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions hereof.
Allocated Cost has the meaning set forth in Section 2.6 of this Agreement.
AMTD Digital has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.
AMTD Digital Group means AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries.
AMTD Group means AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries, other than AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries.
AMTD Parent has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.
Ancillary Agreement means any agreement between AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital including the Master Transaction Agreement and Non-Competition Agreement.
Claims has the meaning set forth in Section 5.2(d) of this Agreement.
Class A Ordinary Shares means the class A ordinary shares of AMTD Digital, par value US$0.0001 per share.
Class B Ordinary Shares means the class B ordinary shares of AMTD Digital, par value US$0.0001 per share.
Force Majeure Event has the meaning set forth in Section 2.4(b) of this Agreement.
Governmental Authority means any federal, state, local, foreign, or international court, government, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, official, or other regulatory, administrative, or governmental authority.
Historical Levels has the meaning set forth in Section 2.4(a) of this Agreement.
Indemnitee has the meaning set forth in Section 5.2(d) of this Agreement.
Indemnitor has the meaning set forth in Section 5.2(d) of this Agreement.
Information means information in written, oral, electronic, or other tangible or intangible forms, stored in any medium, including studies, reports, records, books, contracts, instruments, surveys, discoveries, ideas, concepts, know-how, techniques, designs, specifications, drawings, blueprints, diagrams, models, prototypes, samples, flow charts, data, computer data, disks, diskettes, tapes, computer programs or other software, marketing plans, customer names, communications by or to attorneys (including attorney-client privileged communications), memoranda and other materials prepared by attorneys or under their direction (including attorney work product), and other technical, financial, employee, or business information or data.
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Initial Services has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1 of this Agreement.
IPO has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
IPO Registration Statement has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
Law means any law, statute, rule, regulation or other requirement imposed by a Governmental Authority.
Master Transaction Agreement has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
Non-Competition Agreement has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1 of the Master Transaction Agreement.
Ordinary Shares means the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares.
Person means an individual, a general or limited partnership, a corporation, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization, a limited liability entity, any other entity, and any Governmental Authority.
Provider means, with respect to any particular Service, the entity or entities identified on the Schedule as the party to provide such Service.
Provider Personnel has the meaning set forth in Section 2.9 of this Agreement.
Public Filing Date has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
Recipient means, with respect to any particular Service, the entity or entities identified on the Schedule as the party to receive such Service.
Review Meetings has the meaning set forth in Section 2.11 of this Agreement.
Schedule has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1 of this Agreement.
SEC means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Service Period means, with respect to any Service, the period commencing on the Public Filing Date and ending on the earlier of (i) the date the Recipient terminates the provision of such Service pursuant to Section 4.2, (ii) the date the Provider terminates the provision of such Service pursuant to Section 4.3, or (iii) the date that is 18 months after the Public Filing Date.
Services has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 of this Agreement.
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System means the software, hardware, data store or maintenance and support components or portions of such components of a set of information assets identified in a Schedule.
Tax means all forms of direct and indirect taxation or duties imposed, or required to be collected or withheld, including charges, together with any related interest, penalties, or other additional amounts.
Termination Fees has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2 of this Agreement.
Termination Notice has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2 of this Agreement.
Work Product has the meaning set forth in Section 2.10 of this Agreement.
ARTICLE II
SERVICES
Section 2.1 Initial Services. Except as otherwise provided herein, during the applicable Service Period, each Provider agrees to provide, or with respect to any service to be provided by an Affiliate of the Provider, to cause such Affiliate to provide, to the Recipient, or with respect to any service to be provided to an Affiliate of the Recipient, to such Affiliate, the services that have been provided by the Provider and any of its Affiliates to the Recipient or its Affiliate (the Initial Services), including but not limited to the services set forth on the Schedule (the Schedule) annexed hereto.
Section 2.2 Additional Services. From time to time during the applicable Service Period, the parties may identify additional services that the Provider will provide to the Recipient in accordance with the terms of this Agreement (the Additional Services and, together with the Initial Services, the Services). If the parties agree to add any Additional Services, the parties will mutually create a Schedule or amend the existing Schedule for each such Additional Service setting forth the identities of the Provider and the Recipient, a description of such Service, the term during which such Service will be provided, the cost, if any, for such Service and any other provisions applicable thereto. In order to become a part of this Agreement, such amendment to the Schedule must be executed by a duly authorized representative of each party, at which time such Additional Service will, together with the Initial Services, be deemed to constitute a Service for the purposes hereof and will be subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. The parties may, but will not be required to, agree on Additional Services during the applicable Service Period. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing or anywhere else in this Agreement, any service actually performed by the Provider upon written or oral request by the Recipient in connection with this Agreement will be deemed to constitute a Service for the purposes of Article III and Section 5.2, but such Service will only be incorporated into this Agreement by an amendment as set forth in this Section 2.2 and Section 5.11. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither party will have any obligation to agree to provide Additional Services.
Section 2.3 Scope of Services. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, (a)neither the Provider nor any of its Affiliates will be required to perform or to cause to be performed any of the Services for the benefit of any third party or any other person other than the applicable Recipient or its Affiliates, and (b) the Provider makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the Services, except as provided in Section 2.5.
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Section 2.4 Limitation on Provision of Services.
(a) Except as expressly contemplated in the Schedule, neither the Provider nor any of its Affiliates will be obligated to perform or to cause to be performed any Service in a volume or quantity that exceeds on an annualized basis 150 percent of the historical volumes or quantities of Services performed by it or its Affiliates for the business of the Recipient during calendar year 2020, without reference to the transactions contemplated by the Master Transaction Agreement (Historical Levels); provided, however, that if the Recipient wishes to increase the volume or quantity of such Services provided under this Agreement by more than such amount, the Recipient will make a request to the appropriate Provider in writing in accordance with Section 5.13 at least fifteen (15) days prior to the next Review Meeting setting out in as much detail as reasonably possible the change requested and the reason for requesting the change, which request will be considered at the next Review Meeting. The Provider may, in its sole discretion, choose to accommodate or not to accommodate any such request in part or in full.
(b) In case performance of any terms or provisions hereof will be delayed or prevented, in whole or in part, because of, or related to, compliance with any Law, decree, request, or order of any Governmental Authority, either local, state, federal, or foreign, or because of riots, war, public disturbance, strike, labor dispute, fire explosion, storm, flood, acts of God, major breakdown or failure of transportation, manufacturing, distribution, or storage facilities, or for any other reason which is not within the control of the party whose performance is interfered with and which by the exercise of reasonable diligence such party is unable to prevent (each, a Force Majeure Event), then upon prompt notice by the party so suffering to the other party, the party suffering will be excused from its obligations hereunder during the period such Force Majeure Event continues, and no liability will attach against either party on account thereof. No party will be excused from performance if such party fails to use reasonable diligence to remedy the situation and remove the cause and effect of the Force Majeure Event.
(c) If the Provider is unable to provide a Service hereunder because it does not have the necessary assets because such asset was transferred from the Provider to the Recipient, the parties will determine a mutually acceptable arrangement to provide the necessary access to such asset and until such time as access is provided, the Providers failure to provide such Service will not be a breach of this Agreement.
(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, this Agreement will not constitute an agreement for the Provider to provide Services to the Recipient to the extent that the provision of any such Services would not be in compliance with applicable Laws.
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Section 2.5 Standard of Performance; Standard of Care.
(a) The Provider will use its commercially reasonable efforts to provide and cause its Affiliates to provide the Services in a manner which is substantially similar in nature, quality, and timeliness to the services provided by the applicable Provider to the applicable Recipient immediately prior to the date hereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement will require the Provider to prioritize or otherwise favor the Recipient over any third parties or any of the Providers or the Providers Affiliates business operations. The Recipient acknowledges that the Providers obligation to provide the Services is contingent upon the Recipient (i) providing in a timely manner all information, documentation, materials, resources and access requested by the Provider and (ii) making timely decisions, approvals and acceptances and taking in a timely manner such other actions requested by the Provider, in each case that the Provider (in its reasonable business judgment) believes is necessary or desirable to enable the Provider to provide the Services; provided, however, that the Provider requests such approvals, information, materials or services with reasonable prior notice to the extent practicable. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Provider shall not be responsible for any failure to provide any Service in the event that the Recipient has not fully complied with the immediately preceding sentence. The parties acknowledge and agree that nothing contained in the Schedule will be deemed to (x) increase or decrease the standard of care imposed on the Provider, (y) expand the scope of the Services to be provided as set forth in Article II, except to the extent that the Schedule references a Service that was not provided immediately prior to the date hereof, or (z) limit Sections 5.1 and 5.2.
(b) In providing the Services, except to the extent necessary to maintain the level of Service provided on the date hereof (or with respect to any Additional Service, the agreed-upon level), the Provider will not be obligated to: (i) hire any additional employees or (ii) purchase, lease, or license any additional equipment, software, or other assets; and in no event will the Provider be obligated to (x) maintain the employment of any specific employee or (y) pay any costs related to the transfer or conversion of the Recipients data to the Provider or any alternate supplier of Services. Further, the Provider will have the right to designate which personnel it will assign to perform the Services, and it will have the right to remove and replace any such personnel at any time or designate any of its Affiliates or a third party provider at any time to perform the Services. At the Recipients request, the Provider will consult in good faith with the Recipient regarding the specific personnel to provide any particular Services; provided, however, that the Providers decision will control and be final and binding.
(c) The Providers sole responsibility to the Recipient for errors or omissions committed by the Provider in performing the Services will be to correct such errors or omissions in the Services at no additional cost to the Recipient; provided, however, that the Recipient must promptly advise the Provider of any such error or omission of which it becomes aware after having used commercially reasonable efforts to detect any such errors or omissions.
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(d) The parties and their respective Affiliates will use good faith efforts to cooperate with each other in connection with the performance of the Services hereunder, including producing on a timely basis all information that is reasonably requested with respect to the performance of Services; provided, however, that such cooperation not unreasonably disrupt the normal operations of the parties and their respective Affiliates; provided further, that the party requesting cooperation will pay all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by the party furnishing cooperation, unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or the Master Transaction Agreement. Such cooperation will include exchanging information, providing electronic access to systems used in connection with the Services and obtaining or granting all consents, licenses, sublicenses, or approvals necessary to permit each party to perform its obligations hereunder. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Recipient will be solely responsible for paying for the costs of obtaining such consents, licenses, sublicenses, or approvals, including reasonable legal fees and expenses. Either party providing electronic access to systems used in connection with Services may limit the scope of access to the applicable requirements of the relevant matter through any reasonable means available, and any such access will be subject to the terms of Section 5.8. The exchange of information or records (in any format, electronic or otherwise) related to the provision of Services under this Agreement will be made to the extent that (i) such information or records exist and are created in the ordinary course, (ii) do not involve the incurrence of any material expense, and (iii) are reasonably necessary for any such party to comply with its obligations hereunder or under applicable Law. Subject to the foregoing terms, the parties will cooperate with each other in making information available as needed in the event of a Tax audit or in connection with statutory or governmental compliance issues, whether in Hong Kong, Singapore or any other country; provided, however, that the provision of such information will be without representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. For the avoidance of doubt, and without limiting any privilege or protection that now or hereafter may be shared by the Provider and the Recipient, neither party will be required to provide any document if the party who would provide such document reasonably believes that so doing would waive any privilege or protection (e.g., attorney-client privilege) applicable to such document.
(e) If the Provider reasonably believes it is unable to provide any Service because of a failure to obtain necessary consents (e.g., third-party approvals or instructions or approvals from the Recipient required in the ordinary course of providing a Service), licenses, sublicenses, or approvals contemplated by Section 2.5(d), such failure shall not constitute a breach hereof by the Provider and the parties will cooperate to determine the best alternative approach; provided, however, that in no event will the Provider be required to provide such Service until an alternative approach reasonably satisfactory to the Provider is found or the consents, licenses, sublicenses, or approvals have been obtained.
Section 2.6 Prices for Services. Services provided to any Recipient pursuant to the terms of this Agreement will be charged at the prices set forth for such Services in the Schedule. At the end of each year during the Service Period, the Provider will determine and allocate the charges, costs and expenses incurred by the Provider to the Recipient on the basis set forth in the Schedule (collectively, Allocated Cost) during the previous year. In determining any cost based on actual usage, the Provider will deliver to the Recipient documentation for such cost at the reasonable request of the Recipient.
Section 2.7 Changes in Services. The parties agree and acknowledge that any Provider may make changes from time to time in the manner of performing the applicable Services if such Provider is making similar changes in performing similar services for itself, its Affiliates or other third parties, if any, and if such Provider furnishes to the Recipient substantially the same notice (in content and timing) as such Provider provides to its Affiliates or other third parties, if any, respecting such changes. In addition, and without limiting the immediately preceding sentence in any way, and notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, such Provider may make any of the following changes without obtaining the prior consent of the Recipient: (a) changes to the process of performing a particular Service that do not adversely affect the benefits to the Recipient of such Providers provision or quality of such Service in any material respect or materially increase the charge for such Service; (b) emergency changes on a temporary and short-term basis; and (c) changes to a particular Service in order to comply with applicable Law or regulatory requirements.
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Section 2.8 Services Performed by Third Parties. Nothing in this Agreement will prevent the Provider from using its Affiliates or third parties to perform all or any part of a Service hereunder. The Provider will remain fully responsible for the performance of its obligations under this Agreement in accordance with its terms, including any obligations it performs through its Affiliates or third parties, and the Provider will be solely responsible for payments due any such Affiliates or third parties.
Section 2.9 Responsibility for Provider Personnel. All personnel employed, engaged or otherwise furnished by the Provider in connection with its rendering of the Services will be the Providers employees, agents or subcontractors, as the case may be (collectively, Provider Personnel). The Provider will have the sole and exclusive responsibility for Provider Personnel, will supervise Provider Personnel and will cause Provider Personnel to cooperate with the Recipient in performing the Services in accordance with the terms and conditions of Section 2.5. The Provider will pay and be responsible for the payment of any and all premiums, contributions and taxes for workers compensation insurance, unemployment compensation, disability insurance, and all similar provisions now or hereafter imposed by any Governmental Authority with respect to, or measured by, wages, salaries, or other compensation paid, or to be paid, by the Provider to Provider Personnel.
Section 2.10 Services Rendered as a Work-For-Hire; Return of Equipment; Internal Use; No Sale, Transfer, Assignment; Copies. All materials, software, tools, data, inventions, works of authorship, documentation, and other innovations of any kind, including any improvements or modifications to the Providers proprietary computer software programs and related materials, that the Provider, or personnel working for or through the Provider, may make, conceive, develop or reduce to practice, alone or jointly with others, in the course of performing Services or as a result of such Services, whether or not eligible for patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other legal protection (collectively the Work Product), as between the Provider and the Recipient, will be solely owned by the Provider. Upon the termination of any of the Services, (a) the Recipient will return to the Provider, as soon as practicable, any equipment or other property of the Provider relating to such terminated Services which is owned or leased by the Provider and is, or was, in the Recipients possession or control; and (b) the Provider will transfer to the Recipient, as soon as practicable, any and all supporting, back-up, or organizational data or information of the Recipient used in supplying the Service to the Recipient. In addition, the parties will use good-faith efforts at the termination of this Agreement or any specific Service provided hereunder, to ensure that all user identifications and passwords related thereto, if any, are canceled, and that any other data (as well as any and all back-up of that data) pertaining solely to the other party and related to such Service will be returned to such other party and deleted or removed from the applicable computer systems. All systems, procedures and related materials provided to the Recipient are for the Recipients internal use only and only as related to the Services or any of the underlying Systems used to provide the Services, and unless the Provider gives its prior written consent in each and every instance (in its sole discretion), the Recipient may not sell, transfer, assign, or otherwise use the Services provided hereunder, in whole or in part, for the benefit of any person other than an Affiliate of the Recipient. The Recipient will not copy, modify, reverse engineer, decompile, or in any way alter Systems without the Providers express written consent (in its sole discretion).
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Section 2.11 Cooperation. Each party will designate in writing to the other party one (1) representative to act as a contact person with respect to all issues relating to the provision of the Services pursuant to this Agreement. Such representatives will hold review meetings by telephone or in person, as mutually agreed upon, approximately once every year to discuss issues relating to the provision of the Services under this Agreement (Review Meetings). In the Review Meetings such representatives will be responsible for (a) discussing any problems identified relating to the provision of Services and, to the extent changes are agreed upon, implementing such changes and (b) providing notice that any Service has since the prior Review Meeting for the first time exceeded, or is anticipated to exceed, the usual and customary volume for such Service as described in the Schedule.
ARTICLE III
CHARGES AND PAYMENT
Section 3.1 Procedure. Charges for the Services will be charged to and payable by the Recipient. Amounts payable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement will be paid to the Provider on an annual basis.
Section 3.2 Late Payments. Charges not paid within thirty (30) days after the date when payable will bear interest at the rate of 0.75% per month for the period commencing on the due date and ending on the date that is thirty (30) days after such due date, and thereafter at the rate of 1.5% per month until the date payment is received in full by the Provider.
ARTICLE IV
TERM AND TERMINATION
Section 4.1 Termination Dates. Unless otherwise terminated pursuant to this Article IV, this Agreement will terminate with respect to any Service at the close of business on the last day of the Service Period for such Service, unless the parties have agreed in writing to an extension of the Service Period.
Section 4.2 Early Termination by the Recipient. As provided in the Schedule (regarding the required number of days for written notice), the Recipient may terminate this Agreement with respect to either all or any one or more of the Services, at any time and from time to time (except in the event such termination will constitute a breach by Provider of a third-party agreement related to providing such Services), by giving the required written notice to the Provider of such termination (each, a Termination Notice). Early termination by the Recipient will obligate the Recipient to pay to the Provider a termination fee equal to the direct costs incurred by the Provider and any of its Affiliates in connection with their provision of Services at the time of the early termination (the Termination Fees). Unless provided otherwise in the Schedule, all Services of the same type must be terminated simultaneously. As soon as reasonably practicable after its receipt of a Termination Notice, the Provider will advise the Recipient as to whether early termination of such Services will require the termination or partial termination, or otherwise affect the provision of, certain other Services. If this will be the case, the Recipient may withdraw its Termination Notice within ten (10) days. If the Recipient does not withdraw the Termination Notice within such period, such termination will be final and the Recipient will be deemed to have agreed to the termination, partial termination, or affected provision of such other Services and to pay the Termination Fees.
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Section 4.3 Termination by the Provider. The Provider may terminate this Agreement with respect to either all or any one or more of the Services, at any time and from time to time, by giving the required written notice to the Recipient of such termination, if (a)members of the AMTD Group no longer collectively own at least twenty percent (20%) of the voting power of the then outstanding securities of AMTD Digital, or (b) AMTD Parent, collectively with the other members of the AMTD Group, ceases to be the largest beneficial owner of the then outstanding voting securities of AMTD Digital (for purposes of this clause (b), without considering holdings of institutional investors that have acquired AMTD Digital securities in the ordinary course of their business and not with a purpose nor with the effect of changing or influencing the control of AMTD Digital). Additionally, the Provider may terminate this Agreement by giving written notice of such termination to the Recipient, if the Recipient breaches any material provision of this Agreement (including a failure to timely pay an invoiced amount); provided, however, that the Recipient will have thirty (30) days after receiving such written notice to cure any breach which is curable before the termination becomes effective.
Section 4.4 Effect of Termination of Services. In the event of any termination with respect to one or more, but less than all, of the Services, this Agreement will continue in full force and effect with respect to any Services not so terminated. Upon the termination of any or all of the Services, the Provider will cease, or cause its applicable Affiliates or third-party providers to cease, providing the terminated Services. Upon each such termination, the Recipient will promptly (a) pay to the Provider all fees accrued through the effective date of the Termination Notice, and (b) reimburse the Provider for the termination costs actually incurred by the Provider resulting from the Recipients early termination of such Services, if any, including those costs owed to third-party providers, but excluding costs related to the termination of any particular Provider employees in connection with such termination of Services (including wrongful termination claims) unless the Recipient was notified in writing that such particular employees were being engaged in order for the Provider to provide such Services.
Section 4.5 Data Transmission. In connection with the termination of a particular Service, on or prior to the last day of each relevant Service Period, the Provider will cooperate fully and will cause its Affiliates to cooperate fully to support any transfer of data concerning the relevant Services to the applicable Recipient. If requested by the Recipient in connection with the prior sentence, the Provider will deliver and will cause its Affiliates to deliver to the applicable Recipient, within such time periods as the parties may reasonably agree, all records, data, files, and other information received or computed for the benefit of such Recipient during the Service Period, in electronic and/or hard copy form; provided, however, that (a) the Provider will not have any obligation to provide or cause to provide data in any non-standard format and (b) if the Provider, in its sole discretion, upon request of the Recipient, chooses to provide data in any non-standard format, the Provider and its Affiliates will be reimbursed for their reasonable out-of-pocket costs for providing data electronically in any format other than its standard format, unless expressly provided otherwise in the Schedule.
ARTICLE V
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 5.1 DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THIS AGREEMENT, THE PROVIDER MAKES NO AND DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICES, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. THE PROVIDER MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE QUALITY, SUITABILITY, OR ADEQUACY OF THE SERVICES FOR ANY PURPOSE OR USE.
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Section 5.2 Limitation of Liability; Indemnification.
(a) Each party acknowledges and agrees that the obligations of the other party hereunder are exclusively the obligations of such other party and are not guaranteed directly or indirectly by such other partys shareholders, members, managers, officers, directors, agents, or any other person. Except as otherwise specifically set forth in the Master Transaction Agreement, and subject to the terms of this Agreement, each party will look only to the other party and not to any manager, director, officer, employee, or agent for satisfaction of any claims, demands, or causes of action for damages, injuries, or losses sustained by any party as a result of the other partys action or inaction.
(b) Notwithstanding (i) the Providers agreement to perform the Services in accordance with the provisions hereof, or (ii) any term or provision of the Schedule to the contrary, the Recipient acknowledges that performance by the Provider of the Services pursuant to this Agreement will not subject the Provider, any of its Affiliates or their respective members, shareholders, managers, directors, officers, employees, or agents to any liability whatsoever, except as directly caused by the gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Provider or any of its members, shareholders, managers, directors, officers, employees, and agents; provided, however, that the Providers liability as a result of such gross negligence or willful misconduct will be limited to an amount not to exceed the lesser of (x) the price paid for the particular Service, (y) the Recipients or its Affiliates cost of performing the Service itself during the remainder of the applicable Service Period, or (z) the Recipients cost of obtaining the Service from a third party during the remainder of the applicable Service Period; provided further that the Recipient and its Affiliates will exercise their commercially reasonable efforts to minimize the cost of any such alternatives to the Services by selecting the most cost effective alternatives which provide the functional equivalent of the Services replaced.
(c) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THIS AGREEMENT TO THE CONTRARY, IN NO EVENT WILL EITHER PARTY OR ITS RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, COLLATERAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OR LOST PROFITS SUFFERED BY THE OTHER PARTY OR ITS AFFILIATES, HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, IN CONNECTION WITH ANY DAMAGES ARISING HEREUNDER; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT TO THE EXTENT EITHER PARTY OR ITS RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES IS REQUIRED TO PAY (A) ANY AMOUNT ARISING OUT OF THE INDEMNITY SET FORTH IN SECTION 5.2(b) AND (B) ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, COLLATERAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OR LOST PROFITS TO A THIRD PARTY WHO IS NOT AN AFFILIATE OF EITHER PARTY, IN EACH CASE IN CONNECTION WITH A THIRD-PARTY CLAIM, SUCH DAMAGES WILL CONSTITUTE DIRECT DAMAGES OF THE INDEMNIFIED PARTY AND WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO THE LIMITATION SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION 5.2(c).
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(d) The Recipient agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Provider, the Provider or its Affiliates and their respective members, shareholders, managers, directors, officers, employees, and agents with respect to any claims or liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) (Claims), which may be asserted or imposed against the Provider or such persons by a third party who is not an affiliate of either party, as a result of (i) the provision of the Services pursuant to this Agreement, or (ii) the material breach by the Recipient of a third-party agreement that causes or constitutes a material breach of such agreement by the Provider, except (with respect to both of the foregoing) for any claims which are directly caused by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Provider or such persons. Each party as indemnitee (Indemnitee) will give the other party as indemnitor (Indemnitor) prompt written notice of any Claims. If Indemnitor does not notify Indemnitee within a reasonable period after Indemnitors receipt of notice of any Claim that Indemnitor is assuming the defense of Indemnitee, then until such defense is assumed by Indemnitor, Indemnitee shall have the right to defend, contest, settle, or compromise such Claim in the exercise of its reasonable judgment and all costs and expenses of such defense, contest, settlement, or compromise (including reasonable outside attorneys fees and expenses) will be reimbursed to Indemnitee by Indemnitor. Upon assumption of the defense of any such Claim, Indemnitor will, at its own cost and expense, select legal counsel, conduct and control the defense and settlement of any suit or action which is covered by Indemnitors indemnity. Indemnitee shall render all cooperation and assistance reasonably requested by the Indemnitor and Indemnitor will keep Indemnitee fully apprised of the status of any Claim. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Indemnitee may, at its election and sole expense, be represented in such action by separate counsel and Indemnitee may, at its election and sole expense, assume the defense of any such action, if Indemnitee hereby waives Indemnitors indemnity hereunder. Unless Indemnitee waives the indemnity hereunder, in no event shall Indemnitee, as part of the settlement of any claim or proceeding covered by this indemnity or otherwise, stipulate to, admit or acknowledge any liability or wrongdoing (whether in contract, tort or otherwise) of any issue which may be covered by this indemnity without the consent of the Indemnitor (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).
Section 5.3 Compliance with Law and Governmental Regulations. The Recipient will be solely responsible for (a) compliance with all Laws affecting its business and (b) any use the Recipient may make of the Services to assist it in complying with such Laws. Without limiting any other provisions of this Agreement, AMTD Digital agrees and acknowledges that AMTD Parent has no responsibility or liability for advising AMTD Digital with respect to, or ensuring its compliance with, any public disclosure, its compliance or reporting obligations (including the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and rules and regulations promulgated under such Acts or any successor provisions), regardless of whether any failure to comply results from information provided hereunder.
Section 5.4 No Partnership or Joint Venture; Independent Contractor. Nothing contained in this Agreement will constitute or be construed to be or create a partnership or joint venture between the parties or any of their respective Affiliates, successors, or assigns. The parties understand and agree that this Agreement does not make either of them an agent or legal representative of the other for any purpose whatsoever. No party is granted, by this Agreement or otherwise, any right or authority to assume or create any obligation or responsibilities, express or implied, on behalf of or in the name of any other party, or to bind any other party in any manner whatsoever. The parties expressly acknowledge that the Provider is an independent contractor with respect to the Recipient in all respects, including with respect to the provision of the Services.
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Section 5.5 Non-Exclusivity. The Provider and its Affiliates may provide services of a nature similar to the Services to any other Person. There is no obligation for the Provider to provide the Services to the Recipient on an exclusive basis.
Section 5.6 Expenses. Except as otherwise provided herein, each party will pay its own expenses incident to the negotiation, preparation, and performance of this Agreement, including the fees, expenses, and disbursements of their respective investment bankers, accountants, and counsel.
Section 5.7 Further Assurances. From time to time, each party will use its commercially reasonable efforts to take or cause to be taken, at the cost and expense of the requesting party, such further actions as may be reasonably necessary to consummate or implement the transactions contemplated hereby or to evidence such matters.
Section 5.8 Confidentiality.
(a) Subject to Section 5.8(c), each party, on behalf of itself and its respective Affiliates, agrees to hold, and to cause its respective directors, officers, employees, agents, accountants, counsel, and other advisors and representatives to hold, in strict confidence, with at least the same degree of care that applies to such partys confidential and proprietary information pursuant to policies in effect as of the date hereof, all Information concerning the other party and its Affiliates that is either in its possession (including Information in its possession prior to the date hereof) or furnished by the other party, its Affiliates or their respective directors, officers, managers, employees, agents, accountants, counsel, and other advisors and representatives at any time pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise, and will not use any such Information other than for such purposes as will be expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder, except, in each case, to the extent that such Information has been (i) in the public domain through no fault of such party or its Affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, managers, employees, agents, accountants, counsel, and other advisors and representatives, (ii) later lawfully acquired from other sources by such party (or its Affiliates) which sources are not themselves bound by a confidentiality obligation, or (iii) independently generated without reference or prior access to any proprietary or confidential Information of the other party.
(b) Each party agrees not to release or disclose, or permit to be released or disclosed, any Information of the other party or its Affiliates to any other Person, except its directors, officers, employees, agents, accountants, counsel, and other advisors and representatives who need to know such Information (who will be advised of their obligations hereunder with respect to such Information), except in compliance with Section 5.8(c); provided, however, that any Information may be disclosed to third parties (who will be advised of their obligation hereunder with respect to such Information) retained by the Provider as the Provider reasonably deems necessary to perform the Services.
(c) In the event that any party or any of its Affiliates either determines on the advice of its counsel that it is required to disclose any Information pursuant to applicable Law (including pursuant to any rule or regulation of any Governmental Authority) or receives any demand under lawful process or from any Governmental Authority to disclose or provide Information of any other party (or of the other partys Affiliates) that is subject to the confidentiality provisions hereof, such party will notify the other party prior to disclosing or providing such Information and will cooperate at the expense of such other party in seeking any reasonable protective arrangements (including by seeking confidential treatment of such Information) requested or required by such other party. Subject to the foregoing, the person that received such a request or determined that it is required to disclose Information may thereafter disclose or provide Information to the extent required by such Law (as so advised by counsel) or by lawful process or such Governmental Authority; provided, however, that such Person provides the other party upon request with a copy of the Information so disclosed.
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Section 5.9 Headings. The Section and paragraph headings contained in this Agreement or in the Schedule hereto and in the table of contents to this Agreement are for reference purposes only and will not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
Section 5.10 Interpretation. For all purposes of this Agreement and the Schedule delivered pursuant to this Agreement: (a) the terms defined in Section 1.1 have the meanings assigned to them in Section 1.1 and include the plural as well as the singular; (b) all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned under the International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standard Board as in effect from time to time; (c) all references in this Agreement to designated Sections, Schedule, and other subdivisions are to the designated Sections, Schedule, and other subdivisions of the body of this Agreement; (d) pronouns of either gender or neuter will include, as appropriate, the other pronoun forms; (e) the words herein, hereof, hereunder, and other words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular Section or other subdivision; (f) or is not exclusive; (g) including and includes will be deemed to be followed by but not limited to and but is not limited to, respectively; (h) party or parties refer to a party or parties to this Agreement unless otherwise indicated; (i) any definition of, or reference to, any law, agreement, instrument, or other document herein will be construed as referring to such law, agreement, instrument, or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified; and (j) any definition of, or reference to, any statute will be construed as referring also to any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Section 5.11 Amendments. This Agreement (including the Schedule) may not be amended except by an instrument in writing executed by a duly authorized representative of each party. By an instrument in writing, the Provider, on the one hand, or the Recipient, on the other hand, may waive compliance by the other with any term or provision of this Agreement (including the Schedule) that such other party was or is obligated to comply with or perform. Any such waiver will only be effective in the specific instance and for the specific and limited purpose for which it was given and will not be deemed a waiver of any other provision of this Agreement (including the Schedule) or of the same breach or default upon any recurrence thereof. No failure on the part of any party to exercise and no delay in exercising any right hereunder will operate as a waiver thereof nor will any single or partial exercise of any right hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right.
Section 5.12 Inconsistency. Neither the making nor the acceptance of this Agreement will enlarge, restrict or otherwise modify the terms of the Master Transaction Agreement or constitute a waiver or release by any party of any liabilities, obligations or commitments imposed upon them by the terms of the Master Transaction Agreement, including the representations, warranties, covenants, agreements, and other provisions of the Master Transaction Agreement. In the event of any conflict between the terms of this Agreement (including the Schedule), on the one hand, and the terms of the Master Transaction Agreement, on the other hand, with respect to the subject matters of this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement will control. In the event of any inconsistency between the terms of this Agreement, on the one hand, and any of the Schedule, on the other hand, the terms of this Agreement (other than charges for Services) will control.
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Section 5.13 Notices. Notices, offers, requests or other communications required or permitted to be given by a party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be given in writing to the other party to the following addresses:
if to AMTD Parent:
23/F-25/F Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
Attention: *********************
Facsimile: *********************
Email: *********************
if to AMTD Digital:
25/F Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
Attention: *********************
Facsimile: *********************
Email: *********************
or to such other address, facsimile number, or email address as the party to whom notice is given may have previously furnished to the other in writing as provided herein. Any notice involving non-performance or termination shall be sent by hand delivery or recognized overnight courier. All other notices may also be sent by facsimile or email, confirmed by mail. All notices shall be deemed to have been given when received, if hand delivered; when transmitted, if transmitted by facsimile or email; upon confirmation of delivery, if sent by recognized overnight courier; and upon receipt if mailed.
Section 5.14 Assignment; No Third-Party Beneficiaries. Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights and obligations of the parties may be assigned by any party without the prior written consent of the other party, except that (a) the Recipient may assign its rights under this Agreement to any Affiliate or Affiliates of the Recipient without the prior written consent of the Provider, (b) the Provider may assign any rights and obligations hereunder to (i) any Affiliate or Affiliates of the Provider capable of providing such Services hereunder or (ii) third parties to the extent such third parties are routinely used to provide the Services to Affiliates and businesses of the Provider, in either case without the prior written consent of the Recipient, and (c) an assignment by operation of Law in connection with a merger or consolidation will not require the consent of the other party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each party will remain liable for all of its respective obligations under this Agreement. Subject to the first sentence of this Section 5.14, this Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and assigns and no other person will have any right, obligation or benefit hereunder. Any attempted assignment or transfer in violation of this Section 5.14 will be void.
15
Section 5.15 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements, the Schedule and appendices hereto and thereto contain the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, supersede all previous agreements, negotiations, discussions, writings, understandings, commitments, and conversations with respect to such subject matter and there are no agreements or understandings between the parties with respect to such subject matter other than those set forth or referred to herein or therein.
Section 5.16 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which will be considered one and the same agreement, and will become effective when one or more such counterparts have been signed by each of the parties and delivered to the other party. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by facsimile or other electronic imaging means will be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
Section 5.17 Severability. If any term or provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any applicable Law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement will nonetheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic and legal substance of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal, or incapable of being enforced, the parties will negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.
Section 5.18 Incorporation by Reference. The Schedule to this Agreement is incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this Agreement as if set forth in full herein.
Section 5.19 Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Hong Kong. Subject to Section 6.1 of the Master Transaction Agreement, each of the parties hereby submits unconditionally to the jurisdiction of, and agrees that venue shall lie exclusively in, the courts located in Hong Kong for purposes of the resolution of any disputes arising under this Agreement.
[Signature page follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
AMTD Group Company Limited | ||||
By: | /s/ Marcellus Wong | |||
Name: | Marcellus Wong | |||
Title: | Director | |||
AMTD Digital Inc. | ||||
By: | /s/ Mark Lo | |||
Name: | Mark Lo | |||
Title: | Director |
[Signature Page to Transitional Services Agreement]
SCHEDULE
SERVICES
Types of Services:
1. | Administrative Support Services, including but not limited to secretarial support, event management, conference management, and other day-to-day office support services. |
2. | Marketing and Branding Support Services, including but not limited to advertising and promotional events, production of publications and/or brochures. |
3. | Technology Support Services, including but not limited to network design, optimization and maintenance, system support and upgrade, technology and infrastructure support, management of information technology equipment, technical support and disaster recovery, and complementary product development. |
4. | Provision of Office Space and Facilities. |
Provider: AMTD Parent or an Affiliate of AMTD Parent
Recipient: AMTD Digital or an Affiliate of AMTD Digital
Scope and Annual Volume of Each Type of Services: Based on the Recipients reasonable request subject to the terms of this Agreement, provided that the Provider actually performs such Service for itself or its Affiliates.
Prices for Services:
1. | Administrative Support Services: Fixed rate of HK$3,600,000 per year. |
2. | Marketing and Branding Support Services: To be determined based on actual usage. |
3. | Technology Support Services: To be determined based on actual usage. |
4. | Provision of Office Space and Facilities: To be determined based on actual space occupied. |
Required Notice Period for Termination by Recipient Pursuant to Section 4.2 of this Agreement: 30 days
Required Notice Period for Termination by Recipient Pursuant to Section 4.3 of this Agreement: 30 days
Schedule-1-1
Exhibit 10.6
NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENT
Between
AMTD GROUP COMPANY LIMITED
and
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
Dated as of May 18, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS |
1 | |||
Section 1.1 Defined Terms |
1 | |||
ARTICLE II NON-COMPETITION |
3 | |||
Section 2.1 Undertaking of the AMTD Group |
3 | |||
Section 2.2 Undertaking of the AMTD Digital Group |
3 | |||
ARTICLE III NON-SOLICITATION |
3 | |||
Section 3.1 Non-Solicitation by AMTD Parent |
3 | |||
Section 3.2 Non-Solicitation by AMTD Digital |
4 | |||
ARTICLE IV MISCELLANEOUS |
4 | |||
Section 4.1 Consent of AMTD Parent |
4 | |||
Section 4.2 Consent of AMTD Digital |
4 | |||
Section 4.3 Entire Agreement |
4 | |||
Section 4.4 Governing Law and Jurisdiction |
4 | |||
Section 4.5 Dispute Resolution |
4 | |||
Section 4.6 Termination; Amendment |
5 | |||
Section 4.7 Notices |
5 | |||
Section 4.8 Counterparts |
6 | |||
Section 4.9 Binding Effect; Assignment |
6 | |||
Section 4.10 Severability |
6 | |||
Section 4.11 Failure or Indulgence not Waiver; Specific Performance; Remedies Cumulative |
6 | |||
Section 4.12 Authority |
7 | |||
Section 4.13 Interpretation |
7 |
i
NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENT
This Non-Competition Agreement is dated as of May 18, 2021, by and between AMTD Group Company Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (AMTD Parent), and AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (AMTD Digital) (each of AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital a Party and, together, the Parties).
R E C I T A L S
WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, AMTD Parent, together with its subsidiaries including AMTD International Inc., AMTD Education Group and AMTD Assets Alpha Group, effectively owns 28,953,305 and 19,892,000 issued and outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares of AMTD Digital respectively, representing in aggregate 72.2% of the total issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares of AMTD Digital;
WHEREAS, the Parties currently contemplate that AMTD Digital will seek an initial public offering (the IPO) pursuant to the registration statement on Form F-1 confidentially submitted for review and comment by the SEC under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to be filed publicly with the SEC via its EDGAR system (the date of such public filing, the Public Filing Date) following the substantial completion of such review and comment and as financial market conditions permit (as so filed, and as amended thereafter from time to time, the IPO Registration Statement);
WHEREAS, AMTD Parent has been engaged in the AMTD Digital Business through AMTD Digital and AMTD Digitals subsidiaries, as more fully described in the IPO Registration Statement;
WHEREAS, prior to the date hereof, all of the then existing assets and liabilities in connection with the AMTD Digital Business have already been transferred to or assumed by AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries; and
WHEREAS, the Parties intend in this Agreement to set forth the principal terms and conditions with respect to their agreement not to compete with each other or solicit the employees of each other following.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements, covenants, and provisions contained in this Agreement, the Parties, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1 Defined Terms. The following capitalized terms have the meanings given to them in this Section 1.1:
ADSs means American depositary shares representing Class A Ordinary Shares.
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Agreement means this Non-Competition Agreement, as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions hereof.
AMTD Digital has the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.
AMTD Digital Business means digital financial services, digital ecosystem solutions, and digital media, content, and marketing businesses, as more completely described in the IPO Registration Statement.
AMTD Digital Group means AMTD Digital and its subsidiaries.
AMTD Group means AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries, other than AMTD Digital Group.
AMTD Parent has the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.
AMTD Parent Business means any business that is conducted by AMTD Parent and its subsidiaries, other than the AMTD Digital Business.
Class A Ordinary Shares means the class A ordinary shares of AMTD Digital, par value US$0.0001 per share.
Class B Ordinary Shares means the class B ordinary shares of AMTD Digital, par value US$0.0001 per share.
Dispute has the meaning set forth in Section 4.5 of this Agreement.
Dispute Resolution Commencement Date has the meaning set forth in Section 4.5 of this Agreement.
IPO has the meaning ascribed to it in the recitals to this Agreement.
IPO Registration Statement has the meaning ascribed to it in the recitals to this Agreement.
Master Transaction Agreement means the Master Transaction Agreement between AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital dated the date hereof, as the same may be amended and supplemented in accordance with the provisions thereof.
Non-Competition Period means the period beginning upon the completion of the IPO and ending on the later of:
(a) the date that is two years after the first date upon which members of the AMTD Group cease to own in the aggregate at least twenty percent (20%) of the voting power of the then outstanding securities of AMTD Digital; and
(b) the fifth anniversary of the date of the completion of the IPO.
Ordinary Shares means the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares.
Party or Parties has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.
2
Person means an individual, a partnership, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization, or a governmental entity, or any department, agency, or political subdivision thereof.
Public Filing Date has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
SEC means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
ARTICLE II
NON-COMPETITION
Section 2.1 Undertaking of the AMTD Group. During the Non-Competition Period, AMTD Parent will not, and will cause each of the other members of AMTD Group not to, other than through the AMTD Digital Group, directly or indirectly, sell or otherwise provide to any third party any product or service or otherwise engage or invest in any business that is of the same nature as the AMTD Digital Business, whether as a principal or for its own account, or as a shareholder or other equity owner in any Person (other than AMTD Digital); provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any member of the AMTD Group from owning beneficially or of record non-controlling ownership (calculated on an aggregate basis combining any such ownership by any members of the AMTD Group) of the equity or its equivalent of any company (other than AMTD Digital) that sells or otherwise provides any product or service or otherwise engages in any business that is of the same nature as the AMTD Digital Business.
Section 2.2 Undertaking of the AMTD Digital Group. During the Non-Competition Period, AMTD Digital will not, and will cause each of the other members of the AMTD Digital Group not to, directly or indirectly, sell or otherwise provide to any third party any product or service or otherwise engage or invest in any business that competes in any way with the AMTD Parent Business, whether as a principal or for its own account, or as a shareholder or other equity owner in any Person; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any member of the AMTD Digital Group from owning beneficially or of record, non-controlling ownership (calculated on an aggregate basis combining any such ownership by any member of the AMTD Digital Group) of the equity or its equivalent of any company that sells or otherwise provides any such product or service in competition with the AMTD Parent Business.
ARTICLE III
NON-SOLICITATION
Section 3.1 Non-Solicitation by AMTD Parent. During the Non-Competition Period, AMTD Parent will not, and will cause each other member of the AMTD Group not to, directly or indirectly, hire, or solicit for hire, any active employees of or individuals providing consulting services to any member of the AMTD Digital Group, or any former employees of or individuals providing consulting services to any member of the AMTD Digital Group within six months of the termination of their employment with or consulting services to the member of the AMTD Digital Group, without AMTD Digitals consent; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any solicitation activities through generalized non-targeted advertisement not directed to such employees or individuals that do not result in the hiring of any such employees or individuals by the AMTD Group within the Non-Competition Period.
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Section 3.2 Non-Solicitation by AMTD Digital. During the Non-Competition Period, AMTD Digital will not, and will cause each other member of the AMTD Digital Group not to, directly or indirectly, solicit or hire any active employees of or individuals providing consulting services to any member of the AMTD Group, or any former employees of or individuals providing consulting services to any member of the AMTD Group within six months of the termination of their employment with or consulting to the member of the AMTD Group, without AMTD Parents consent; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any solicitation activities through generalized non-targeted advertisement not directed to such employees or individuals that do not result in the hiring of any such employees or individuals by the AMTD Digital Group within the Non-Competition Period.
ARTICLE IV
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 4.1 Consent of AMTD Parent. Any consent of AMTD Parent pursuant to this Agreement shall not be effective unless it is in writing and evidenced by the signature of the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of AMTD Parent (or such other person that the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or board of directors of AMTD Parent has specifically authorized in writing to give such consent).
Section 4.2 Consent of AMTD Digital. Any consent of AMTD Digital pursuant to this Agreement shall not be effective unless it is in writing and evidenced by the signature of the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of AMTD Digital (or such other person that the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or board of directors of AMTD Digital has specifically authorized in writing to give such consent).
Section 4.3 Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and shall supersede all prior written and oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements and understandings with respect to the subject matter hereof.
Section 4.4 Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Hong Kong. Subject to Section 6.1 of the Master Transaction Agreement, each of the Parties hereby submits unconditionally to jurisdiction of, and agrees that venue shall lie exclusively in, the courts located in Hong Kong for purposes of the resolution of any disputes arising under this Agreement.
Section 4.5 Dispute Resolution. (a) Any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the breach, termination or validity thereof (Dispute) which arises between the Parties shall first be negotiated between appropriate senior executives of each Party who shall have the authority to resolve the matter. Such executives shall meet to attempt in good faith to negotiate a resolution of the Dispute prior to pursuing other available remedies, within ten (10) days of receipt by a Party of written notice of a Dispute, which date of receipt shall be referred to herein as the Dispute Resolution Commencement Date. Discussions and correspondence relating to trying to resolve such Dispute shall be treated as confidential information and privileged information of each of AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital developed for the purpose of settlement and shall be exempt from discovery or production and shall not be admissible in any subsequent proceeding between the Parties.
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(b) If the senior executives are unable to resolve the Dispute within 60 days from the Dispute Resolution Commencement Date, then, the Dispute will be submitted to the boards of directors of AMTD Parent and AMTD Digital. Representatives of each board of directors shall meet as soon as practicable to attempt in good faith to negotiate a resolution of the Dispute.
(c) If the representatives of the two boards of directors are unable to resolve the Dispute within 120 days from the Dispute Resolution Commencement Date, on the request of any Party, the Dispute will be mediated by a mediator appointed pursuant to the mediation rules of the American Arbitration Association. Both Parties will share the administrative costs of the mediation and the mediators fees and expenses equally, and each Party shall bear all of its other costs and expenses related to the mediation, including but not limited to attorneys fees, witness fees, and travel expenses. The mediation shall take place in Hong Kong or in whatever alternative forum on which the Parties may agree.
(d) If the Parties cannot resolve any Dispute through mediation within 45 days after the appointment of the mediator (or the earlier withdrawal thereof), each Party shall be entitled to seek relief in a court of competent jurisdiction.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the Parties will continue to honor all commitments under this Agreement during the course of dispute resolution pursuant to the provisions of this Section 4.5 with respect to all matters not subject to such dispute, controversy or claim.
Section 4.6 Termination; Amendment. This Agreement may be terminated or amended by mutual written consent of the Parties, evidenced by an instrument in writing signed on behalf of each of the Parties.
Section 4.7 Notices. Notices or other communications required or permitted to be given by a Party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be given in writing to the other Party to the following addresses:
if to AMTD Parent:
23/F-25/F Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
Attention: *********************
Facsimile: *********************
Email: *********************
if to AMTD Digital:
25/F Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
Attention: *********************
Facsimile: *********************
Email: *********************
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or to such other address, facsimile number or email address as the Party to whom notice is given may have previously furnished to the other in writing as provided herein. Any notice involving non-performance or termination shall be sent by hand delivery or recognized overnight courier. All other notices may also be sent by facsimile or email, confirmed by mail. All notices shall be deemed to have been given when received, if hand delivered; when transmitted, if transmitted by facsimile or email; upon confirmation of delivery, if sent by recognized overnight courier; and upon receipt if mailed.
Section 4.8 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original but all of which shall constitute one and the same agreement.
Section 4.9 Binding Effect; Assignment. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Parties hereto and their respective legal representatives and successors, and nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any other Person any rights or remedies of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement. No party may assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder, without the prior written consent of the other Party, and any such assignment without such consent shall be void; provided, however, each Party may assign this Agreement to a successor entity in conjunction with the transfer of substantially all of the Partys business, whether by sale of substantially all assets, merger, consolidation or otherwise.
Section 4.10 Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is determined by a court, administrative agency or arbitrator to be invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any Party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the Parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the Parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner in order that transactions contemplated hereby are fulfilled to the fullest extent possible.
Section 4.11 Failure or Indulgence not Waiver; Specific Performance; Remedies Cumulative. No failure or delay on the part of any Party in the exercise of any right hereunder shall impair such right or be construed to be a waiver of, or acquiescence in, any breach of any representation, warranty or agreement herein, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right preclude other or further exercise thereof or of any other right. Each Party recognizes and agrees that the other Partys remedy at law for any breach of this Agreement would be inadequate and that the non-breaching Party shall, in addition to such other remedies as may be available to it at law or in equity, be entitled to injunctive relief and to enforce its rights by an action for specific performance to the extent permitted by law (without the posting of any bond and without proof of actual damages). All rights and remedies existing under this Agreement are cumulative to, and not exclusive of, any rights or remedies otherwise available.
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Section 4.12 Authority. Each of the Parties hereto represents to the others that (a) it has the corporate or other requisite power and authority to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, (b) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by it have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other actions, (c) it has duly and validly executed and delivered this Agreement, and (d) this Agreement is a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and general equity principles.
Section 4.13 Interpretation. The headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. For all purposes of this Agreement: (a) all references in this Agreement to designated Sections, Schedules, Exhibits, and other subdivisions are to the designated Sections, Schedules, Exhibits, and other subdivisions of the body of this Agreement unless otherwise indicated; (b) the words herein, hereof, hereunder, and other words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular Section or other subdivision; (c) or is not exclusive; (d) including and includes will be deemed to be followed by but not limited to and but is not limited to, respectively; (e) any definition of, or reference to, any law, agreement, instrument, or other document herein will be construed as referring to such law, agreement, instrument, or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified; and (f) any definition of, or reference to, any statute will be construed as referring also to any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
[Signature page follows]
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WHEREFORE, the Parties have signed this Non-Competition Agreement effective as of the date first set forth above.
AMTD Group Company Limited | ||
By: | /s/ Marcellus Wong | |
Name: | Marcellus Wong | |
Title: | Director | |
AMTD Digital Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ Mark Lo | |
Name: | Mark Lo | |
Title: | Director |
[Signature Page to Non-Competition Agreement]
Exhibit 10.7
Strictly Private & Confidential
AMTD GROUP COMPANY LIMITED
Vistra Corporate Services Centre
Wickhams Cay II
Road Town, Tortola
VG1110
British Virgin Islands
1 October 2020
Dear Sirs
Subscription to the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem by AMTD Group on behalf of Airstar Bank Limited (Airstar)
WHEREAS:-
(1) | AMTD Group has created an unique AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem which empowered entrepreneurs and corporates with capital, technologies, mentorship, connectivity, and other resources essential to accelerating and enhancing their business digital transformation and corporate development journeys. |
(2) | AMTD Digital Inc. (together with its subsidiaries), as the fusion reactor at the core of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, is one of the most comprehensive digital solutions platforms in Asia with business spanning multiple verticals, including digital financial services, digital ecosystem solutions, digital media, content and marketing, and digital investments. |
(3) | AMTD Group, being the strategic partner of Xiaomi and jointly holds Airstar (with AMTD Group holding 10% of outstanding shares), would like to engage AMTD Digital Media Limited (the Company) to provide assess to Airstar into AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, in addition, AMTD Digitals management team will provide expertise and guidance to AMTD Group with respect of Airstars strategic development and growth plans through the provision of insights, connections, and related supports including, among others, digital marketing and strategic brand positioning (the Services). |
The Company and AMTD Group are hereinafter collectively referred to as us, and individually as a Party.
1. | Terms of Business |
The Companys standard terms and conditions (Terms of Business) are set out in the Appendix to this letter (Engagement Letter). The Terms of Business are an integral part of this Engagement Letter and are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. The Terms of Business should be taken as applying in the context of this engagement. If there is any conflict and/or inconsistency between the terms of this Engagement Letter and the Terms of Business, the terms of this Engagement Letter shall prevail.
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2. | The Companys Role, Duties and Responsibilities |
AMTDs role, duties and responsibilities in relation to the Services will be as follows:
To provide on-going strategic support on the Airstars development and growth plans through the provision of assess and integration into the proprietary AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem. Within the framework of AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, Airstar is offered insights, strategic supports, and connectivity in relation to digital marketing, strategic brand positioning and other related areas.
AMTD Group acknowledges and agrees that:
(a) | our suggestions and recommendations are intended for the sole benefit and use of AMTD Group and/or Airstar and the details of our services will not be disclosed to any other person or party without the prior written consent of the Company; and |
(b) | in providing our suggestions and offering the access to you into the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, we will use and rely upon information provided to us by, or on behalf of, Airstar and also on information from publicly available sources. We will assume the accuracy and completeness of all such information without independently verifying the same. |
The duties of the Company will not include advice on legal, tax, accounting or other specialist matters which will require any kind of statutory or regulatory licenses. We shall not be liable in respect of any services or advice provided to you by persons other than ourselves. AMTD Group acknowledges and understands that any decision as to whether or not AMTD Group or Airstar enters into a transaction (and the terms on which it does so) is the sole responsibility of AMTD Group. The Company shall not be liable for any management decisions made by AMTD Group or Airstar with reliance on our advice as requested by AMTD Group from time to time.
3. | Fee |
3.1 | Fixed Annual Fee |
In consideration of the Services to be rendered hereunder, AMTD Group shall pay the Company for a fixed annual fee of HK$12,800,000, the fee shall be due for payment upon presentation of invoice by the Company to AMTD Group.
In relation to fees settlement, all cheques should be crossed and made payable to AMTD Digital Media Limited or transfer to the following bank account:
Beneficiary Bank Name: | HSBC Hong Kong | |
Beneficiary Bank Swift Code: | HSBCHKHHHKH | |
Account name: | AMTD Digital Media Limited | |
Account No.: | 502-601552-001 (HKD) |
3.2 | Additional Fee |
In addition to the fixed annual fee payable to the Company by AMTD Group as stipulated in clause 3.1, AMTD Group shall share 15% of all distributions in whatever forms received from Airstar, including but not limited to cash dividend or share dividend and regardless such distribution is on regular basis or special one-off distribution. In any event, if AMTD Group generates profit from disposal of any shares of Airstar, AMTD Group shall also share 15% of such profit to the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company will not be liable to share any loss arising from disposal of Airstar shares by AMTD Group.
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4. | Expenses |
The Company may incur out-of-pocket expenses which are necessary for performing the Services with the approval of AMTD Group (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld), The Company shall be reimbursed for such expenses incurred.
5. | Period of Engagement |
The arrangements set out in this Engagement Letter are started from 1 October 2020 and remain in place until it is terminated by mutual agreement between the Company and AMTD Group.
6. | Confidentiality |
Each of the Company and AMTD Group undertakes to the other party that it shall treat as strictly confidential, and shall procure that its directors, officers and employees treat as strictly confidential, all information (whether oral, graphic, written or in electronic form) which it receives or obtains as a result of entering into or performing this Letter (the Confidential Information), including, without limitation:
(i) | information relating to the provisions and subject matter of this Letter; |
(ii) | information relating to the existence of this Letter and its purpose; and |
(iii) | information relating to the negotiations leading up to this Letter, including any information relating to or in respect of any negotiations and communications between us after the date of this Letter. |
Each of the Company and AMTD Group undertakes to the other party that all Confidential Information must not be disclosed to any party which is not a party to this Letter without prior written consent of the other party, save and except: (i) to its advisors, attorneys or auditors who have a need to know such information, (ii) as required by law or court order, or (iii) as required in connection with the reorganization of a Party, or its merger into any other corporation, or the sale by a Party of all or substantially all of its properties or assets.
7. | Law |
This Engagement Letter and all rights and obligations of the Company and AMTD Group arising under or in connection with or related to this Engagement Letter, will be governed by and construed, performed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.
This Engagement Letter, together with the Terms of Business, which sets out the Companys standard terms and conditions for providing the services referred to above, contains all the terms which the parties have agreed.
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This Engagement Letter may be executed in any number of counterparts each of which when executed by one or more of the parties hereto shall constitute an original instrument but all the counterparts together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Delivery of a counterpart of this Engagement Letter by e-mail attachment or telecopy shall be an effective mode of delivery.
Please signify your agreement with the above and Terms of Business by signing and dating one copy of this Engagement Letter and returning it to us. Please retain the other copy for your records.
Yours very truly | ||
For and on behalf of | ||
AMTD DIGITAL MEDIA LIMITED | ||
/s/ Wong Yui Keung Marcellus | ||
Wong Yui Keung Marcellus | ||
Director |
Agreed and accepted for and on behalf of AMTD GROUP COMPANY LIMITED by:
Signature | /s/ LO CHI HANG | |||
Name in block letters | LO CHI HANG | |||
Position | Group Vice President | |||
Date | 1 October 2020 |
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APPENDIX
Terms of Business
1. | Application |
These terms of business will apply to any services we provide to you as described or referred to in Clause 2 of the Engagement Letter (Services). The terms of the Engagement Letter shall prevail to the extent that they are inconsistent with these terms of business and will supersede any previous terms of business.
2. | Authorisation |
We are authorised by you to do anything which is reasonably necessary either to carry out the Services or to comply with any applicable laws, rules, regulations, authorisations, consents or practice as may reasonably be appropriate.
We are entitled to assume that any instructions, notices or requests (whether in writing or not and however communicated to us) have been properly authorised by you if they are given or purported to be given by an individual or person who is or purports to be and is reasonably believed by us to be a director or employee or your authorised agent.
3. | Consents, Regulatory Undertaking and Anti-Corruption |
Each party hereto confirms and agrees that, in so far as may be relevant to the Services or matter to which the Services relate, it shall not, and shall procure that its Associates (as such term is defined in clause 15 below) and any other person who performs services for or on its behalf shall not, offer, give or agree to give, or request, accept or agree to accept from any person, whether for itself or on behalf of another, any gift, payment, consideration or benefit of any kind which constitutes and illegal or corrupt practice under the laws of any relevant jurisdiction.
4. | Provision of Information |
You agree to provide or procure the provision to us of all information concerning your business or affairs which we require for the proper provision of our Services and all such further information as we may reasonably request. You will ensure that any information you supply to us, including statements of opinion, will be true, fair, complete and accurate and not misleading. You agree that, if anything occurs within a reasonable time thereafter to render any such information untrue, unfair or misleading, you will promptly notify us and take all such steps as we reasonably require to correct any statement or publication based on such information.
In addition, you agree to keep the Company informed promptly of any material developments that may have an effect on the Services during our engagement.
5. | Fees and Expenses |
You agree that all sums payable to us shall be paid free and clear of all deductions or withholdings unless the deduction or withholding is required by law, in which event you shall pay such additional amount as shall be required to ensure that the net amount received by us will equal the full amount which would have been received had no such deduction or withholding been made.
6. | Conflicts of Interest |
You acknowledge and accept that we and our Associates are involved in a wide range of businesses involving capital markets and advisory, asset management, securities brokerage and other activities, out of which a conflict of interest may arise where we owe or may owe separate duties to act in the best interests of our clients in relation to the same or related matter (Conflict of Interest).
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Each line of business maintains practices and procedures for identifying and managing a Conflict of Interest, so as properly to safeguard the interests of our clients and to provide them with objective advice. We rely upon Chinese Walls to manage any Conflict of Interest that may arise between separate lines of business. Within capital market and advisory, we further establish special ad hoc security measures around a specific team or group of people so as to protect information and manage a potential Conflict of Interest.
In certain circumstances, it may be appropriate for us to disclose to you, either orally or in writing, subject to any obligation of confidentially which we might owe, the extent and nature of the Conflict of Interest that we have, or may have, before we provide the Services to you. Under no circumstances shall we be required to disclose to you, or make use of, any information which belongs to or is confidential to another client or to us or any Associate of ours. In exceptional circumstances, where a Conflict of Interest arises and we decide it cannot be appropriately managed, we may be unable to provide the Services to you.
Our agreeing to provide you any services shall not preclude us or our Associates from engaging in any transaction or providing any services to another party at any time where a Conflict of Interest may otherwise arise.
The description above is a summary only of our conflicts policy. A copy of the policy is available on request.
7. | Advice and Confidentiality |
Each of us undertakes to keep confidential any confidential information concerning the business, affairs, directors or employees of the other that comes into its possession in the course of the provision of the Services and not to use any such information for any purpose other than that for which it was provided.
You acknowledge and accept that we may be required or it may be appropriate for us to disclose information and deliver documentation relating to you or matters arising from or in connection with our Services to governmental or regulatory agencies and authorities and you expressly authorise such disclosure or delivery.
8. | Publicity |
You undertake that you will not, and you will procure that none of your Associates or persons acting in concert (within the meaning of the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers) with you or your Associates will, take any material step or action in relation to, or publish or procure or solicit the publication of, any document, statement or communication about any matter in connection with which we have provided or are providing Services without our prior consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld. If for any reason any such document, statement or communication is made in breach of this undertaking, you acknowledge that we shall be entitled to publish any documents, statements or communications as we think fit in our interest without liability.
You shall ensure that any document, statement or communication issued by you or on your behalf (whether in the form of a formal announcement or otherwise) in connection with the matter in respect of which the Services are provided will be true, fair and accurate and not misleading, that every statement of opinion or intention or expectation contained therein will be honestly and fairly based, and that there will be no facts not disclosed therein which by their omission make any statement therein misleading.
You acknowledge and accept that we and our Associates, may publish or procure the publication of, any press releases or similar public communications or marketing materials relating to the matter in respect of which the Services are provided, on our website, www.amtdgroup.com or any website(s) hosted by us or our Associates.
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9. | Liability |
Neither we nor any Associate of ours shall have any liability (whether direct or indirect in contract, tort, or otherwise) to you or any of your Associates for or in connection with any of the Services provided by us or them to you except to the extent that the liability has arisen from our or our Associates gross negligence, fraud or wilful default.
If you accept any express limitation of liability from any of your other professional advisers (including without limitation accountants and lawyers) in connection with the Services, then
(i) our total liability to you in connection with any claims against us by you will be reduced so that it will not exceed the total amount for which we would have been liable to you but for such limitation and (ii) you will promptly inform us that you have accepted such limitation and will provide written confirmation to us in a form and substance reasonably satisfactory to us to give effect to the provisions of (i) of this paragraph.
Notwithstanding anything contained in this clause 9, you agree that under no circumstances shall our and any of our Associates total liability to you in the respect of the Services, or any matter in any way connected therewith or relating thereto, exceed the fees we have received under the Engagement Letter. Nothing in these terms of business shall exclude or limit, or seek to exclude or limit, any liability which may not lawfully be excluded or limited or which may not be excluded or restricted under any applicable law or regulation.
10. | Indemnity |
You agree with us (for ourselves and on trust for our Associates) fully to indemnify us and each of our Associates and keep us and each of them so indemnified against:
a) | any and all claims, damages, demands or proceedings brought or made or alleged (or threatened to be brought or made or alleged) in any jurisdiction (whether or not successful, compromised or settled) (collectively claims) against us or any of them; and |
b) | any losses, liabilities, costs, charges or expenses suffered or incurred by us or any of them (collectively losses) (including, without limitation, all losses (including legal fees) suffered or incurred in connection with investigating, responding to, preparing for or defending any claim, whether or not in connection with pending or threatened litigation to which we or any Associate is a party, or in enforcing any rights under the Engagement Letter or these terms of business), |
in connection with or arising directly or indirectly from any services provided to you or in respect of the matter to which such services relate provided that you shall not be responsible for any such claims or losses if and to the extent that they result from our or that Associates gross negligence, fraud or wilful default.
This indemnity shall be in addition to any rights that we or any of our Associate may have at common law or otherwise.
11. | Dispute Resolution |
We have internal procedures for handling complaints. If you have a complaint about us, please submit it to us in writing. You can write to your usual contact at AMTD Digital Media Limited.
Any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of, or in connection with, our Services or these Terms of Business (including any question about their existence, validity or termination) shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules in force at that time. Such Rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference into these Terms of Business. The tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators, (or, if we agree, one arbitrator). We shall each be entitled to nominate one arbitrator, and the third arbitrator will be appointed by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC). The place of arbitration shall be Hong Kong at the HKIAC. The language to be used at the proceedings shall be English. The decision of the tribunal shall be final and binding on each of us.
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12. | Notification of Claims |
If you become aware of any third party claim or, potential claim against you or of any matter or event which might give rise to such a claim (a third party claim) which might also lead to a claim being made against us or one of our Associates relating to the Services, you:
(a) | shall procure that notice of such third party claim is promptly given to us; and |
(b) | shall not make (or, as appropriate, shall co-operate to procure that your group company shall not make) any admission of liability, agreement or compromise with any person, body or authority in relation to any such third party claim without prior consultation with us. |
13. | Rights of Third Parties |
Save for the Companys Associates, who may enforce their rights under these terms of business or under an Engagement Letter directly against you, the parties hereunder or under an Engagement Letter do not intend that any term hereunder or under an Engagement Letter should be enforceable, by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Ordinance (Chapter 623 of the Laws of Hong Kong), by any person who is not a party.
14. | Notices |
Any notice or consent to be given hereunder or under the Engagement Letter may be delivered in person by letter or be sent by facsimile transmission to the address of our registered office, for notices to us, and to the address last notified by you to us, for notices to you.
15. | Meaning of Associate |
The expression of Associates in these terms of business, means (i) officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents from time to time; (ii) subsidiaries, holding companies (if any) and each of the subsidiaries of such holding companies and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents from time to time; (iii) in the case of ourselves, to the extent that they are not included in (i) and (ii) of this definition, associated partnerships in which we and/or other Associates are partners; companies referred to in (ii) of this definition are associated companies (for this purpose ownership of control of 20% or more of the equity share capital of a company is regarded as the test of associated company status).
16. | Termination |
Mutual agreement is required to terminate the arrangements between us which shall be effective upon signing of written agreement by both parties.
All accrued rights and liabilities of the parties hereunder, or under the Engagement Letter (including, without limitation our rights to receive fees and expenses) and the terms of clauses, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 of these terms of business shall survive and remain in full force and effect, notwithstanding any termination or expiry of these terms of business.
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17. | Data Protection |
You hereby consent to the processing and use by us, our Associates, agents and sub-contractors of personal data (as defined in the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, Chapter 486 of the Laws of Hong Kong) given by you under these terms of business or the Engagement Letter for the provision of services to you, which may include the transfer of such data to other processing centres or out of Hong Kong. Such data may also be used by us and our agents and Associates to update customer records and to advise you of other products and services, unless you have indicated otherwise to us in writing. You undertake to supply personal data to us in accordance with the provisions of the Personal Date (Privacy) Ordinance.
18. | Personal Liability |
Without prejudice to any claim you may have against us and notwithstanding clause 9 above, you agree that, to the fullest extent permissible by law, none of our or our Associates, directors, non-executive directors or employees or shareholders shall have any liability to you hereunder.
19. | Governing Law |
These terms of business are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.
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Exhibit 10.8
DATED December 19, 2019
VALUE PARTNERS HONG KONG LIMITED ACTING AS THE INVESTMENT
MANAGER FOR AND ON BEHALF OF VALUE PARTNERS GREATER CHINA HIGH
YIELD INCOME FUND
and
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of December 19, 2019, by and among:
1. | Value Partners Hong Kong Limited, acting as the investment manager for and on behalf of Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund, an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of Cayman Islands (the Investor); and |
2. | AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company). |
The Company and the Investor are each referred to herein as a Party, and collectively as the Parties.
RECITALS
The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor desires to subscribe from the Company certain number of class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company (the A Shares) on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | ISSUANCE, SALE, AND PURCHASE OF PURCHASED SHARES. |
1.1 Issuance, Sale, and Purchase of Purchased Shares. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing (as defined below) the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, 5,500,000 A Shares (the Purchased Shares) for an aggregate purchase price of US$55,000,000 (the Purchase Price). The pre-money valuation of the Company for this financing round shall be US$368,000,000.
The Purchased Shares shall have the rights, privileges, and restrictions as set forth in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (the MAA).
1.2 Transfer of Funds. The Investor shall pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of United States dollars of immediately available funds to an account designated by the Company on or before December 31, 2019 from the date of this Agreement.
2. | CLOSINGS; DELIVERY. |
2.1 Closing. The allotment and sale of the Purchased Shares shall be held within ten Business Days (Business Day, defined as any day other than a Saturday or Sunday or public holiday on which banks are ordinarily open for business in Hong Kong, Cayman Islands and New York) after the fulfillment or waiver of the conditions to closing as set forth in Section 6 and Section 7 or at such other time as the Company and the Investor may mutually agree (the Closing).
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2.2 Delivery.
Within 2 days upon receipt of the share certificate(s) and register of members from the registered agent of the Company, the Company shall deliver to the Investor (x) a certified copy of duly issued share certificate(s) issued in favor of such Investor representing the Purchased Shares purchased by such Investor, duly signed for and on behalf of the Company (with the original to be delivered promptly as soon as possible after the Closing), (y) a certified copy of the register of members of the Company reflecting the Investors ownership of the Purchased Shares and (z) the scanned copy of the board resolutions approving the issuance of the Purchased Shares to the Investor.
3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY. |
The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Organization, Standing, and Qualification. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries (the Group Companies) is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the place of its establishment and has all requisite power and authority to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted, where failure to be so qualified would have a Material Adverse Effect. Material Adverse Effect means a material adverse effect on the business (as presently conducted and presently contemplated to be conducted), condition (financial or otherwise), affairs, properties, liabilities, assets, or results of operation of the Group Companies taken as whole.
3.2 Capitalization.
(a) Ordinary Shares. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company is authorized to issue (i) 8,000,000,000 A Shares, of which zero A Share is issued and outstanding, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the B Shares), of which AMTD Group Company Limited is the only holder of B Shares.
(b) Options, Warrants, Reserved Shares. Except for (i) any A Shares or B Shares (and options and warrants therefor) reserved for issuance to the employees, directors, and consultants of the Group Companies pursuant to any equity incentive plan that may be adopted from time to time by the Company, (ii) as provided in the MAA, (iii) any A Shares to be issued to certain potential investors, including the transactions contemplated herein, and (iv) warrant instrument which allows the warrant holder to subscribe for A Shares of a total aggregated value of US$10,000,000, there are no options, warrants, conversion privileges, agreements, or rights of any kind with respect to the issuance or purchase of the Purchased Shares or any other securities of the Company. Apart from any exceptions noted in the MAA, no outstanding shares (including the Purchased Shares), or shares issuable upon exercise or exchange of any outstanding options, warrants, or other shares issuable by the Company, are subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal, or other rights of any kind to purchase such shares (whether in favor of the Company or any other person).
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3.3 Due Authorization; Valid Agreement. All corporate actions on the part of the Company necessary for the authorization, execution, and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement have been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
3.4 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares. The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold, delivered, and paid for by the Investor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, non-assessable and free from all preemptive or similar rights and Encumbrances. The Purchaser shall be entitled to all rights accorded to a holder of the A Shares with respect to the Purchased Shares (as applicable).
3.5 Compliance with Laws; Consents and Permits. Neither the execution and the delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, will (i) violate any provision of the organizational documents of the Company or violate any constitution, statute, regulation, or rule of any government authority to which the Company is subject, or (ii) conflict with, result in a breach of, constitute a default under, any agreement to which the Company is a party. Each Group Company has all material permits, licenses, and any similar authority necessary for the conduct of its business as currently conducted and the ownership of its properties and assets.
3.6 Exempt Offering. The offer and sale of the Purchased Shares under this Agreement are or shall be exempt from the registration requirements and prospectus delivery requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), and from the registration or qualification requirements of any other applicable securities laws and regulations. None of the Company, its affiliates, or any person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Act) in the United States in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement.
3.7 Insolvency and Winding Up3.8 . Both before and after giving effect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, each of the Group Companies (i) will be solvent (in that both the fair value of its assets will not be less than the sum of its debts and that the present fair saleable value of its assets will not be less than the amount required to pay its probable liability on its recourse debts as they mature or become due) and (ii) will have adequate capital and liquidity with which to engage in the their businesses as currently conducted. No order or petition has been presented or resolution passed for the administration, winding-up, dissolution, or liquidation of any Group Company and no administrator, receiver, or manager has been appointed in respect thereof. None of the Group Companies has commenced any other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, composition, arrangement, adjustment of debt, release of debtors, dissolution, insolvency, liquidation, or similar Law of any jurisdiction and no such proceedings have been commenced against any Group Company.
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4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE INVESTOR. |
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company as follows:
4.1 Authorization. The Investor has all requisite power, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed, and delivered by the Investor. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Investor, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of such Investor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization, and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles.
4.2 Purchase for Own Account. The Purchased Shares will be acquired for the Investors own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof. By executing this Agreement, the Investor further represents that it does not have any contract with any person to sell, transfer, or grant participations to any person, with respect to any of the Purchased Shares.
4.3 Organization, Good Standing, and Qualification. The Investor is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation.
4.4 Investment Experience. The Investor acknowledges that it is able to fend for itself, can bear the economic risks of its investment, and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment in the Purchased Shares.
4.5 Status of Investor. The Investor is (i) not a U.S. person within the meaning of Rule 902 of Regulation S under the Act, or (ii) purchasing the Purchased Shares outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction.
4.6 Restricted Securities. Investor understands that the Purchased Shares it is purchasing are characterized as restricted securities under U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Act only in certain limited circumstances.
4.7 Legends. It is understood that the certificates evidencing the Purchased Shares shall bear the following legend:
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR A VALID EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
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5. | COVENANTS. |
5.1 5.1 Distribution Compliance Period. The Investor agrees not to resell or transfer any Purchased Shares within the United States or to any U.S. person, as each of those terms is defined in Regulation S under the Act, during the forty (40) days following the Closing Date.
5.2 Lock-Up. In connection with any initial public offering of the A Shares, the Investor hereby irrevocably agrees to enter into a lock-up agreement with the underwriters and other relevant parties and be subject to a lock-up period of at least 180 days.
5.3 Non-Disclosure. The Investor shall, and shall cause its affiliates to: (i) treat and hold as strictly confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any person or entity to) all confidential or proprietary information relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation the existence and content of this Agreement (collectively, Confidential Information), (ii) in the event that the Investor or any of its affiliates becomes legally compelled to disclose any such information, to the extent permissible under applicable laws, regulations and rules, promptly notify the Company of such requirement so that the Company may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 5.2, and (iii) in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or the Company chooses to waive compliance with this Section 5.2, furnish only, to the extent permissible under applicable laws, regulations and rules, that portion of such confidential information that is legally required to be provided and exercise its reasonable endeavors to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
5.4 Additional Investment. The Investor commits to invest in additional A Shares or American depositary shares representing A Shares if and when the Company conducts an IPO, of an amount of no more than the Purchase Price. The Company and the lead underwriters shall have the right to accept or not accept such investment and, if so accepted, to determine whether to accept the investment as part of the IPO or as a private placement. Neither the Company nor any underwriter for the Companys IPO is under any obligation or commitment to issue any shares to the Investor in the IPO. Any such issuance will be decided by the Company and the lead underwriters for the IPO and must be in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and rules.
6. | CONDITIONS TO THE INVESTORS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
6.1 The obligation of the Investor to purchase the Purchased Shares at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment, to the satisfaction of such Investor (or waiver thereof) on or prior to the date of the Closing (the Closing Date), of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties True and Correct. The representations and warranties made by the Company in Section 3 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Proceedings and Documents. The resolutions of the board of directors of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been duly passed.
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6.2 The Investor may at any time waive in writing any of the conditions above, on such terms as it may decide.
7. | CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANYS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
7.1 Closing. The obligations of the Company under this Agreement with respect to the Investor are subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing Date of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Investor contained in Section 4 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Payment of the Purchase Price. The Investor shall have settled the Purchase Price in accordance with Section 1.2.
8. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
8.1 Indemnity.
(a) Each Party (an Indemnifying Party) shall indemnify the other Party and its directors, officers, employees, and agents (each, an Indemnitee) against any losses, liabilities, damages, liens, penalties, diminution in value, costs, and expenses, including reasonable advisors fees and other reasonable expenses of investigation and defense of any of the foregoing, incurred by such Indemnitee (the Indemnifiable Loss) as a result of (i) any breach or violation of any representation or warranty made by the Indemnifying Party, or (ii) any breach by the Indemnifying Party of any covenant or agreement contained herein.
(b) If an Indemnitee believes that it has a claim that may give rise to an indemnity obligation hereunder, it shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party stating specifically the basis on which such claim is being made, the material facts related thereto, and (if ascertainable or quantifiable) the amount of the claim asserted. In the event of a third-party claim against an Indemnitee for which such Indemnitee seeks indemnification from the Indemnifying Party, no settlement shall be deemed conclusive with respect whether there was an Indemnifiable Loss or the amount of such Indemnifiable Loss unless such settlement is consented to by the Indemnifying Party. Any dispute related to this Section 8.1(b) shall be resolved pursuant to Section 8.14 hereof.
(c) (i) The Indemnifying Party shall not have any liability under this Agreement until the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Loss incurred by an Indemnitee exceeds an amount equal to US$11,000,000, in which case such Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of the entire amount of the Indemnifiable Loss; (ii) the amount of Indemnifiable Loss for which the Indemnitee may be indemnified by the Indemnifying Party under this Agreement shall be limited to the Purchase Price actually paid by the Investor; (iii) the amount of any Indemnifiable Losses for which indemnification is provided under this section shall be reduced by (a) any amounts that have been recovered by any Indemnified Party from any third party, and (b) any insurance proceeds or other cash receipts or source of reimbursement that have been received by any Indemnified Party with respect to such Indemnifiable Losses, in each case, net of any costs of recovery, and (iv) each Indemnified Party shall use commercially reasonable efforts to mitigate the Indemnifiable Losses it incurs.
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(d) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, this Section 8.1 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of each Party for any claim arising out of or resulting from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that no limitation or exceptions with respect to the obligations or liabilities on any Party provided in the foregoing sub-sections under this Section 8.1 shall apply to an Indemnifiable Loss arising due to the fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation or willful misconduct of such Party.
8.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Hong Kong as to matters within the scope thereof, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
8.3 Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements made herein shall survive for two (2) years after the Closing.
8.4 Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions hereof shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, and administrators of the Parties. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by a Party without the written consent of the other Party.
8.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto constitute the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to terminate or supersede the provisions of any applicable confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements executed by the Parties prior to the date hereof, which agreements shall continue in full force and effect until terminated in accordance with their respective terms.
8.6 Notices. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests, waivers, and other communications made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be conclusively deemed to have been duly given (i) when hand delivered to a Party, upon delivery; (ii) when sent by facsimile at the number set forth in Exhibit A hereto, upon receipt of confirmation of error-free transmission; (iii) seven (7) Business Days after deposit in the mail as air mail or certified mail, receipt requested, postage prepaid, and addressed to the relevant Party or Parties as set forth in Exhibit A; or (iv) three (3) Business Days after deposit with an overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, addressed to the relevant Parties as set forth in Exhibit A with next business day delivery guaranteed, provided that the sending Party receives a confirmation of delivery from the delivery service provider.
Each person making a communication hereunder by facsimile shall promptly confirm by telephone to the person to whom such communication was addressed each communication made by it by facsimile pursuant hereto, but the absence of such confirmation shall not affect the validity of any such communication. A Party may change or supplement the addresses given above, or designate additional addresses, for purposes of this Section 8.6, by giving the other Party written notice of the new address in the manner set forth above.
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8.7 Amendments. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor.
8.8 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any Party, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such Party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of any similar breach of default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent, or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any waiver thereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing. All remedies, either under this Agreement, or by law or otherwise afforded to the Parties shall be cumulative and not alternative.
8.9 Finders Fees. Each Party represents and warrants to the other Party that it has retained no finder or broker in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.10 Interpretation; Titles and Subtitles. This Agreement shall be construed according to its fair language. The rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in interpreting this Agreement. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all references to Sections and Exhibits herein are to Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.
8.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed (including facsimile signature) in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
8.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, to the extent feasible, so as to render the provision enforceable and to provide for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby on substantially the same terms as originally set forth herein, and if no feasible interpretation would save such provision, it shall be severed from the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect unless the severed provision is essential to the rights or benefits intended by the Parties. In such event, the Parties shall use best efforts to negotiate, in good faith, a substitute, valid and enforceable provision or agreement which most nearly effects the Parties intent in entering into this Agreement.
8.13 Further Assurances. Each Party shall from time to time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be made, done, and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents, and assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
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8.14 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Consultation Between Parties. Any dispute, controversy or, claim or difference of any kind whatsoever arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity hereof (including the validity, scope, and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (the Dispute) shall first be attempted to be resolved through consultation between the Parties in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice has been sent by registered mail by any Party to the other Party (the Consultation Period).
(b) Arbitration. If the Dispute remains unresolved upon expiration of the Consultation Period, any Party may in its sole discretion elect to submit the matter to arbitration with notice to any other Party or Parties. The arbitration shall be conducted in Hong Kong and shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the commencement of the arbitration. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators. The law of arbitration shall be Hong Kong law. The seat of the arbitration shall be Hong Kong and the language of the arbitration shall be English. The decision of the arbitrators (by rule of majority) shall be final and binding on the Parties (including any decision on their fees) and their fees shall be borne and paid by the Parties in such proportions as the arbitrators shall determine.
8.15 Expenses. The Investor and the Company shall bear their own cost and expense for consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder.
8.16 Third party rights. Saved for the Indemnitee, a person who is not a Party has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Ordinance (Chapter 623 of the laws of Hong Kong) to enforce or to enjoy the benefit of any term of this Agreement.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE COMPANY: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Marcellus Wong | |
Name: Marcellus Wong | ||
Title: Chairman of Executive Management Committee |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE INVESTOR: | ||
VALUE PARTNERS HONG KONG LIMITED as investment manager of | ||
VALUE PARTNERS GREATER CHINA HIGH YIELD INCOME FUND | ||
By: | /s/ Authorized Signatory | |
Name: Authorized Signatory | ||
Title: Authorized Signatory |
EXHIBIT A
Notices
To the Company
Address: | 23/F-25/F, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong | |
Facsimile: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* |
To the Investor
Address: | c/o Value Partners Hong Kong Limited, 43/F, The Center, 99 Queens Road Central, Hong Kong | |
Facsimile: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* |
Exhibit 10.9
DATED December 19, 2019
Maoyan Entertainment
and
AMTD Digital Inc.
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of December 19, 2019, by and among:
1. | Maoyan Entertainment, an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of Cayman Islands (the Investor); and |
2. | AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company). |
The Company and the Investor are each referred to herein as a Party, and collectively as the Parties.
RECITALS
The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor desires to purchase from the Company certain number of class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company (the A Shares) on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | ISSUANCE, SALE, AND PURCHASE OF PURCHASED SHARES. |
1.1 Issuance, Sale, and Purchase of Purchased Shares. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing (as defined below) the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, certain number of A Shares which shall represent a shareholding of 0.8086% in the Company immediately after Closing, the exact number of A Shares to be determined after restructuring of the Companys shares (the Purchased Shares) for an aggregate purchase price of US$3,000,000 (the Purchase Price). The pre-money valuation of the Company for this financing round on or about December 2, 2019 shall be US$368,000,000.
The Purchased Shares shall have the rights, privileges, and restrictions as set forth in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (the MAA).
1.2 Transfer of Funds. The Investor shall pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of United States dollars in immediately available funds to a designated account of the Company, provided that the Company shall deliver wire transfer instructions to the Investor on or before the date of this Agreement.
2. | CLOSINGS; DELIVERY. |
2.1 Closing. The allotment and sale of the Purchased Shares shall be held within ten Business Days (Business Day, defined as any day other than a Saturday or Sunday on which banks are ordinarily open for business in Hong Kong) after the fulfillment or waiver of the conditions to closing as set forth in Section 6 and Section 7 or at such other time as the Company and the Investor may mutually agree (the Closing).
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2.2 Delivery.
Within 2 days upon receipt of the share certificate(s) and register of members from the registered agent of the Company, the Company shall deliver to the Investor (x) the scanned copy of duly issued share certificate(s) issued in favor of such Investor representing the Purchased Shares purchased by such Investor, duly signed for and on behalf of the Company, (y) the scanned copy of the register of members of the Company reflecting the Investors ownership of the Purchased Shares and (z) the scanned copy of the board resolutions approving the issuance of the Purchased Shares to the Investor.
3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY. |
The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Organization, Standing, and Qualification. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries (the Group Companies) is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the place of its establishment and has all requisite power and authority to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted, where failure to be so qualified would have a Material Adverse Effect. Material Adverse Effect means a material adverse effect on the business (as presently conducted and presently contemplated to be conducted), condition (financial or otherwise), affairs, properties, liabilities, assets, or results of operation of the Group Companies taken as whole.
3.2 Capitalization.
(a) Ordinary Shares. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company is authorized to issue (i) 8,000,000,000 A Shares, of which zero A Share is issued and outstanding, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the B Shares), of which AMTD Group Company Limited is the only holder of B Shares.
(b) Options, Warrants, Reserved Shares. Except for (i) any Shares (and options and warrants therefor) reserved for issuance to the employees, directors, and consultants of the Group Companies pursuant to any equity incentive plan that may be adopted from time to time by the Company, (ii) as provided in the MAA, and (iii) any Shares to be issued to certain potential investors, including the transactions contemplated herein, there are no options, warrants, conversion privileges, agreements, or rights of any kind with respect to the issuance or purchase of the Purchased Shares or any other securities of the Company. Apart from any exceptions noted in the MAA, no outstanding shares (including the Purchased Shares), or shares issuable upon exercise or exchange of any outstanding options, warrants, or other shares issuable by the Company, are subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal, or other rights of any kind to purchase such shares (whether in favor of the Company or any other person).
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3.3 Due Authorization; Valid Agreement. All corporate actions on the part of the Company necessary for the authorization, execution, and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement have been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
3.4 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares. The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold, delivered, and paid for by the Investor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable
3.5 Compliance with Laws; Consents and Permits. Neither the execution and the delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, will (i) violate any provision of the organizational documents of the Company or violate any constitution, statute, regulation, or rule of any government authority to which the Company is subject, or (ii) conflict with, result in a breach of, constitute a default under, any agreement to which the Company is a party. Each Group Company has all material Permits, licenses, and any similar authority necessary for the conduct of its business as currently conducted and the ownership of its properties and assets.
3.6 Exempt Offering. The offer and sale of the Purchased Shares under this Agreement are or shall be exempt from the registration requirements and prospectus delivery requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), and from the registration or qualification requirements of any other applicable securities laws and regulations. None of the Company, its affiliates, or any person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Act) in the United States in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement.
3.7 Insolvency and Winding Up3.8 . No order or petition has been presented or resolution passed for the administration, winding-up, dissolution, or liquidation of any Group Company and no administrator, receiver, or manager has been appointed in respect thereof. None of the Group Companies has commenced any other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, composition, arrangement, adjustment of debt, release of debtors, dissolution, insolvency, liquidation, or similar Law of any jurisdiction and no such proceedings have been commenced against any Group Company.
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE INVESTOR. |
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company as follows:
4.1 Authorization. The Investor has all requisite power, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed, and delivered by the Investor. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Investor, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of such Investor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization, and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles.
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4.2 Purchase for Own Account. The Purchased Shares will be acquired for the Investors own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof. By executing this Agreement, the Investor further represents that it does not have any contract with any person to sell, transfer, or grant participations to any person, with respect to any of the Purchased Shares.
4.3 Organization, Good Standing, and Qualification. The Investor is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation.
4.4 Investment Experience. The Investor acknowledges that it is able to fend for itself, can bear the economic risks of its investment, and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment in the Purchased Shares.
4.5 Status of Investor. The Investor is (i) not a U.S. person within the meaning of Rule 902 of Regulation S under the Act, or (ii) purchasing the Purchased Shares outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction.
4.6 Restricted Securities. Investor understands that the Purchased Shares it is purchasing are characterized as restricted securities under U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Act only in certain limited circumstances.
4.7 Legends. It is understood that the certificates evidencing the Purchased Shares shall bear the following legend:
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR A VALID EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
5. | COVENANTS. |
5.1 Distribution Compliance Period. The Investor agrees not to resell or transfer any Purchased Shares within the United States or to any U.S. person, as each of those terms is defined in Regulation S under the Act, during the forty (40) days following the Closing Date.
5.2 Lock-Up. In connection with any initial public offering of the Shares, the Investor hereby irrevocably agrees to enter into a lock-up agreement with the underwriters and other relevant parties and be subject to a lock-up period of at least 180 days.
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5.3 Non-Disclosure. The Investor shall, and shall cause its affiliates to: (i) treat and hold as strictly confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any person or entity to) all confidential or proprietary information relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation the existence and content of this Agreement (collectively, Confidential Information), (ii) in the event that the Investor or any of its affiliates becomes legally compelled to disclose any such information, provide the Company with prompt written notice of such requirement so that the Company may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 5.2, and (iii) in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or the Company chooses to waive compliance with this Section 5.2, furnish only that portion of such confidential information that is legally required to be provided and exercise its reasonable endeavors to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
5.4 Additional Investment. The Investor indicated an intention to invest in additional Shares or American depositary shares representing Shares if and when the Company conducts an IPO, of an amount of no less than US$100,000. The Company and the lead underwriters shall have the right to accept or not accept such investment and, if so accepted, to determine whether to accept the investment as part of the IPO or as a private placement. Neither the Company nor any underwriter for the Companys IPO is under any obligation or commitment to issue any shares to the Investor in the IPO. Any such issuance will be decided by the Company and the lead underwriters for the IPO and must be in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and rules.
6. | CONDITIONS TO THE INVESTORS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
6.1 The obligation of the Investor to purchase the Purchased Shares at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment, to the satisfaction of such Investor (or waiver thereof) on or prior to the date of the Closing (the Closing Date), of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties True and Correct. The representations and warranties made by the Company in Section 3 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Proceedings and Documents. The resolutions of the board of directors of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been duly passed.
6.2 The Investor may at any time waive in writing any of the conditions above, on such terms as it may decide.
7. | CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANYS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
7.1 Closing. The obligations of the Company under this Agreement with respect to the Investor are subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing Date of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Investor contained in Section 4 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
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(b) Payment of the Purchase Price. The Investor shall have delivered to the Company the Purchase Price in accordance with Section 1.2.
8. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
8.1 Indemnity.
(a) Each Party (an Indemnifying Party) shall indemnify the other Party and its directors, officers, employees, and agents (each, an Indemnitee) against any losses, liabilities, damages, liens, penalties, diminution in value, costs, and expenses, including reasonable advisors fees and other reasonable expenses of investigation and defense of any of the foregoing, incurred by such Indemnitee (the Indemnifiable Loss) as a result of (i) any breach or violation of any representation or warranty made by the Indemnifying Party, or (ii) any breach by the Indemnifying Party of any covenant or agreement contained herein.
(b) If an Indemnitee believes that it has a claim that may give rise to an indemnity obligation hereunder, it shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party stating specifically the basis on which such claim is being made, the material facts related thereto, and (if ascertainable or quantifiable) the amount of the claim asserted. In the event of a third-party claim against an Indemnitee for which such Indemnitee seeks indemnification from the Indemnifying Party, no settlement shall be deemed conclusive with respect whether there was an Indemnifiable Loss or the amount of such Indemnifiable Loss unless such settlement is consented to by the Indemnifying Party. Any dispute related to this Section 8.1(b) shall be resolved pursuant to Section 8.14 hereof.
(c) (i) The Indemnifying Party shall not have any liability under this Agreement until the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Loss incurred by an Indemnitee exceeds an amount equal to US$1,000,000, in which case such Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of the entire amount of the Indemnifiable Loss; and (ii) the amount of Indemnifiable Loss for which the Indemnitee may be indemnified by the Indemnifying Party under this Agreement shall be limited to the Purchase Price actually paid by the Investor.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, this Section 8.1 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of each Party for any claim arising out of or resulting from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that no limitation or exceptions with respect to the obligations or liabilities on any Party provided in the foregoing sub-sections under this Section 8.1 shall apply to an Indemnifiable Loss arising due to the fraud or willful misconduct of such Party.
8.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Hong Kong as to matters within the scope thereof, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
8.3 Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements made herein shall survive for two (2) years after the Closing.
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8.4 Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions hereof shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, and administrators of the Parties. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by a Party without the written consent of the other Party.
8.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto constitute the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to terminate or supersede the provisions of any applicable confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements executed by the Parties prior to the date hereof, which agreements shall continue in full force and effect until terminated in accordance with their respective terms.
8.6 Notices. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests, waivers, and other communications made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be conclusively deemed to have been duly given (i) when hand delivered to a Party, upon delivery; (ii) when sent by facsimile at the number set forth in Exhibit A hereto, upon receipt of confirmation of error-free transmission; (iii) seven (7) Business Days after deposit in the mail as air mail or certified mail, receipt requested, postage prepaid, and addressed to the relevant Party or Parties as set forth in Exhibit A; or (iv) three (3) Business Days after deposit with an overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, addressed to the relevant Parties as set forth in Exhibit A with next business day delivery guaranteed, provided that the sending Party receives a confirmation of delivery from the delivery service provider.
Each person making a communication hereunder by facsimile shall promptly confirm by telephone to the person to whom such communication was addressed each communication made by it by facsimile pursuant hereto, but the absence of such confirmation shall not affect the validity of any such communication. A Party may change or supplement the addresses given above, or designate additional addresses, for purposes of this Section 8.6, by giving the other parties written notice of the new address in the manner set forth above.
8.7 Amendments. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor.
8.8 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any Party, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such Party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of any similar breach of default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent, or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any waiver thereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing. All remedies, either under this Agreement, or by law or otherwise afforded to the Parties shall be cumulative and not alternative.
8.9 Finders Fees. Each Party represents and warrants to the other Party that it has retained no finder or broker in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
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8.10 Interpretation; Titles and Subtitles. This Agreement shall be construed according to its fair language. The rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in interpreting this Agreement. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all references to Sections and Exhibits herein are to Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.
8.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed (including facsimile signature) in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
8.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, to the extent feasible, so as to render the provision enforceable and to provide for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby on substantially the same terms as originally set forth herein, and if no feasible interpretation would save such provision, it shall be severed from the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect unless the severed provision is essential to the rights or benefits intended by the parties. In such event, the parties shall use best efforts to negotiate, in good faith, a substitute, valid and enforceable provision or agreement which most nearly effects the parties intent in entering into this Agreement.
8.13 Further Assurances. Each Party shall from time to time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be made, done, and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents, and assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.14 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Consultation Between Parties. Any dispute, controversy or, claim or difference of any kind whatsoever arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity hereof (including the validity, scope, and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (the Dispute) shall first be attempted to be resolved through consultation between the Parties in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice has been sent by registered mail by any Party to the other Party (the Consultation Period).
(b) Arbitration. If the Dispute remains unresolved upon expiration of the Consultation Period, any Party may in its sole discretion elect to submit the matter to arbitration with notice to any other Party or Parties. The arbitration shall be conducted in Hong Kong and shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the commencement of the arbitration. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators. The language of the arbitration shall be English. The decision of the arbitrators (by rule of majority) shall be final and binding on the parties (including any decision on their fees) and their fees shall be borne and paid by the parties in such proportions as the arbitrators shall determine.
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8.15 Expenses. The Investor and the Company shall bear their own cost and expense for consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE COMPANY: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Marcellus Wong | |
Name: Marcellus Wong | ||
Title: Executive Vice Chairman of AMTD Group |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE INVESTOR: | ||
MAOYAN ENTERTAINMENT | ||
By: | /s/ Authorized Signatory | |
Name: | ||
Title: |
EXHIBIT A
Notices
To the Company
Address: | 23/F-25/F, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong |
Facsimile: | ********************* |
Attention: | ********************* |
To the Investor
Address: 1st floor, Building 3, Zhongguancun Yonghe Hangxing Science Park, No. 11 Hepingli East Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, PRC
Facsimile:
Attention: | ********************* |
Exhibit 10.10
DATED January 31, 2020
EverGlory Strategic Investment Limited
and
AMTD Digital Inc.
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of January 31, 2020, by and among:
1. | EverGlory Strategic Investment Limited, an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of Cayman Islands (the Investor); and |
2. | AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company). |
The Company and the Investor are each referred to herein as a Party, and collectively as the Parties.
RECITALS
The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor desires to purchase from the Company certain number of class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company (the A Shares) on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | ISSUANCE, SALE, AND PURCHASE OF PURCHASED SHARES. |
1.1 Issuance, Sale, and Purchase of Purchased Shares. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing (as defined below) the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, 2,200,000 of A Shares for an aggregate purchase price of US$22,000,000 (the Purchase Price). The pre-money valuation of the Company for this financing round shall be US$368,000,000.
The Purchased Shares shall have the rights, privileges, and restrictions as set forth in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (the MAA).
1.2 Transfer of Funds. The Investor shall pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of United States dollars in immediately available funds to a designated account of the Company, within 15 business days from the date of this Agreement, provided that the Company shall deliver wire transfer instructions to the Investor within 5 days of this Agreement.
2. | CLOSINGS; DELIVERY. |
2.1 Closing. The allotment and sale of the Purchased Shares shall be held within ten Business Days (Business Day, defined as any day other than a Saturday or Sunday on which banks are ordinarily open for business in Hong Kong) after the fulfillment or waiver of the conditions to closing as set forth in Section 6 and Section 7 or at such other time as the Company and the Investor may mutually agree (the Closing).
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2.2 Delivery.
Within 2 days upon receipt of the share certificate(s) and register of members from the registered agent of the Company, the Company shall deliver to the Investor (x) the scanned copy of duly issued share certificate(s) issued in favor of such Investor representing the Purchased Shares purchased by such Investor, duly signed for and on behalf of the Company, (y) the scanned copy of the register of members of the Company reflecting the Investors ownership of the Purchased Shares and (z) the scanned copy of the board resolutions approving the issuance of the Purchased Shares to the Investor.
3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY. |
The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Organization, Standing, and Qualification. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries (the Group Companies) is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the place of its establishment and has all requisite power and authority to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted, where failure to be so qualified would have a Material Adverse Effect. Material Adverse Effect means a material adverse effect on the business (as presently conducted and presently contemplated to be conducted), condition (financial or otherwise), affairs, properties, liabilities, assets, or results of operation of the Group Companies taken as whole.
3.2 Capitalization.
(a) Ordinary Shares. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company is authorized to issue (i) 8,000,000,000 A Shares, of which 5,800,000 A Shares are issued and outstanding, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the B Shares), of which AMTD Group Company Limited is the only holder of B Shares.
(b) Options, Warrants, Reserved Shares. Except for (i) the warrant issued to Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund in December 2019, (ii) any Shares (and options and warrants therefor) reserved for issuance to the employees, directors, and consultants of the Group Companies pursuant to any equity incentive plan that may be adopted from time to time by the Company, (iii) as provided in the MAA, and (iv) any Shares to be issued to certain potential investors, including the transactions contemplated herein, there are no options, warrants, conversion privileges, agreements, or rights of any kind with respect to the issuance or purchase of the Purchased Shares or any other securities of the Company. Apart from any exceptions noted in the MAA, no outstanding shares (including the Purchased Shares), or shares issuable upon exercise or exchange of any outstanding options, warrants, or other shares issuable by the Company, are subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal, or other rights of any kind to purchase such shares (whether in favor of the Company or any other person).
3.3 Due Authorization; Valid Agreement. All corporate actions on the part of the Company necessary for the authorization, execution, and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement have been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
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3.4 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares. The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold, delivered, and paid for by the Investor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable
3.5 Compliance with Laws; Consents and Permits. Neither the execution and the delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, will (i) violate any provision of the organizational documents of the Company or violate any constitution, statute, regulation, or rule of any government authority to which the Company is subject, or (ii) conflict with, result in a breach of, constitute a default under, any agreement to which the Company is a party. Each Group Company has all material Permits, licenses, and any similar authority necessary for the conduct of its business as currently conducted and the ownership of its properties and assets.
3.6 Exempt Offering. The offer and sale of the Purchased Shares under this Agreement are or shall be exempt from the registration requirements and prospectus delivery requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), and from the registration or qualification requirements of any other applicable securities laws and regulations. None of the Company, its affiliates, or any person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Act) in the United States in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement.
3.7 Insolvency and Winding Up3.8 . No order or petition has been presented or resolution passed for the administration, winding-up, dissolution, or liquidation of any Group Company and no administrator, receiver, or manager has been appointed in respect thereof. None of the Group Companies has commenced any other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, composition, arrangement, adjustment of debt, release of debtors, dissolution, insolvency, liquidation, or similar Law of any jurisdiction and no such proceedings have been commenced against any Group Company.
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE INVESTOR. |
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company as follows:
4.1 Authorization. The Investor has all requisite power, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed, and delivered by the Investor. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Investor, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of such Investor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization, and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles.
4.2 Purchase for Own Account. The Purchased Shares will be acquired for the Investors own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof. By executing this Agreement, the Investor further represents that it does not have any contract with any person to sell, transfer, or grant participations to any person, with respect to any of the Purchased Shares.
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4.3 Organization, Good Standing, and Qualification. The Investor is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation.
4.4 Investment Experience. The Investor acknowledges that it is able to fend for itself, can bear the economic risks of its investment, and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment in the Purchased Shares.
4.5 Status of Investor. The Investor is (i) not a U.S. person within the meaning of Rule 902 of Regulation S under the Act, or (ii) purchasing the Purchased Shares outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction.
4.6 Restricted Securities. Investor understands that the Purchased Shares it is purchasing are characterized as restricted securities under U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Act only in certain limited circumstances.
4.7 Legends. It is understood that the certificates evidencing the Purchased Shares shall bear the following legend:
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR A VALID EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
5. | COVENANTS. |
5.1 5.1 Distribution Compliance Period. The Investor agrees not to resell or transfer any Purchased Shares within the United States or to any U.S. person, as each of those terms is defined in Regulation S under the Act, during the forty (40) days following the Closing Date.
5.2 Lock-Up. In connection with any initial public offering of the Shares, the Investor hereby irrevocably agrees to enter into a lock-up agreement with the underwriters and other relevant parties and be subject to a lock-up period of at least 180 days.
5.3 Non-Disclosure. The Investor shall, and shall cause its affiliates to: (i) treat and hold as strictly confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any person or entity to) all confidential or proprietary information relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation the existence and content of this Agreement (collectively, Confidential Information), (ii) in the event that the Investor or any of its affiliates becomes legally compelled to disclose any such information, provide the Company with prompt written notice of such requirement so that the Company may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 5.2, and (iii) in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or the Company chooses to waive compliance with this Section 5.2, furnish only that portion of such confidential information that is legally required to be provided and exercise its reasonable endeavors to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
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5.4 Additional Investment. The Investor commit to invest in additional A Shares or American depositary shares representing Shares if and when the Company conducts an IPO, of an amount of no more than the Purchase Price. The Company and the lead underwriters shall have the right to accept or not accept such investment and, if so accepted, to determine whether to accept the investment as part of the IPO or as a private placement. Neither the Company nor any underwriter for the Companys IPO is under any obligation or commitment to issue any shares to the Investor in the IPO. Any such issuance will be decided by the Company and the lead underwriters for the IPO and must be in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and rules.
6. | CONDITIONS TO THE INVESTORS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
6.1 The obligation of the Investor to purchase the Purchased Shares at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment, to the satisfaction of such Investor (or waiver thereof) on or prior to the date of the Closing (the Closing Date), of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties True and Correct. The representations and warranties made by the Company in Section 3 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Proceedings and Documents. The resolutions of the board of directors of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been duly passed.
6.2 The Investor may at any time waive in writing any of the conditions above, on such terms as it may decide.
7. | CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANYS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
7.1 Closing. The obligations of the Company under this Agreement with respect to the Investor are subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing Date of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Investor contained in Section 4 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Payment of the Purchase Price. The Investor shall have delivered to the Company the Purchase Price in accordance with Section 1.2.
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8. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
8.1 Indemnity.
(a) Each Party (an Indemnifying Party) shall indemnify the other Party and its directors, officers, employees, and agents (each, an Indemnitee) against any losses, liabilities, damages, liens, penalties, diminution in value, costs, and expenses, including reasonable advisors fees and other reasonable expenses of investigation and defense of any of the foregoing, incurred by such Indemnitee (the Indemnifiable Loss) as a result of (i) any breach or violation of any representation or warranty made by the Indemnifying Party, or (ii) any breach by the Indemnifying Party of any covenant or agreement contained herein.
(b) If an Indemnitee believes that it has a claim that may give rise to an indemnity obligation hereunder, it shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party stating specifically the basis on which such claim is being made, the material facts related thereto, and (if ascertainable or quantifiable) the amount of the claim asserted. In the event of a third-party claim against an Indemnitee for which such Indemnitee seeks indemnification from the Indemnifying Party, no settlement shall be deemed conclusive with respect whether there was an Indemnifiable Loss or the amount of such Indemnifiable Loss unless such settlement is consented to by the Indemnifying Party. Any dispute related to this Section 8.1(b) shall be resolved pursuant to Section 8.14 hereof.
(c) (i) The Indemnifying Party shall not have any liability under this Agreement until the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Loss incurred by an Indemnitee exceeds an amount equal to US$4,400,000, in which case such Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of the entire amount of the Indemnifiable Loss; and (ii) the amount of Indemnifiable Loss for which the Indemnitee may be indemnified by the Indemnifying Party under this Agreement shall be limited to the Purchase Price actually paid by the Investor.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, this Section 8.1 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of each Party for any claim arising out of or resulting from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that no limitation or exceptions with respect to the obligations or liabilities on any Party provided in the foregoing sub-sections under this Section 8.1 shall apply to an Indemnifiable Loss arising due to the fraud or willful misconduct of such Party.
8.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Hong Kong as to matters within the scope thereof, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
8.3 Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements made herein shall survive for two (2) years after the Closing.
8.4 Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions hereof shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, and administrators of the Parties. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by a Party without the written consent of the other Party.
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8.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto constitute the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to terminate or supersede the provisions of any applicable confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements executed by the Parties prior to the date hereof, which agreements shall continue in full force and effect until terminated in accordance with their respective terms.
8.6 Notices. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests, waivers, and other communications made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be conclusively deemed to have been duly given (i) when hand delivered to a Party, upon delivery; (ii) when sent by facsimile at the number set forth in Exhibit A hereto, upon receipt of confirmation of error-free transmission; (iii) seven (7) Business Days after deposit in the mail as air mail or certified mail, receipt requested, postage prepaid, and addressed to the relevant Party or Parties as set forth in Exhibit A; or (iv) three (3) Business Days after deposit with an overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, addressed to the relevant Parties as set forth in Exhibit A with next business day delivery guaranteed, provided that the sending Party receives a confirmation of delivery from the delivery service provider.
Each person making a communication hereunder by facsimile shall promptly confirm by telephone to the person to whom such communication was addressed each communication made by it by facsimile pursuant hereto, but the absence of such confirmation shall not affect the validity of any such communication. A Party may change or supplement the addresses given above, or designate additional addresses, for purposes of this Section 8.6, by giving the other parties written notice of the new address in the manner set forth above.
8.7 Amendments. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor.
8.8 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any Party, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such Party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of any similar breach of default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent, or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any waiver thereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing. All remedies, either under this Agreement, or by law or otherwise afforded to the Parties shall be cumulative and not alternative.
8.9 Finders Fees. Each Party represents and warrants to the other Party that it has retained no finder or broker in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.10 Interpretation; Titles and Subtitles. This Agreement shall be construed according to its fair language. The rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in interpreting this Agreement. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all references to Sections and Exhibits herein are to Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.
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8.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed (including facsimile signature) in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
8.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, to the extent feasible, so as to render the provision enforceable and to provide for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby on substantially the same terms as originally set forth herein, and if no feasible interpretation would save such provision, it shall be severed from the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect unless the severed provision is essential to the rights or benefits intended by the parties. In such event, the parties shall use best efforts to negotiate, in good faith, a substitute, valid and enforceable provision or agreement which most nearly effects the parties intent in entering into this Agreement.
8.13 Further Assurances. Each Party shall from time to time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be made, done, and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents, and assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.14 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Consultation Between Parties. Any dispute, controversy or, claim or difference of any kind whatsoever arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity hereof (including the validity, scope, and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (the Dispute) shall first be attempted to be resolved through consultation between the Parties in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice has been sent by registered mail by any Party to the other Party (the Consultation Period).
(b) Arbitration. If the Dispute remains unresolved upon expiration of the Consultation Period, any Party may in its sole discretion elect to submit the matter to arbitration with notice to any other Party or Parties. The arbitration shall be conducted in Hong Kong and shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the commencement of the arbitration. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators. The language of the arbitration shall be English. The decision of the arbitrators (by rule of majority) shall be final and binding on the parties (including any decision on their fees) and their fees shall be borne and paid by the parties in such proportions as the arbitrators shall determine.
8.15 Expenses. The Investor and the Company shall bear their own cost and expense for consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE COMPANY: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Marcellus Wong | |
Name: Marcellus Wong | ||
Title: Executive Vice Chairman of AMTD Group |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE INVESTOR: | ||
EVERGLORY STRATEGIC INVESTMENT LIMITED | ||
By: | /s/ Authorized Signatory | |
Name: | ||
Title: |
EXHIBIT A
Notices
To the Company
Address: | 23/F-25/F, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong | |
Facsimile: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* | |
To the Investor | ||
Address: | P.O. Box 472, Harbour Place, 2nd Floor, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands KY1-1106 | |
Attention: | ********************* |
Exhibit 10.11
DATED January 31, 2020
Infinity Power Investments Limited
and
AMTD Digital Inc.
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of January 31, 2020, by and among:
1. | Infinity Power Investments Limited, an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of British Virgin Islands (the Investor); and |
2. | AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company). |
The Company and the Investor are each referred to herein as a Party, and collectively as the Parties.
RECITALS
The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor desires to purchase from the Company certain number of class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company (the B Shares) on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | ISSUANCE, SALE, AND PURCHASE OF PURCHASED SHARES. |
1.1 Issuance, Sale, and Purchase of Purchased Shares. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing (as defined below) the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, 2,000,000 of B Shares for an aggregate purchase price of US$20,000,000 (the Purchase Price). The pre-money valuation of the Company for this financing round shall be US$368,000,000.
The Purchased Shares shall have the rights, privileges, and restrictions as set forth in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (the MAA).
1.2 Transfer of Funds. The Investor shall pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of United States dollars in immediately available funds to a designated account of the Company, within 15 business days from the date of this Agreement, provided that the Company shall deliver wire transfer instructions to the Investor within 5 days of this Agreement.
2. | CLOSINGS; DELIVERY. |
2.1 Closing. The allotment and sale of the Purchased Shares shall be held within ten Business Days (Business Day, defined as any day other than a Saturday or Sunday on which banks are ordinarily open for business in Hong Kong) after the fulfillment or waiver of the conditions to closing as set forth in Section 6 and Section 7 or at such other time as the Company and the Investor may mutually agree (the Closing).
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2.2 Delivery.
Within 2 days upon receipt of the share certificate(s) and register of members from the registered agent of the Company, the Company shall deliver to the Investor (x) the scanned copy of duly issued share certificate(s) issued in favor of such Investor representing the Purchased Shares purchased by such Investor, duly signed for and on behalf of the Company, (y) the scanned copy of the register of members of the Company reflecting the Investors ownership of the Purchased Shares and (z) the scanned copy of the board resolutions approving the issuance of the Purchased Shares to the Investor.
3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY. |
The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Organization, Standing, and Qualification. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries (the Group Companies) is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the place of its establishment and has all requisite power and authority to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted, where failure to be so qualified would have a Material Adverse Effect. Material Adverse Effect means a material adverse effect on the business (as presently conducted and presently contemplated to be conducted), condition (financial or otherwise), affairs, properties, liabilities, assets, or results of operation of the Group Companies taken as whole.
3.2 Capitalization.
(a) Ordinary Shares. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company is authorized to issue (i) 8,000,000,000 A Shares, of which 5,800,000 A Shares are issued and outstanding, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the B Shares), of which AMTD Group Company Limited is the only holder of B Shares.
(b) Options, Warrants, Reserved Shares. Except for (i) the warrant issued to Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund in December 2019, (ii) any Shares (and options and warrants therefor) reserved for issuance to the employees, directors, and consultants of the Group Companies pursuant to any equity incentive plan that may be adopted from time to time by the Company, (iii) as provided in the MAA, and (iv) any Shares to be issued to certain potential investors, including the transactions contemplated herein, there are no options, warrants, conversion privileges, agreements, or rights of any kind with respect to the issuance or purchase of the Purchased Shares or any other securities of the Company. Apart from any exceptions noted in the MAA, no outstanding shares (including the Purchased Shares), or shares issuable upon exercise or exchange of any outstanding options, warrants, or other shares issuable by the Company, are subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal, or other rights of any kind to purchase such shares (whether in favor of the Company or any other person).
3.3 Due Authorization; Valid Agreement. All corporate actions on the part of the Company necessary for the authorization, execution, and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement have been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
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3.4 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares. The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold, delivered, and paid for by the Investor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable
3.5 Compliance with Laws; Consents and Permits. Neither the execution and the delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, will (i) violate any provision of the organizational documents of the Company or violate any constitution, statute, regulation, or rule of any government authority to which the Company is subject, or (ii) conflict with, result in a breach of, constitute a default under, any agreement to which the Company is a party. Each Group Company has all material Permits, licenses, and any similar authority necessary for the conduct of its business as currently conducted and the ownership of its properties and assets.
3.6 Exempt Offering. The offer and sale of the Purchased Shares under this Agreement are or shall be exempt from the registration requirements and prospectus delivery requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), and from the registration or qualification requirements of any other applicable securities laws and regulations. None of the Company, its affiliates, or any person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Act) in the United States in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement.
3.7 Insolvency and Winding Up3.8 . No order or petition has been presented or resolution passed for the administration, winding-up, dissolution, or liquidation of any Group Company and no administrator, receiver, or manager has been appointed in respect thereof. None of the Group Companies has commenced any other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, composition, arrangement, adjustment of debt, release of debtors, dissolution, insolvency, liquidation, or similar Law of any jurisdiction and no such proceedings have been commenced against any Group Company.
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE INVESTOR. |
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company as follows:
4.1 Authorization. The Investor has all requisite power, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed, and delivered by the Investor. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Investor, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of such Investor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization, and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles.
4.2 Purchase for Own Account. The Purchased Shares will be acquired for the Investors own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof. By executing this Agreement, the Investor further represents that it does not have any contract with any person to sell, transfer, or grant participations to any person, with respect to any of the Purchased Shares.
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4.3 Organization, Good Standing, and Qualification. The Investor is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation.
4.4 Investment Experience. The Investor acknowledges that it is able to fend for itself, can bear the economic risks of its investment, and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment in the Purchased Shares.
4.5 Status of Investor. The Investor is (i) not a U.S. person within the meaning of Rule 902 of Regulation S under the Act, or (ii) purchasing the Purchased Shares outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction.
4.6 Restricted Securities. Investor understands that the Purchased Shares it is purchasing are characterized as restricted securities under U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Act only in certain limited circumstances.
4.7 Legends. It is understood that the certificates evidencing the Purchased Shares shall bear the following legend:
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR A VALID EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
5. | COVENANTS. |
5.1 Distribution Compliance Period. The Investor agrees not to resell or transfer any Purchased Shares within the United States or to any U.S. person, as each of those terms is defined in Regulation S under the Act, during the forty (40) days following the Closing Date.
5.2 Lock-Up. In connection with any initial public offering of the Shares, the Investor hereby irrevocably agrees to enter into a lock-up agreement with the underwriters and other relevant parties and be subject to a lock-up period of at least 180 days.
5.3 Non-Disclosure. The Investor shall, and shall cause its affiliates to: (i) treat and hold as strictly confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any person or entity to) all confidential or proprietary information relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation the existence and content of this Agreement (collectively, Confidential Information), (ii) in the event that the Investor or any of its affiliates becomes legally compelled to disclose any such information, provide the Company with prompt written notice of such requirement so that the Company may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 5.2, and (iii) in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or the Company chooses to waive compliance with this Section 5.2, furnish only that portion of such confidential information that is legally required to be provided and exercise its reasonable endeavors to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
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5.4 Additional Investment. The Investor commits to invest in additional B Shares or American depositary shares representing Shares if and when the Company conducts an IPO, of an amount of no more than the Purchase Price. The Company and the lead underwriters shall have the right to accept or not accept such investment and, if so accepted, to determine whether to accept the investment as part of the IPO or as a private placement. Neither the Company nor any underwriter for the Companys IPO is under any obligation or commitment to issue any shares to the Investor in the IPO. Any such issuance will be decided by the Company and the lead underwriters for the IPO and must be in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and rules.
6. | CONDITIONS TO THE INVESTORS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
6.1 The obligation of the Investor to purchase the Purchased Shares at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment, to the satisfaction of such Investor (or waiver thereof) on or prior to the date of the Closing (the Closing Date), of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties True and Correct. The representations and warranties made by the Company in Section 3 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Proceedings and Documents. The resolutions of the board of directors of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been duly passed.
6.2 The Investor may at any time waive in writing any of the conditions above, on such terms as it may decide.
7. | CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANYS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
7.1 Closing. The obligations of the Company under this Agreement with respect to the Investor are subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing Date of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Investor contained in Section 4 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Payment of the Purchase Price. The Investor shall have delivered to the Company the Purchase Price in accordance with Section 1.2.
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8. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
8.1 Indemnity.
(a) Each Party (an Indemnifying Party) shall indemnify the other Party and its directors, officers, employees, and agents (each, an Indemnitee) against any losses, liabilities, damages, liens, penalties, diminution in value, costs, and expenses, including reasonable advisors fees and other reasonable expenses of investigation and defense of any of the foregoing, incurred by such Indemnitee (the Indemnifiable Loss) as a result of (i) any breach or violation of any representation or warranty made by the Indemnifying Party, or (ii) any breach by the Indemnifying Party of any covenant or agreement contained herein.
(b) If an Indemnitee believes that it has a claim that may give rise to an indemnity obligation hereunder, it shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party stating specifically the basis on which such claim is being made, the material facts related thereto, and (if ascertainable or quantifiable) the amount of the claim asserted. In the event of a third-party claim against an Indemnitee for which such Indemnitee seeks indemnification from the Indemnifying Party, no settlement shall be deemed conclusive with respect whether there was an Indemnifiable Loss or the amount of such Indemnifiable Loss unless such settlement is consented to by the Indemnifying Party. Any dispute related to this Section 8.1(b) shall be resolved pursuant to Section 8.14 hereof.
(c) (i) The Indemnifying Party shall not have any liability under this Agreement until the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Loss incurred by an Indemnitee exceeds an amount equal to US$4,000,000, in which case such Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of the entire amount of the Indemnifiable Loss; and (ii) the amount of Indemnifiable Loss for which the Indemnitee may be indemnified by the Indemnifying Party under this Agreement shall be limited to the Purchase Price actually paid by the Investor.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, this Section 8.1 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of each Party for any claim arising out of or resulting from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that no limitation or exceptions with respect to the obligations or liabilities on any Party provided in the foregoing sub-sections under this Section 8.1 shall apply to an Indemnifiable Loss arising due to the fraud or willful misconduct of such Party.
8.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Hong Kong as to matters within the scope thereof, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
8.3 Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements made herein shall survive for two (2) years after the Closing.
8.4 Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions hereof shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, and administrators of the Parties. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by a Party without the written consent of the other Party.
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8.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto constitute the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to terminate or supersede the provisions of any applicable confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements executed by the Parties prior to the date hereof, which agreements shall continue in full force and effect until terminated in accordance with their respective terms.
8.6 Notices. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests, waivers, and other communications made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be conclusively deemed to have been duly given (i) when hand delivered to a Party, upon delivery; (ii) when sent by facsimile at the number set forth in Exhibit A hereto, upon receipt of confirmation of error-free transmission; (iii) seven (7) Business Days after deposit in the mail as air mail or certified mail, receipt requested, postage prepaid, and addressed to the relevant Party or Parties as set forth in Exhibit A; or (iv) three (3) Business Days after deposit with an overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, addressed to the relevant Parties as set forth in Exhibit A with next business day delivery guaranteed, provided that the sending Party receives a confirmation of delivery from the delivery service provider.
Each person making a communication hereunder by facsimile shall promptly confirm by telephone to the person to whom such communication was addressed each communication made by it by facsimile pursuant hereto, but the absence of such confirmation shall not affect the validity of any such communication. A Party may change or supplement the addresses given above, or designate additional addresses, for purposes of this Section 8.6, by giving the other parties written notice of the new address in the manner set forth above.
8.7 Amendments. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor.
8.8 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any Party, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such Party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of any similar breach of default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent, or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any waiver thereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing. All remedies, either under this Agreement, or by law or otherwise afforded to the Parties shall be cumulative and not alternative.
8.9 Finders Fees. Each Party represents and warrants to the other Party that it has retained no finder or broker in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.10 Interpretation; Titles and Subtitles. This Agreement shall be construed according to its fair language. The rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in interpreting this Agreement. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all references to Sections and Exhibits herein are to Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.
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8.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed (including facsimile signature) in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
8.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, to the extent feasible, so as to render the provision enforceable and to provide for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby on substantially the same terms as originally set forth herein, and if no feasible interpretation would save such provision, it shall be severed from the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect unless the severed provision is essential to the rights or benefits intended by the parties. In such event, the parties shall use best efforts to negotiate, in good faith, a substitute, valid and enforceable provision or agreement which most nearly effects the parties intent in entering into this Agreement.
8.13 Further Assurances. Each Party shall from time to time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be made, done, and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents, and assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.14 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Consultation Between Parties. Any dispute, controversy or, claim or difference of any kind whatsoever arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity hereof (including the validity, scope, and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (the Dispute) shall first be attempted to be resolved through consultation between the Parties in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice has been sent by registered mail by any Party to the other Party (the Consultation Period).
(b) Arbitration. If the Dispute remains unresolved upon expiration of the Consultation Period, any Party may in its sole discretion elect to submit the matter to arbitration with notice to any other Party or Parties. The arbitration shall be conducted in Hong Kong and shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the commencement of the arbitration. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators. The language of the arbitration shall be English. The decision of the arbitrators (by rule of majority) shall be final and binding on the parties (including any decision on their fees) and their fees shall be borne and paid by the parties in such proportions as the arbitrators shall determine.
8.15 Expenses. The Investor and the Company shall bear their own cost and expense for consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE COMPANY: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Marcellus Wong | |
Name: Marcellus Wong | ||
Title: Executive Vice Chairman of AMTD Group |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE INVESTOR: | ||
INFINITY POWER INVESTMENTS LIMITED | ||
By: | /s/ Authorized Signatory | |
Name: | ||
Title: |
EXHIBIT A
Notices
To the Company | ||
Address: | 23/F-25/F, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong | |
Facsimile: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* | |
To the Investor | ||
Address: | Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, VG1110, British Virgin Islands | |
Attention: | ********************* |
Execution Version
Exhibit 10.12
DATED March 5, 2020
Poly Platinum Enterprises Limited
AMTD Digital Inc.
and
Mr. Calvin Choi
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of March 5, 2020 by and between:
1. | Poly Platinum Enterprises Limited, a company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of British Virgin Islands (the Investor); |
2. | AMTD Digital Inc., a company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company); and |
3. | Mr. Calvin Choi, holder of Hong Kong permanent resident identification card no. ****************** (the Founder). |
The Company, the Investor, and the Founder are each referred to herein as a Party, and collectively as the Parties.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor desires to subscribe to and purchase from the Company certain number of Class A Shares (defined below) of the Company on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | DEFINITIONS. |
1.1 In addition to the terms defined in the context hereof, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them below.
Affiliate means, with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly Controlling, Controlled by, or under common Control with such Person; provided that none of the Company, the Founder, and any of their respective Subsidiaries shall be considered an Affiliate of the Investor; provided further that neither AMTD Group nor any of AMTD Groups Subsidiaries shall be considered an Affiliate of the Founder.
AMTD Group means AMTD Group Company Limited, a British Virgin Islands company.
Applicable Law means, with respect to any Person, any international, domestic or foreign federal, state or local law (statutory, common or otherwise), constitution, treaty, convention, ordinance, code, rule, regulation, order, injunction, judgment, decree, ruling or other similar requirement enacted, adopted, promulgated or applied by a Governmental Authority that is binding upon or applicable to such Person, as amended unless expressly specified otherwise.
Audited Financials means audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 to be prepared in accordance with IFRS.
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Balance Sheet Date means December 31, 2019.
Benefit Plan means any bonus plan, incentive plan, profit sharing plan, occupational retirement scheme, or any other plan, which provides options or other equity incentives for any employee, officer, consultant, or director of a Person.
Board means the board of directors of the Company.
Business Day means a day, other than Saturday, Sunday, or other day on which commercial banks in the Cayman Islands or Hong Kong are authorized or required by Applicable Laws to close.
Class A Shares means Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, in the share capital of the Company.
Class B Shares means Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, in the share capital of the Company.
Closing Date means the date of the Closing.
Consent means any consent, approval, authorization, release, waiver, permit, grant, franchise, concession, agreement, license, exemption or order of, registration, certificate, declaration or filing with, or report or notice to, any Person, including any Governmental Authority.
Contract means any agreement, contract, lease, indenture, instrument, note, debenture, bond, mortgage, or deed of trust or other agreement, commitment, arrangement, or understanding, whether written or oral.
Control means, when used with respect to any Person, the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise, and the terms Controlling and Controlled have correlative meanings.
Encumbrance means any security interest, pledge, mortgage, lien, charge, claim, hypothecation, title defect, right of first option or refusal, right of preemption, or other encumbrance of any kind.
Equity Securities means, with respect to any Person that is a legal entity, any and all shares of capital stock, membership interests, units, profits interests, ownership interests, equity interests, registered capital, and other equity securities of such Person, and any right, warrant, option, or call to acquire any of the foregoing, or security convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for any of the foregoing, or any contract providing for the acquisition of any of the foregoing.
FCPA means the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
Governmental Authority means any transnational, domestic or foreign federal, state or local governmental, regulatory or administrative authority, department, court, agency or official, including any political subdivision thereof.
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Group Company means each of the Company and its Subsidiaries, and Group Companies refers to all of the Group Companies collectively, details of which are set forth in Schedule 1.
IFRS means the International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
knowledge of any Person that is not an individual means the knowledge of such Persons officers after reasonable inquiry and investigation.
Management Accounts means unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 prepared in accordance with IFRS.
Material Adverse Effect means any event, circumstance, change, or effect that, individually or in the aggregate, has or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition or results of operations of the Group Companies taken as a whole, provided, however, that none of the following, either alone or in combination, shall be considered a Material Adverse Effect: (i) events, circumstances, changes, or effects that generally affect the industries in which the Group Companies operate (including legal and regulatory changes), (ii) general economic or political conditions or events, circumstances, changes, or effects affecting the markets generally, and (iii) changes caused by a material worsening of current conditions caused by acts of terrorism or war (whether or not declared), social unrest, or health epidemics occurring after the date hereof.
Memorandum and Articles means the memorandum and articles of association of the Company, as amended, in effect from time to time.
New Securities means Class A Shares, Class B Shares, or any preferred shares of the Company issued by the Company after the Closing Date, other than (i) Class A Shares issued or issuable upon conversion of the Class B Shares, (ii) shares issued or issuable upon a stock split, stock dividend, or any subdivision of the ordinary shares, (iii) ordinary shares issued or issuable upon the conversion of any preferred shares, (iii) shares issued or issuable pursuant to an acquisition, merger, business combination, or similar transaction of or with another entity by the Company approved by the Board, (iv) shares issued or issuable pursuant to financing lease and bank financing arrangements approved by the Board, (v) shares issued or issuable in joint venture or other strategic transactions that are not primarily for the purpose of fundraising, as determined by the Board, and (vi) shares issued or issuable in any public offering of the Company.
Person means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, trust, or other entity or organization, including a Governmental Authority.
Prohibited Person means any Person that is (i) a national or resident of any U.S. embargoed or restricted country, (ii) included on, or Affiliated with any Person on, the U.S. Department of Commerces Denied Persons List, Entity List, and Unverified List, the U.S. Department of Treasurys Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, the Annex to Executive Order No. 13224 of the U.S. President, the U.S. Department of States Debarred Parties List, or the United Nations sanctions, (iii) a member of any PRC military organization, or (iv) a Person with whom business transactions, including exports and re-exports, are restricted by a U.S. Governmental Authority, including, in each clause above, any updates or revisions to the foregoing and any newly published rules.
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Public Official means any executive, official, member, or employee of a Governmental Authority or a political party; political candidate; executive, official, or employee of a public international organization; or director, officer, or employee of a wholly or majority state-owned or state-controlled enterprise, including a PRC state-owned or state-controlled enterprise, in each case where the role is remunerated by the respective organization and has decision-making power within that organization.
Qualified IPO means a firm commitment underwritten public offering of the Class A Shares of the Company (i) in the United States registered under the Securities Act, pursuant to an effective registration statement thereunder, with a public offering price that implies a market capitalization of the Company immediately prior to such offering of not less than US$600 million or (ii) in any other jurisdiction which results in the Class A Shares trading publicly on a recognized regional or national securities exchange, including the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and Singapore Exchange Limited, so long as such offering satisfies the market capitalization requirement set forth in the foregoing clause (i).
Securities means any ordinary shares or any equity interest of, or shares of any class in the share capital (ordinary, preferred or otherwise) of, the Company and any convertible securities, options, warrants and any other type of equity or equity-linked securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for any such equity interest or shares of any class in the share capital of the Company.
Securities Act means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Subsidiary of any Person means any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint stock company, joint venture, or other organization or entity, whether incorporated or unincorporated, which is controlled by such Person.
Tax means (i) taxes, charges, levies, or other assessments, and (ii) interest, penalties, fines, or additional amounts imposed by any Taxing Governmental Authority in connection with any item described in clause (i).
Tax Return means any return, report, or statement showing Taxes, used to pay Taxes, or required to be filed with respect to any Tax (including any elections, declarations, schedules or attachments thereto, and any amendment thereof), including any information return, claim for refund, amended return or declaration of estimated or provisional Tax.
Transfer means directly or indirectly, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, transfer, assign, give, hypothecate, encumber, grant a security interest in, convey in trust, gift, devise or descent, or otherwise dispose of, or suffer to exist (whether by operation of law of otherwise) any encumbrance on, any Securities or any right, title or interest therein or thereto, or enter into a transaction which would have the same effect, or enter into any swap, hedge or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Securities, in cash or otherwise, or publicly disclose the intention to make any such disposition or to enter into any such transaction, swap, hedge or other arrangement, including transfers pursuant to divorce or legal separation, transfers to receivers, levying creditors, trustees or receivers in bankruptcy proceedings or general assignees for the benefit of creditors, whether voluntary or by operation of law, directly or indirectly, of any Securities.
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1.2 Other Defined Terms. The following terms shall have the meanings defined for such terms in the Sections set forth below.
Agreement | Preamble | |||||
Closing | Section 2.2 | |||||
Company | Preamble | |||||
Compliance Laws | Section 3.20(a) | |||||
Confidential Information | Section 5.2 | |||||
Consultation Period | Section 8.14(a) | |||||
Dispute | Section 8.14(a) | |||||
HKIAC | Section 8.14(b) | |||||
Indemnifiable Loss | Section 8.1(a) | |||||
Indemnifying Party | Section 8.1(a) | |||||
Indemnitee | Section 8.1(a) | |||||
Investor | Preamble | |||||
Issue Notice | Section 7.1(a) | |||||
Lease | Section 3.8 | |||||
Leased Property | Section 3.8 | |||||
Observer | Section 7.2 | |||||
Original Issue Price | Section 2.1 | |||||
Permit | Section 3.7 | |||||
Purchased Shares | Section 2.1 | |||||
Purchase Price | Section 2.1 | |||||
Representatives | Section 3.20(a) |
2. | PURCHASE AND SALE. |
2.1 Purchase and Sale. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing (as defined below) the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, 1,500,000 Class A Shares (the Purchased Shares) for an aggregate purchase price of HK$116,590,500 (equivalent to US$15,000,000) (the Purchase Price) at a per share price of US$10.00 (the Original Issue Price), representing a pre-money valuation of US$368,000,000 on a fully-diluted basis.
2.2 Closing. The closing of the transactions as set forth in Section 2.1 (the Closing) shall take place remotely via the electronic exchange of documents and signatures subject to and within three (3) Business Days (defined below) after satisfaction or, to the extent permissible, waiver by the Party or Parties entitled to the benefit of the conditions set forth in Section 6 (other than conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or, to the extent permissible, waiver of those conditions at the Closing), or at such other time or place as the Company and the Investor may agree.
(a) The Investor shall, at the Closing, pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of Hong Kong dollars in immediately available funds to a designated account of the Company, provided that the Company shall deliver wire transfer instructions to the Investor at least three (3) Business Days prior to the Closing.
(b) The Company shall (i) cause, at the Closing, its register of members to be updated to reflect the Investor as the record holder of the Purchased Shares, and (ii) deliver to the Investor, within three (3) Business Days after the Closing, a certified copy of an extract of such updated register of members and a share certificate issued in favor of the Investor representing the Purchased Shares, duly signed for and on behalf of the Company.
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3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY AND THE FOUNDER. |
Subject to such exceptions as may be specifically set forth in the corresponding sections of a disclosure schedule set forth in Exhibit B, where applicable, the Company and the Founder hereby jointly and severally represent and warrant to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Organization, Standing, and Qualification. Each Group Company is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the place of its establishment and has all requisite power and authorization to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted. Each Group Company is duly qualified or licensed to do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it makes such qualification or licensing necessary. The corporate structure of the Group Companies as of the date of this Agreement is set forth in Schedule 1. Save as set forth in Schedule 1, no Group Company owns or controls, directly or indirectly, any other Person or is or was a participant in any joint venture, partnership, or similar arrangement. No Group Company is obligated to make any investment in or capital contribution in or on behalf of any other Person.
3.2 Capitalization.
(a) The capitalization structure of the Company (on a fully diluted and as converted basis), immediately prior to and immediately after the Closing, is set forth in Schedule 2. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000,000 ordinary shares, including (i) 8,000,000,000 Class A Shares, of which 8,000,000 Class A Shares are issued and outstanding, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B Shares, of which 38,800,000 Class B Shares are issued and outstanding. The register of members of the Company provided by the Company to the Investor prior to the Closing is true and correct as of the date provided.
(b) Except for those set forth in Section 3.2(b) of Exhibit B, the ordinary shares set forth in Section 3.2(a), and the transactions contemplated herein, (i) there are no authorized or outstanding Equity Securities of the Company, (ii) no Equity Securities of any Group Company are subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal, or other rights to purchase such Equity Securities or any other rights with respect to such Equity Securities, and (iii) neither any Group Company nor the Founder is a party or subject to any Contract that affects or relates to the voting or giving of written consents with respect to any Group Company, or the purchase or sale of Equities Securities of any Group Company, or the right to cause the redemption, or repurchase of, any Equity Securities of such Group Company. The Company has not granted any registration or information right to any Person, nor is the Company obliged to list, any of the Equity Securities of any Group Company on any securities exchange. The Group Companies do not have any Benefit Plan.
3.3 Authorization; Enforceability; Validity. All corporate actions on the part of the Company necessary for the authorization, execution, and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement have been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company and the Founder, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
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3.4 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares. The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold, delivered, and paid for by the Investor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable.
3.5 Consents; No Conflicts. All Consents from or with any Governmental Authority or any other Person required in connection with the valid execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder, other than on the part of the Investor, have been duly obtained or completed and are in full force and effect. The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the Founder do not, and the consummation by such Party of the transactions contemplated hereunder will not, (i) result in a violation of the Memorandum and Articles or any charter document of any Group Company, (ii) conflict with or result in any termination or violation of, or constitute a default under, or give rise to any augmentation or acceleration of any material liability of any Group Company under, any Contract to which any Group Company is a party, in any material respect, or (iii) result in the creation of any lien upon any of the material properties or assets of the Company taken as a whole.
3.6 Financial Statements. The Company has delivered the Management Accounts to the Investor prior to the date hereof. Except as may be otherwise indicated in the Management Accounts, the Management Accounts (i) are in accordance with the books and records of the Group Companies, (ii) are true, correct, and complete and present fairly the financial condition of the Group Companies as a whole as of the date or dates therein indicated and the results of operations for the period or periods therein specified, and (iii) have been prepared in accordance with the IFRS applied on a consistent basis. All of the accounts receivable owing to any of the Group Companies, including without limitation all accounts receivable set forth on the Management Accounts, constitute valid and enforceable claims and are current and collectible in the ordinary course of business, net of any reserves shown on the Management Account (which reserves are adequate and were calculated on a basis consistent with IFRS), and no further goods or services are required to be provided in order to complete the sales and to entitle the applicable Group Company to collect in full in respect of any such receivables. There is no material contingent or asserted claims, refusals to pay, or other rights of set-off with respect to any accounts receivable of any Group Company. None of the receivables owing to any Group Company (i) has any material recoverability risk, (ii) is payable by an account debtor that is insolvent or bankrupt, or (iii) has been pledged to any third party by any Group Company. The financial condition and results of operations of the Group Companies as a whole as presented in the Audited Financials will not be materially worse (in particular, without limitation, the amount of net income and revenue in the Audited Financials shall not be less than 90% of the respective amount set forth in the Management Accounts for the same accounting period) than the financial condition and results of operations of the Group Companies as a whole as presented in the Management Accounts.
3.7 Compliance with Applicable Laws. Each Group Company is, and has been, in compliance with Applicable Laws in all material respects. To the knowledge of the Company and the Founder, no event has occurred and no circumstance exists that (with or without notice or lapse of time) (a) may constitute or result in a violation by any Group Company of, or a failure on the part of such entity to comply with, any Applicable Laws, or (b) may give rise to any obligation on the part of any Group Company to undertake, or to bear all or any portion of the cost of, any remedial action of any nature, in each case in any material respect. None of the Group Companies has received any notice from any Governmental Authority regarding any of the foregoing. No Group Company is under investigation with respect to a material violation of any Applicable Law. The Group Companies have all material permits, licenses, authorizations, consents, orders and approvals (Permits) that are required in order to carry on their business as presently conducted. All such material Permits are in full force and effect.
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3.8 Assets. The assets included in the Management Accounts or acquired by the relevant Group Company since the Balance Sheet Date are the property of the relevant Group Company free from any Encumbrance, and all such assets are in the possession or under the control of the relevant Group Company. Each Group Company has the legal right to occupy the applicable real property leased to such Group Company (the Leased Properties) upon the terms and conditions of the lease agreements (the Leases). The Leased Properties are being used for lawful purposes, which are permitted by the Leases, and the actual occupation has not violated any relevant land, construction, or user regulations applicable to the Leased Properties, except to the extent that the failure to do so would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.9 No Undisclosed Liabilities. Except as disclosed in the Management Accounts, there are no liabilities of any Group Company, whether accrued, contingent, absolute, determined, determinable or otherwise, and there is no existing condition, situation or set of circumstances that would reasonably be expected to result in such a liability, other than: (i) liabilities incurred since the Balance Sheet Date in the ordinary course of business, (ii) any other undisclosed liabilities that are not material to the Company on a consolidated basis, and (iii) any liabilities incurred pursuant to this Agreement.
3.10 Material Contracts. Each material Contract of the Company is a valid and binding agreement, the performance of which does not and will not violate any Applicable Laws, and is in full force and effect and enforceable against the parties thereto, except (i) as may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
3.11 Employment Matters. Each Group Company is in material compliance with all its obligations under Applicable Laws relating to labor or employment, including provisions thereof relating to wages, hours, working conditions, benefits, retirement, social welfare, equal opportunity, and collective bargaining, and there are no claims capable of arising or threatened or pending by any employee in respect of any accident or injury that are not fully covered by insurance. Save as any scheme that a Group Company is or may become obliged to join or subscribe under Applicable Laws, there are no scheme or funds in respect of retirement or pension to employees to which any of the Group Companies is a party or in respect of which there is any obligation or liability.
3.12 Exempt Offering. The offer and sale of the Purchased Shares under this Agreement are or shall be exempt from the registration requirements and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, and from the registration or qualification requirements of any other applicable securities laws and regulations. None of the Company, its affiliates, or any person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act) in the United States in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement.
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3.13 Tax Matters. All Tax Returns required to be filed by each Group Company for all taxable periods ending prior to the Closing have been duly and timely (within any applicable extension periods) filed with the appropriate Governmental Authorities in all jurisdictions in which such Tax Returns are required to be filed and all such Tax Returns are true, correct, and complete in all material respects. None of the Group Companies have received notice regarding unpaid Taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the relevant Governmental Authorities. No Group Company has been the subject of any material examination or investigation by any Tax authority relating to the conduct of its business or the payment or withholding of Taxes that has not been resolved or is currently the subject of any material examination or investigation by any Tax authority relating to the conduct of its business or the payment or withholding of Taxes. No Group Company is responsible for the Taxes of any other Person by reason of contract, successor liability or otherwise.
3.14 Intellectual Property Rights. Each Group Company owns or otherwise has the sufficient rights to all intellectual properties necessary and sufficient to conduct its business as currently conducted by such Group Company without any conflict with or infringement of the rights of any other Person.
3.15 Insurance. Each Group Company has obtained the insurance coverage that is materially consistent with the types and coverage levels maintained by other similarly situated companies in the same industry.
3.16 Insolvency and Winding Up. No order or petition has been presented or resolution passed for the administration, winding-up, dissolution, or liquidation of any Group Company and no administrator, receiver, or manager has been appointed in respect thereof. None of the Group Companies has commenced any other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, composition, arrangement, adjustment of debt, release of debtors, dissolution, insolvency, liquidation, or similar Law of any jurisdiction and no such proceedings have been commenced against any Group Company.
3.18 Litigation. There are no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Founder, threatened material actions, claims, demands, investigations, examinations, indictments, litigations, suits or other criminal, civil or administrative or investigative proceedings before or by any Governmental Authority or by any other person against any Group Company or any of its officers or directors in any material respect.
3.19 Changes. Since the Balance Sheet Date, each Group Company (i) has operated its business in the ordinary course consistent with its past practice, (ii) collected receivables and paid payables and similar obligations in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, and (iii) has not engaged in any new line of business or entered into any agreement, transaction, or activity or made any commitment except those in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice. Since the Balance Sheet Date, there has not been any Material Adverse Effect or any material change in the way the Group Companies conduct the business, and there has not been by or with respect to the Group Companies taken as a whole:
(a) any purchase, acquisition, sale, lease, disposal of or other transfer of any assets that are individually or in the aggregate material to the business, whether tangible or intangible, other than the purchases or sales in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
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(b) any acquisition (by merger, consolidation or other combination, or acquisition of stock or assets, or otherwise), sale, or disposition of any Person or business that is material to the business of the Company;
(c) any waiver, termination, cancellation, or compromise of a material right or claim;
(d) any incurrence, creation, or assumption of (i) any material lien or (ii) any material indebtedness or guarantee, other than as incurred, created, or assumed in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(e) any amendment to or termination of any material Contract, any entering of any new Contract that would have been a material Contract if in effect on the date hereof, or any amendment to or waiver under any charter document;
(f) any material change in any employee compensation arrangement of the Group Companies, or adoption of any Benefit Plan;
(g) any declaration, setting aside, or payment or other distribution in respect of any Equity Securities of any Group Company, or any issuance, transfer, redemption, purchase or acquisition of any Equity Securities by any Group Company;
(h) any material change in accounting methods or practices or any revaluation of any of its assets;
(i) except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, entry into any closing agreement in respect of material Taxes, settlement of any claim or assessment in respect of any material Taxes, or consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any claim or assessment in respect of any material Taxes, entry or change of any material Tax election, change of any method of accounting resulting in a material amount of additional Tax or filing of any material amended Tax Return;
(j) any commencement or settlement of any material charge, claim, action, complaint, petition, investigation, appeal, suit, litigation, or other proceeding, whether administrative, civil, regulatory or criminal, whether at law or in equity, or otherwise under any Applicable Law, and whether or not before any mediator, arbitrator or Governmental Authority, against the Company;
(k) any authorization, sale, issuance, transfer, pledge or other disposition of any Equity Securities of any Group Company; or
(l) any agreement or commitment to do any of the things described in this Section 3.19.
3.20 Anti-Bribery, Anti-Corruption, Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions; Absence of Government Interests.
(a) Each Group Company and the Founder and their respective directors, officers, and employees, and to the knowledge of the Company and the Founder, agents and other persons acting on behalf of the Group Companies and the Founder (collectively, Representatives), are and have been in compliance with all Applicable Laws relating to anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, record keeping and internal control laws (collectively, the Compliance Laws). Furthermore, to the knowledge of the Company and the Founder, no Public Official (i) holds an ownership or other economic interest, direct or indirect, in any of the Group Companies, or (ii) serves as an officer, director, or employee of any Group Company. Without limiting the foregoing, neither any Group Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company and the Founder, any Representative has, directly or indirectly, offered, authorized, promised, condoned, participated in, consummated, or received notice of any allegation of,
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(i) the making of any gift or payment of anything of value to any Public Official by any Person to obtain any improper advantage, affect or influence any act or decision of any such Public Official, or assist any Group Company in obtaining or retaining business for, or with, or directing business to, any Person, or
(ii) the taking of any action by any Person which (A) would violate the FCPA, if taken by an entity subject to the FCPA, or (ii) could reasonably be expected to constitute a violation of any Compliance Law, or
(iii) the making of any false or fictitious entries in the books or records of any Group Company by any Person, or
(iv) the using of any assets of any Group Company for the establishment of any unlawful or unrecorded fund of monies or other assets, or the making of any unlawful or undisclosed payment.
(b) No Group Company or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Founder, any of its Representatives has ever been found by a Governmental Authority to have violated any criminal or securities law or is subject to any indictment or any government investigation for bribery. To the knowledge of the Company and the Founder, none of the beneficial owners of any Equity Securities or other interest in any Group Company or the current or former Representatives of any Group Company are or were Public Officials.
(c) No Group Company or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Founder, any of its Representatives is a Prohibited Person, and no Prohibited Person will be given an offer to become an employee, officer, consultant, or director of any Group Company. No Group Company has conducted or agreed to conduct any business, or entered into or agreed to enter into any transaction with a Prohibited Person.
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE INVESTOR. |
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company and the Founder as follows.
4.1 Authorization. The Investor has all requisite power, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized (including as approved by the investment committee and the board of directors of the Investor), executed, and delivered by the Investor. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Investor, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of such Investor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization, and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles.
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4.2 Purchase for Own Account. The Purchased Shares will be acquired for the Investors own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof (other than any interest held by eligible employees in accordance with the employee co-investment plan of Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments Limited from time to time). By executing this Agreement, the Investor further represents that it does not have any contract with any person to sell, transfer, or grant participations to any person, with respect to any of the Purchased Shares.
4.3 Organization, Good Standing, and Qualification. The Investor is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation, and is a Subsidiary of Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund LP.
4.4 Investment Experience. The Investor acknowledges that it is able to fend for itself, can bear the economic risks of its investment, and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment in the Purchased Shares.
4.5 Status of Investor. The Investor is (i) not a U.S. person within the meaning of Rule 902 of Regulation S under the Act, or (ii) purchasing the Purchased Shares outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction.
4.6 Restricted Securities. Investor understands that the Purchased Shares it is purchasing are characterized as restricted securities under U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Act only in certain limited circumstances.
4.7 Legends. It is understood that the certificates evidencing the Purchased Shares shall bear the following legend:
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR A VALID EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
5. | COVENANTS. |
5.1 5.1 Lock-Up. The Investor shall not, during the Lock-Up Period (as defined below), Transfer any Securities without the prior written consent of the Company (which the Company may grant or withhold in its sole discretion). Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the Investor may freely Transfer any Securities to any of its Subsidiaries, provided that the Investor shall cause such Subsidiary to which it makes such Transfer to be subject to the same lock-up restrictions provided in the first sentence under this Section 5.1 and the Investor shall be responsible for any breach of such lock-up restrictions by such transferees. As used herein, the Lock-Up Period with respect to any Securities held by the Investor will commence on the Closing Date and continue until and include the date that is 180 days after the pricing of an initial public offering of the Class A Shares of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, subject to this Section 5.1, the Investor may freely Transfer the Securities in compliance with Applicable Laws, provided that the transferee shall execute and deliver such documents and take such other actions as may be necessary for the transferee to join in and be bound by the terms of this Agreement as an Investor (if not already a Party hereto) upon and after such Transfer. The Company shall, and the Founder shall cause the Company to, update its register of members upon the consummation of any such permitted Transfer.
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5.2 Non-Disclosure. The Investor shall, and shall cause its Affiliates (which for purposes of this Section 5.2 shall also include the limited partners of Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund LP and the shareholders of Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments Limited) to: (i) treat and hold as strictly confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any person or entity to) all confidential or proprietary information relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation the existence and content of this Agreement (collectively, Confidential Information), (ii) in the event that the Investor or any of its affiliates becomes legally compelled to disclose any such information, provide the Company with prompt written notice of such requirement (to the extent compliant with Applicable Laws) so that the Company may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 5.2, and (iii) in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or the Company chooses to waive compliance with this Section 5.2, furnish only that portion of such confidential information that is legally required to be provided and exercise its reasonable endeavors to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
6. | CONDITIONS TO CLOSING. |
6.1 Conditions to Obligations of All Parties. The obligations of each Party hereto to consummate the Closing are subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
(a) no provision of any Applicable Law or no judgment entered by or with any Governmental Authority with competent jurisdiction, shall be in effect that enjoins, prohibits or materially alters the terms of the transactions contemplated hereby; and
(b) no proceeding challenging this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, or seeking to prohibit, alter, prevent or materially delay the Closing, shall have been instituted or be pending before any Governmental Authority.
6.2 Conditions to Obligations of the Investor. The obligations of the Investor to consummate the Closing are subject to the satisfaction of the following further conditions:
(a) (i) the representations and warranties of the Company and the Founder that are qualified hereunder by materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall be true and correct in all respects on and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date, and (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company and the Founder that are not qualified hereunder by materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date;
(b) Appleby, the Cayman Islands counsel of the Company, has delivered a legal opinion dated as of the Closing Date addressed to the Investor, which is reasonably satisfactory to the Investor;
(c) the Investor is reasonably satisfied with the results of its commercial, financial, and legal due diligence on the Company and any other Group Companies;
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(d) the delivery to the Investor of a copy of the Board resolutions approving (i) the issue of the Purchase Shares to the Investor, (ii) the execution and delivery of this Agreement, (iii) the entry of the name of the Investor into the register of members, reflecting the Investor as the holder thereof, and (iv) the transactions contemplated under this Agreement;
(e) the Company shall have performed or complied with all obligations and conditions herein required to be performed or complied with by the Company on or prior to the Closing Date; and
(f) there shall have been no Material Adverse Effect.
6.3 Conditions to Obligations of the Company and the Founder. The obligations of the Company and the Founder to consummate the Closing are subject to the satisfaction of the following further conditions:
(a) the representations and warranties of the Investor herein shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date; and
(b) the Investor shall have performed all obligations and conditions herein required to be performed or observed by the Investor on or prior to the Closing Date.
7. | INVESTOR RIGHTS. |
7.1 Preemptive Right.
(a) For so long as the Investor continues to comply with Section 5.1, if the Company proposes to issue any New Securities after the Closing, the Company shall notify the Investor in writing of such proposal (an Issue Notice) not less than seven (7) Business Days prior to any such issuance. The Issue Notice shall specify the number and type of New Securities to be offered by the Company and the material terms of the proposed offer (including the proposed price or range of prices per New Security and other material conditions).
(b) The Investor shall have the right to purchase such number of New Securities at its election, so as to enable the Investor to hold, after the issuance of the New Securities that are the subject to the Issue Notice, a pro rata portion of the New Securities equal to the percentage of the Companys outstanding share capital (on a fully-diluted and as-converted basis) then held by the Investor immediately prior to the issuance of the New Securities, upon the same terms and conditions set forth in the Issue Notice, by giving written notice to the Company of the exercise of this right within five (5) Business Days of the Investors receipt of the Issue Notice. If such notice is not given by the Investor within such period thereof, the Investor shall be deemed to have elected not to exercise its rights under this Section 7.1(b) with respect to the issuance described in that specific Issue Notice.
(c) If the Investor exercises its rights provided in this Section 7.1(b), the closing of the purchase of the New Securities with respect to which such right has been exercised shall take place concurrently with the closing of the relevant offering of the Company. The Company and the Investor will use commercially reasonable efforts to secure any regulatory or shareholder approvals or other consents, and to comply with any Applicable Laws necessary in connection with the offer, sale and purchase of, such New Securities.
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(d) If the Investor fails to exercise its right provided in Section 7.1(b) within the requisite period, or if the Investor fails to consummate its transaction within the requisite period set forth in Section 7.1(c), the Company shall thereafter be entitled to issue and sell within ninety (90) days the New Securities not elected to be purchased pursuant to this Section 7.1 by the Investor at a price no less than that offered to the Investor, and otherwise upon terms and conditions no more favorable to any third-party purchasers of such securities than were specified in the Issue Notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if such issuance or sale is subject to the receipt of any regulatory or shareholder approval or consent or the expiration of any waiting period, the time period during which such issuance or sale may be consummated by the Company shall be extended until the expiration of ten (10) Business Days after all such approvals or consents have been obtained or waiting periods expired. If the Company has not issued and sold the New Securities within such ninety- (90-) day period (as such period may be extended in the manner described in the preceding sentence), the Company shall not thereafter offer, issue or sell such or any other New Securities without first offering such securities to the Investor in the manner provided in this Section 7.1.
(e) In the case of the offering of New Securities for a consideration in whole or in part other than cash, including securities acquired in exchange therefor (other than securities by their terms so exchangeable), the consideration other than cash shall be deemed to be the fair value thereof as determined in good faith by the Board.
7.2 Board Observation Right. For so long as the Investor continues to comply with Section 5.1, after the Closing, the Company shall permit the Investor to designate one (1) senior executive of the Investor to attend all meetings of the Board in a non-voting observer capacity (the Observer) and, in this respect, shall give such Observer notice of such meetings and copies of all meeting materials when such materials are distributed to the members of the board; provided that (i) the Observer shall have no voting rights, (ii) the Observer shall agree to hold in confidence and trust with respect to all information provided at or with respect to any meetings of the Board, and (iii) the Company reserves the right to withhold any information and materials and to exclude the Observer from any meeting or portion thereof (x) if, upon the advice of counsel (including any internal counsel), access to such information or materials or attendance at such meeting or portion thereof could adversely affect the attorney-client privilege between the Company (or its applicable subsidiary) and its counsel or result in a conflict of interest, or (y) if the chairman of the Board, at his or her discretion, believes in good faith that excluding the Observer from such information or materials or such meetings or portion thereof is reasonably appropriate or necessary.
7.3 The entire Section 7 shall immediately terminate upon the completion of a Qualified IPO.
8. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
8.1 Indemnity.
(a) The Company and the Founder (each an Indemnifying Party) shall jointly and severally indemnify the Investor and its directors, officers, employees, and agents (each an Indemnitee) against any losses, liabilities, damages, liens, penalties, diminution in value, costs, and expenses, including reasonable advisors fees and other reasonable expenses of investigation and defense of any of the foregoing, incurred by such Indemnitee (the Indemnifiable Loss) as a result of (i) any breach or violation of any representation or warranty made by the Indemnifying Party, or (ii) any breach by the Indemnifying Party of any covenant or agreement contained herein.
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(b) If an Indemnitee believes that it has a claim that may give rise to an indemnity obligation hereunder, it shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party stating specifically the basis on which such claim is being made, the material facts related thereto, and (if ascertainable or quantifiable) the amount of the claim asserted. In the event of a third-party claim against an Indemnitee for which such Indemnitee seeks indemnification from the Indemnifying Party, no settlement shall be deemed conclusive with respect whether there was an Indemnifiable Loss or the amount of such Indemnifiable Loss unless such settlement is consented to by the Indemnifying Party. Any dispute related to this Section 8.1(b) shall be resolved pursuant to Section 8.14 hereof.
(c) (i) The Indemnifying Party shall not have any liability under this Agreement until the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Loss incurred by an Indemnitee exceeds an amount equal to US$100,000, in which case such Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of the entire amount of the Indemnifiable Loss; and (ii) the amount of Indemnifiable Loss for which the Indemnitee may be indemnified by the Indemnifying Party under this Agreement shall be limited to the Purchase Price actually paid by the Investor.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, this Section 8.1 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of each Party for any claim arising out of or resulting from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that no limitation or exceptions with respect to the obligations or liabilities on any Party provided in Section 8.1(c) shall apply to an Indemnifiable Loss arising due to the fraud or willful misconduct of such Party.
8.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Hong Kong as to matters within the scope thereof, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
8.3 Survival. The representations and warranties made herein shall survive for two (2) years after the Closing.
8.4 Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions hereof shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, and administrators of the Parties. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by a Party without the written consent of the other Parties.
8.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto constitute the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to terminate or supersede the provisions of any applicable confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements executed by the Parties prior to the date hereof, which agreements shall continue in full force and effect until terminated in accordance with their respective terms.
8.6 Notices. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests, waivers, and other communications made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be conclusively deemed to have been duly given (i) when hand delivered to a Party, upon delivery; (ii) when sent by facsimile at the number set forth in Exhibit A hereto, upon receipt of confirmation of error-free transmission; (iii) seven (7) Business Days after deposit in the mail as air mail or certified mail, receipt requested, postage prepaid, and addressed to the relevant Party or Parties as set forth in Exhibit A; or (iv) three (3) Business Days after deposit with an overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, addressed to the relevant Parties as set forth in Exhibit A with next business day delivery guaranteed, provided that the sending Party receives a confirmation of delivery from the delivery service provider.
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Each person making a communication hereunder by facsimile shall promptly confirm by telephone to the person to whom such communication was addressed each communication made by it by facsimile pursuant hereto, but the absence of such confirmation shall not affect the validity of any such communication. A Party may change or supplement the addresses given above, or designate additional addresses, for purposes of this Section 8.6, by giving the other parties written notice of the new address in the manner set forth above.
8.7 Amendments. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor.
8.8 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any Party, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such Party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of any similar breach of default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent, or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any waiver thereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing. All remedies, either under this Agreement, or by law or otherwise afforded to the Parties shall be cumulative and not alternative.
8.9 Finders Fees. Each Party represents and warrants to the other Parties that it has retained no finder or broker in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.10 Interpretation; Titles and Subtitles. This Agreement shall be construed according to its fair language. The rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in interpreting this Agreement. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all references to Sections and Exhibits herein are to Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.
8.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed (including facsimile signature) in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
8.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, to the extent feasible, so as to render the provision enforceable and to provide for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby on substantially the same terms as originally set forth herein, and if no feasible interpretation would save such provision, it shall be severed from the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect unless the severed provision is essential to the rights or benefits intended by the parties. In such event, the parties shall use best efforts to negotiate, in good faith, a substitute, valid and enforceable provision or agreement which most nearly effects the parties intent in entering into this Agreement.
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8.13 Further Assurances. Each Party shall from time to time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be made, done, and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents, and assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.14 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Consultation Between Parties. Any dispute, controversy or, claim or difference of any kind whatsoever arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity hereof (including the validity, scope, and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (the Dispute) shall first be attempted to be resolved through consultation between the Parties in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice has been sent by registered mail by any Party to the other Party (the Consultation Period).
(b) Arbitration. If the Dispute remains unresolved upon expiration of the Consultation Period, any Party may in its sole discretion elect to submit the matter to arbitration with notice to any other Party or Parties. The arbitration shall be conducted in Hong Kong and shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the commencement of the arbitration. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators. The language of the arbitration shall be English. The decision of the arbitrators (by rule of majority) shall be final and binding on the parties (including any decision on their fees) and their fees shall be borne and paid by the parties in such proportions as the arbitrators shall determine.
8.15 Calculation Adjustment. Calculation of any share number or any per share amount shall be adjusted from time to time for any share split, share dividend, share combination, recapitalization, or any other similar transactions after the Closing Date, as appropriate.
8.16 Expenses. The Investor and the Company shall bear their own cost and expense for consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder.
8.17 Rights of Third Parties. Unless otherwise stated, a person who is not a party to this Agreement has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Ordinance (Cap. 623) to enforce any term of this Agreement but this does not affect any right or remedy of a third party that exists or is available apart from that Ordinance. The Parties do not require the consent of any Person that is not party to this Agreement to rescind or vary this Agreement at any time.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE COMPANY: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Michelle Li | |
Name: Michelle Li | ||
Title: Director & CEO |
THE FOUNDER: |
CALVIN CHOI |
/s/ Calvin Choi |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE INVESTOR: | ||
POLY PLATINUM ENTERPRISES LIMITED | ||
By: | /s/ LI Yuezhong | |
Name: LI Yuezhong | ||
Title: Director |
SCHEDULE 1
Group Companies
SCHEDULE 2
Capitalization Tables
CAPITALIZATION TABLE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE CLOSING
(fully diluted)
Name of Shareholder |
Class of Shares | Number of Shares |
Shareholding | Voting Rights |
||||||||||||
Maoyan Entertainment |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 300,000 | 0.63 | % | 0.04 | % | ||||||||||
Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 5,500,000 | 11.45 | % | 0.70 | % | ||||||||||
Ariana Capital Investment Limited |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 2,200,000 | 4.58 | % | 0.28 | % | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Subtotal |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 8,000,000 | 16.66 | % | 1.02 | % | ||||||||||
AMTD Group Company Limited |
Series B Ordinary Shares | 36,800,000 | 76.62 | % | 93.73 | % | ||||||||||
Infinity Power Investments Limited |
Series B Ordinary Shares | 2,000,000 | 4.17 | % | 5.09 | % | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Subtotal |
Series B Ordinary Shares | 38,800,000 | 80.79 | % | 98.82 | % | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Shares Issuable Under Warrants |
1,226,667 | 2.55 | % | 0.16 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total |
48,026,667 | 100 | % | 100 | % |
CAPITALIZATION TABLE IMMEDIATELY AFTER CLOSING
(fully diluted)
Name of Shareholder |
Class of Shares | Number of Shares |
Shareholding | Voting Rights |
||||||||||
Maoyan Entertainment |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 300,000 | 0.61 | % | 0.04 | % | ||||||||
Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 5,500,000 | 11.11 | % | 0.70 | % | ||||||||
Ariana Capital Investment Limited |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 2,200,000 | 4.44 | % | 0.28 | % | ||||||||
Poly Platinum Enterprises Limited |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 1,500,000 | 3.03 | % | 0.19 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Subtotal |
Class A Ordinary Shares | 9,500,000 | 19.18 | % | 1.21 | % | ||||||||
AMTD Group Company Limited |
Series B Ordinary Shares | 36,800,000 | 74.30 | % | 93.55 | % | ||||||||
Infinity Power Investments Limited |
Series B Ordinary Shares | 2,000,000 | 4.04 | % | 5.09 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Subtotal |
Series B Ordinary Shares | 38,800,000 | 78.34 | % | 98.64 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Shares issuable under Warrants |
1,226,667 | 2.48 | % | 0.15 | % | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total |
49,526,667 | 100 | % | 100 | % |
EXHIBIT A
Notices
To the Company or Founder
Address: |
23/F25/F Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong | |
Email: |
********************* | |
Attention: |
********************* |
To the Investor
Address:
Room 3806-10, 38/F., China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Email: |
||
*********************; |
||
*********************; | ||
********************* |
||
Attention: ********************* |
EXHIBIT B
Disclosure Schedule
Section 3.2(b):
1,226,667 Class A Shares issuable upon exercise of warrant held by Value Partners Greater China High Yield Income Fund; and
Supplemental Letter dated March 5, 2020 between Investor and Founder.
Exhibit 10.13
DATED 09 April 2020
Chestnut Business Limited
and
AMTD Digital Inc.
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of the 9th day of April 2020 by and between:
1. | Chestnut Business Limited, a company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of British Virgin Islands (the Investor); and |
2. | AMTD Digital Inc., a company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company). |
The Company and the Investor are each referred to herein as a Party, and collectively as the Parties.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor desires to subscribe to and purchase from the Company certain number of Class A Shares (defined below) of the Company on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | DEFINITIONS. |
1.1 In addition to the terms defined in the context hereof, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them below.
Affiliate means, with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly Controlling, Controlled by, or under common Control with such Person; provided that none of the Company and any of its Subsidiaries shall be considered an Affiliate of the Investor.
Applicable Law means, with respect to any Person, any international, domestic or foreign federal, state or local law (statutory, common or otherwise), constitution, treaty, convention, ordinance, code, rule, regulation, order, injunction, judgment, decree, ruling or other similar requirement enacted, adopted, promulgated or applied by a Governmental Authority that is binding upon or applicable to such Person, as amended unless expressly specified otherwise.
Balance Sheet Date means the consolidated balance sheet as of 31st December 2019 provided to the Investor by the Company.
Business Day means a day, other than Saturday, Sunday, or other day on which commercial banks in the Cayman Islands or Hong Kong are authorized or required by Applicable Laws to close.
Class A Shares means Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, in the share capital of the Company.
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Class B Shares means Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, in the share capital of the Company.
Closing Date means the date of the Closing.
Consent means any consent, approval, authorization, release, waiver, permit, grant, franchise, concession, agreement, license, exemption or order of, registration, certificate, declaration or filing with, or report or notice to, any Person, including any Governmental Authority.
Contract means any agreement, contract, lease, indenture, instrument, note, debenture, bond, mortgage, or deed of trust or other agreement, commitment, arrangement, or understanding, whether written or oral.
Control means, when used with respect to any Person, the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise, and the terms Controlling and Controlled have correlative meanings.
Encumbrance means any security interest, pledge, mortgage, lien, charge, claim, hypothecation, title defect, right of first option or refusal, right of preemption, or other encumbrance of any kind.
Governmental Authority means any transnational, domestic or foreign federal, state or local governmental, regulatory or administrative authority, department, court, agency or official, including any political subdivision thereof.
Group Company means each of the Company and its Subsidiaries, and Group Companies refers to all of the Group Companies collectively.
IFRS means the International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
knowledge of any Person that is not an individual means the knowledge of such Persons officers after reasonable inquiry and investigation.
Management Accounts means unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for the 2019 ended 31st December 2019 prepared in accordance with IFRS.
Material Adverse Effect means any event, circumstance, change, or effect that, individually or in the aggregate, has or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition or results of operations of the Group Companies taken as a whole, provided, however, that none of the following, either alone or in combination, shall be considered a Material Adverse Effect: (i) events, circumstances, changes, or effects that generally affect the industries in which the Group Companies operate (including legal and regulatory changes), (ii) general economic or political conditions or events, circumstances, changes, or effects affecting the markets generally, and (iii) changes caused by a material worsening of current conditions caused by acts of terrorism or war (whether or not declared), social unrest, or health epidemics occurring after the date hereof.
Memorandum and Articles means the memorandum and articles of association of the Company, as amended, in effect from time to time.
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Person means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, trust, or other entity or organization, including a Governmental Authority.
Securities means any ordinary shares or any equity interest of, or shares of any class in the share capital (ordinary, preferred or otherwise) of, the Company and any convertible securities, options, warrants and any other type of equity or equity-linked securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for any such equity interest or shares of any class in the share capital of the Company.
Securities Act means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Subsidiary of any Person means any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint stock company, joint venture, or other organization or entity, whether incorporated or unincorporated, which is controlled by such Person.
Transfer means directly or indirectly, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, transfer, assign, give, hypothecate, encumber, grant a security interest in, convey in trust, gift, devise or descent, or otherwise dispose of, or suffer to exist (whether by operation of law of otherwise) any encumbrance on, any Securities or any right, title or interest therein or thereto, or enter into a transaction which would have the same effect, or enter into any swap, hedge or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Securities, in cash or otherwise, or publicly disclose the intention to make any such disposition or to enter into any such transaction, swap, hedge or other arrangement, including transfers pursuant to divorce or legal separation, transfers to receivers, levying creditors, trustees or receivers in bankruptcy proceedings or general assignees for the benefit of creditors, whether voluntary or by operation of law, directly or indirectly, of any Securities.
1.2 Other Defined Terms. The following terms shall have the meanings defined for such terms in the Sections set forth below.
Agreement | Preamble | |||
Closing | Section 2.1 | |||
Company | Preamble | |||
Confidential Information | Section 5.2 | |||
Consultation Period | Section 7.14(a) | |||
Dispute | Section 7.14(a) | |||
HKIAC | Section 7.14(b) | |||
Indemnifiable Loss | Section 7.1(a) | |||
Indemnifying Party | Section 7.1(a) | |||
Indemnitee | Section 7.1(a) | |||
Investor | Preamble | |||
Permit | Section 3.7 | |||
Purchased Shares | Section 2.1 | |||
Purchase Price | Section 2.1 |
2. | PURCHASE AND SALE. |
2.1 Purchase and Sale. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing (as defined below) the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, 300,000 Class A Shares (the Purchased Shares) for an aggregate purchase price of US$3,00,000 (the Purchase Price).
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2.2 Closing. The closing of the transactions as set forth in Section 2.1 (the Closing) shall take place remotely via the electronic exchange of documents and signatures subject to and within two (2) Business Days (defined below) after satisfaction or, to the extent permissible, waiver by the Party or Parties entitled to the benefit of the conditions set forth in Section 6 (other than conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or, to the extent permissible, waiver of those conditions at the Closing), or at such other time or place as the Company and the Investor may agree.
(a) The Investor shall, at the Closing, pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds to a designated account of the Company, provided that the Company shall deliver wire transfer instructions to the Investor at least two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing.
(b) The Company shall (i) cause, at the Closing, its register of members to be updated to reflect the Investor as the record holder of the Purchased Shares, and (ii) deliver to the Investor, within five (5) Business Days after the Closing, a certified copy of an extract of such updated register of members and a share certificate issued in favor of the Investor representing the Purchased Shares, duly signed for and on behalf of the Company.
3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY. |
Subject to such exceptions as may be specifically set forth in the corresponding sections of a disclosure schedule to be delivered by the Company to the Investor as of the date of this Agreement, where applicable, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Organization, Standing, and Qualification. Each Group Company is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the place of its establishment and has all requisite power and authorization to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted. Each Group Company is duly qualified or licensed to do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it makes such qualification or licensing necessary, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or licensed would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.2 Capitalization. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000,000 ordinary shares, including (i) 8,000,000,000 Class A Shares, of which 10,726,667 Class A Shares are issued and outstanding, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B Shares, of which 38,800,000 Class B Shares are issued and outstanding. The register of members of the Company provided by the Company to the Investor prior to the Closing is true and correct as of the date provided.
3.3 Authorization; Enforceability; Validity. All corporate actions on the part of the Company necessary for the authorization, execution, and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement have been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
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3.4 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares. The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold, delivered, and paid for by the Investor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable.
3.5 Consents; No Conflicts. All Consents from or with any Governmental Authority or any other Person required in connection with the valid execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder, other than on the part of the Investor, have been duly obtained or completed and are in full force and effect. The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement by the Company do not, and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereunder will not, (i) result in a violation of the Memorandum and Articles, (ii) conflict with or result in a violation of the Applicable Laws, or (iii) conflict with or result in a breach or violation in, or constitute a default under, any Contract to which the Company is a party, in each case, except to the extent that such violation, conflict, breach, or default would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.6 Financial Statements. The Company has delivered the Management Accounts to the Investor prior to the date hereof. Except as may be otherwise indicated in the Management Accounts, the Management Accounts (i) are in accordance with the books and records of the Group Companies, (ii) are true, correct, and complete and present fairly the financial condition of the Group Companies as a whole as of the date or dates therein indicated and the results of operations for the period or periods therein specified, and (iii) have been prepared in accordance with the IFRS applied on a consistent basis. Since the Balance Sheet Date, (i) each Group Company has operated in the ordinary course of its business in all material respects and (ii) there has not been a Material Adverse Effect.
3.7 Compliance with Applicable Laws. Each Group Company is, and has been, in compliance with Applicable Laws, except where such non-compliance would not be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Group Companies have all material permits, licenses, authorizations, consents, orders and approvals (Permits) that are required in order to carry on their business as presently conducted. All such material Permits are in full force and effect.
3.8 No Undisclosed Liabilities. Except as disclosed in the Management Accounts, there are no liabilities of any Group Company, whether accrued, contingent, absolute, determined, determinable or otherwise, and there is no existing condition, situation or set of circumstances that would reasonably be expected to result in such a liability, other than: (i) liabilities incurred since the Balance Sheet Date in the ordinary course of business, (ii) any other undisclosed liabilities that are not material to the Company on a consolidated basis, and (iii) any liabilities incurred pursuant to this Agreement.
3.9 Exempt Offering. The offer and sale of the Purchased Shares under this Agreement are or shall be exempt from the registration requirements and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, and from the registration or qualification requirements of any other applicable securities laws and regulations. None of the Company, its affiliates, or any Person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act) in the United States in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement.
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3.10 Insolvency and Winding Up. No order or petition has been presented or resolution passed for the administration, winding-up, dissolution, or liquidation of any Group Company and no administrator, receiver, or manager has been appointed in respect thereof. None of the Group Companies has commenced any other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, composition, arrangement, adjustment of debt, release of debtors, dissolution, insolvency, liquidation, or similar Law of any jurisdiction and no such proceedings have been commenced against any Group Company.
3.11 Litigation. There are no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened material actions, claims, demands, investigations, examinations, indictments, litigations, suits or other criminal, civil or administrative or investigative proceedings before or by any Governmental Authority or by any other person against any Group Company, except that would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE INVESTOR. |
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company as follows.
4.1 Authorization. The Investor has all requisite power, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized (including as approved by the board of directors of the Investor), executed, and delivered by the Investor. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Investor, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of such Investor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization, and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles.
4.2 Purchase for Own Account. The Purchased Shares will be acquired for the Investors own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof. By executing this Agreement, the Investor further represents that it does not have any Contract with any person to sell, transfer, or grant participations to any person, with respect to any of the Purchased Shares.
4.3 Organization, Good Standing, and Qualification. The Investor is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation.
4.4 Investment Experience. The Investor acknowledges that it is able to fend for itself, can bear the economic risks of its investment, and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment in the Purchased Shares.
4.5 Status of Investor. The Investor is (i) not a U.S. person within the meaning of Rule 902 of Regulation S under the Act, or (ii) purchasing the Purchased Shares outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction.
4.6 Restricted Securities. Investor understands that the Purchased Shares it is purchasing are characterized as restricted securities under U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Act only in certain limited circumstances.
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4.7 Legends. It is understood that the certificates evidencing the Purchased Shares shall bear the following legend:
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR A VALID EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
5. | COVENANTS. |
5.1 Lock-Up. The Investor shall not, during the Lock-Up Period (as defined below), Transfer any Securities without the prior written consent of the Company (which the Company may grant or withhold in its sole discretion). Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the Investor may freely Transfer any Securities to any of its Subsidiaries, provided that the Investor shall cause such Subsidiary to which it makes such Transfer to be subject to the same lock-up restrictions provided in the first sentence under this Section 5.1 and the Investor shall be responsible for any breach of such lock-up restrictions by such transferees. As used herein, the Lock-Up Period with respect to any Securities held by the Investor will commence on the Closing Date and continue until and include the date that is 180 days after the pricing of an initial public offering of the Class A Shares of the Company.
5.2 Non-Disclosure. The Investor shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to: (i) treat and hold as strictly confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any person or entity to) all confidential or proprietary information relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation the existence and content of this Agreement (collectively, Confidential Information), (ii) in the event that the Investor or any of its affiliates becomes legally compelled to disclose any such information, provide the Company with prompt written notice of such requirement (to the extent compliant with Applicable Laws) so that the Company may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 5.2, and (iii) in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or the Company chooses to waive compliance with this Section 5.2, furnish only that portion of such confidential information that is legally required to be provided and exercise its reasonable endeavors to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
6. CONDITIONS TO CLOSING.
6.1 Conditions to Obligations of All Parties. The obligations of each Party hereto to consummate the Closing are subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
(a) no provision of any Applicable Law or no judgment entered by or with any Governmental Authority with competent jurisdiction, shall be in effect that enjoins, prohibits or materially alters the terms of the transactions contemplated hereby; and
(b) no proceeding challenging this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, or seeking to prohibit, alter, prevent or materially delay the Closing, shall have been instituted or be pending before any Governmental Authority.
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6.2 Conditions to Obligations of the Investor. The obligations of the Investor to consummate the Closing are subject to the satisfaction of the following further conditions:
(a) (i) the representations and warranties of the Company that are qualified hereunder by materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall be true and correct in all respects on and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date, and (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company that are not qualified hereunder by materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date;
(b) the Company shall have performed or complied with all obligations and conditions herein required to be performed or complied with by the Company on or prior to the Closing Date; and
(c) there shall have been no Material Adverse Effect.
6.3 Conditions to Obligations of the Company. The obligations of the Company to consummate the Closing are subject to the satisfaction of the following further conditions:
(a) the representations and warranties of the Investor herein shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date; and
(b) the Investor shall have performed all obligations and conditions herein required to be performed or observed by the Investor on or prior to the Closing Date.
7. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
7.1 Indemnity.
(a) The Company shall jointly and severally indemnify the Investor and its directors, officers, employees, and agents (in each case, the indemnifying party as the Indemnifying Party and each of the indemnified parties as the Indemnitee), as applicable, against any losses, liabilities, damages, liens, penalties, diminution in value, costs, and expenses, including reasonable advisors fees and other reasonable expenses of investigation and defense of any of the foregoing, incurred by such Indemnitee (the Indemnifiable Loss) as a result of (i) any breach or violation of any representation or warranty made by the Indemnifying Party, or (ii) any breach by the Indemnifying Party of any covenant or agreement contained herein.
(b) If an Indemnitee believes that it has a claim that may give rise to an indemnity obligation hereunder, it shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party stating specifically the basis on which such claim is being made, the material facts related thereto, and (if ascertainable or quantifiable) the amount of the claim asserted. In the event of a third-party claim against an Indemnitee for which such Indemnitee seeks indemnification from the Indemnifying Party, no settlement shall be deemed conclusive with respect whether there was an Indemnifiable Loss or the amount of such Indemnifiable Loss unless such settlement is consented to by the Indemnifying Party. Any dispute related to this Section 7.1(b) shall be resolved pursuant to Section 7.14 hereof.
(c) (i) The Indemnifying Party shall not have any liability under this Agreement until the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Loss incurred by an Indemnitee exceeds an amount equal to US$200,000, in which case such Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of the entire amount of the Indemnifiable Loss; and (ii) the amount of Indemnifiable Loss for which the Indemnitee may be indemnified by the Indemnifying Party under this Agreement shall be limited to the Purchase Price actually paid by the Investor.
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(d) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, this Section 7.1 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of each Party for any claim arising out of or resulting from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that no limitation or exceptions with respect to the obligations or liabilities on any Party provided in Section 7.1(c) shall apply to an Indemnifiable Loss arising due to the fraud or willful misconduct of such Party.
7.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Hong Kong as to matters within the scope thereof, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
7.3 Survival. The representations and warranties made herein shall survive for two (2) years after the Closing.
7.4 Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions hereof shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, and administrators of the Parties. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by a Party without the written consent of the other Parties.
7.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto constitute the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to terminate or supersede the provisions of any applicable confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements executed by the Parties prior to the date hereof, which agreements shall continue in full force and effect until terminated in accordance with their respective terms.
7.6 Notices. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests, waivers, and other communications made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be conclusively deemed to have been duly given (i) when hand delivered to a Party, upon delivery; (ii) when sent by facsimile at the number set forth in Exhibit A hereto, upon receipt of confirmation of error-free transmission; (iii) seven (7) Business Days after deposit in the mail as air mail or certified mail, receipt requested, postage prepaid, and addressed to the relevant Party or Parties as set forth in Exhibit A; or (iv) three (3) Business Days after deposit with an overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, addressed to the relevant Parties as set forth in Exhibit A with next business day delivery guaranteed, provided that the sending Party receives a confirmation of delivery from the delivery service provider.
Each person making a communication hereunder by facsimile shall promptly confirm by telephone to the person to whom such communication was addressed each communication made by it by facsimile pursuant hereto, but the absence of such confirmation shall not affect the validity of any such communication. A Party may change or supplement the addresses given above, or designate additional addresses, for purposes of this Section 7.6, by giving the other parties written notice of the new address in the manner set forth above.
7.7 Amendments. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor.
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7.8 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any Party, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such Party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of any similar breach of default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent, or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any waiver thereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing. All remedies, either under this Agreement, or by law or otherwise afforded to the Parties shall be cumulative and not alternative.
7.9 Finders Fees. Each Party represents and warrants to the other Parties that it has retained no finder or broker in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
7.10 Interpretation; Titles and Subtitles. This Agreement shall be construed according to its fair language. The rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in interpreting this Agreement. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all references to Sections and Exhibits herein are to Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.
7.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed (including facsimile signature) in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
7.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, to the extent feasible, so as to render the provision enforceable and to provide for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby on substantially the same terms as originally set forth herein, and if no feasible interpretation would save such provision, it shall be severed from the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect unless the severed provision is essential to the rights or benefits intended by the parties. In such event, the parties shall use best efforts to negotiate, in good faith, a substitute, valid and enforceable provision or agreement which most nearly effects the parties intent in entering into this Agreement.
7.13 Further Assurances. Each Party shall from time to time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be made, done, and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents, and assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
7.14 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Consultation Between Parties. Any dispute, controversy or, claim or difference of any kind whatsoever arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity hereof (including the validity, scope, and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (the Dispute) shall first be attempted to be resolved through consultation between the Parties in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice has been sent by registered mail by any Party to the other Party (the Consultation Period).
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(b) Arbitration. If the Dispute remains unresolved upon expiration of the Consultation Period, any Party may in its sole discretion elect to submit the matter to arbitration with notice to any other Party or Parties. The arbitration shall be conducted in Hong Kong and shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the commencement of the arbitration. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators. The language of the arbitration shall be English. The decision of the arbitrators (by rule of majority) shall be final and binding on the parties (including any decision on their fees) and their fees shall be borne and paid by the parties in such proportions as the arbitrators shall determine.
7.15 Calculation Adjustment. Calculation of any share number or any per share amount shall be adjusted from time to time for any share split, share dividend, share combination, recapitalization, or any other similar transactions after the Closing Date, as appropriate.
7.16 Expenses. The Investor and the Company shall bear their own cost and expense for consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder.
7.17 Rights of Third Parties. Unless otherwise stated, a person who is not a party to this Agreement has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Ordinance (Cap. 623) to enforce any term of this Agreement but this does not affect any right or remedy of a third party that exists or is available apart from that Ordinance. The Parties do not require the consent of any Person that is not party to this Agreement to rescind or vary this Agreement at any time.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE COMPANY: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ William Fung | |
Name: William Fung | ||
Title: Director |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE INVESTOR: | ||
CHESTNUT BUSINESS LIMITED | ||
By: | /s/ Authorized Signatory | |
Name: | ||
Title: Authorized Signatory |
EXHIBIT A
Notices
To the Company | ||
Address: | 23/F - 25/F Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong | |
Email: | ******************** | |
Attention: | ******************** | |
To the Investor | ||
Address: | 33/F, Vision Knight Capital, Kerry Parkside, No. 1155, Fangdian Rd, Pudong, Shanghai, PRC, 201204 | |
Email: | ******************** | |
Attention: | ******************** |
Exhibit 10.14
Execution Version
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
BY AND AMONG
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
POLICYPAL PTE. LTD.
YAP WEN YIN VALENZIA
and
THE SELLING SHAREHOLDERS NAMED HEREIN
Dated as of June 11, 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | ||||||
ARTICLE I Definitions |
1 | |||||
Section 1.1 |
Certain Definitions |
1 | ||||
Section 1.2 |
Interpretation and Rules of Construction |
8 | ||||
ARTICLE II Sale and Purchase of Shares |
9 | |||||
Section 2.1 |
Sale and Purchase of Shares |
9 | ||||
Section 2.2 |
Purchase Consideration |
10 | ||||
Section 2.3 |
Closing Date |
10 | ||||
Section 2.4 |
Closing Deliveries by the Target Company |
10 | ||||
Section 2.5 |
Closing Deliveries by the Selling Shareholders |
11 | ||||
Section 2.6 |
Closing Deliveries by the Purchaser |
12 | ||||
Section 2.7 |
Breach of Obligations at the Closing |
13 | ||||
ARTICLE III Representations and Warranties With Respect to Group Companies |
14 | |||||
Section 3.1 |
Organization and Good Standing |
14 | ||||
Section 3.2 |
Authorization |
14 | ||||
Section 3.3 |
Conflicts; Consents of Third Parties |
15 | ||||
Section 3.4 |
Capitalization |
15 | ||||
Section 3.5 |
Group Companies |
16 | ||||
Section 3.6 |
Corporate Books and Records |
16 | ||||
Section 3.7 |
Financial Statements |
17 | ||||
Section 3.8 |
Certain Operating Metrics |
17 | ||||
Section 3.9 |
Absence of Certain Changes |
17 | ||||
Section 3.10 |
Litigation |
19 | ||||
Section 3.11 |
Title to Properties; Liens and Encumbrances |
19 | ||||
Section 3.12 |
Intellectual Property |
19 | ||||
Section 3.13 |
Taxes |
21 | ||||
Section 3.14 |
Material Contracts |
22 | ||||
Section 3.15 |
Compliance with Laws and Other Instruments |
23 | ||||
Section 3.16 |
Employee Matters |
24 | ||||
Section 3.17 |
Transactions with Related Parties |
24 | ||||
Section 3.18 |
Competing Business |
25 | ||||
Section 3.19 |
Licenses |
25 | ||||
Section 3.20 |
Entire Business |
25 | ||||
Section 3.21 |
Office or Branch Locations |
25 | ||||
Section 3.22 |
Full Disclosure |
25 | ||||
Section 3.23 |
Brokers |
25 | ||||
Section 3.24 |
Amount Due to Option Holders |
26 | ||||
Section 3.25 |
No Other Representations or Warranties |
26 | ||||
ARTICLE IV Representations and Warranties with Respect to Selling Shareholders |
26 | |||||
Section 4.1 |
Capacity |
26 | ||||
Section 4.2 |
Authorization |
27 | ||||
Section 4.3 |
Conflicts; Consents of Third Parties |
27 | ||||
Section 4.4 |
Ownership and Transfer of Shares |
27 | ||||
Section 4.5 |
No Undisclosed Interest |
28 | ||||
Section 4.6 |
Brokers |
28 | ||||
Section 4.7 |
No Other Representations or Warranties |
28 |
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ARTICLE V Representations and Warranties of Purchaser |
28 | |||||
Section 5.1 |
Organization and Good Standing |
28 | ||||
Section 5.2 |
Authorization |
29 | ||||
Section 5.3 |
Conflicts; Consents of Third Parties |
29 | ||||
Section 5.4 |
Share Capital |
29 | ||||
Section 5.5 |
Financial Statements |
29 | ||||
Section 5.6 |
No Other Representations or Warranties |
30 | ||||
ARTICLE VI Covenants |
30 | |||||
Section 6.1 |
Access to Information |
30 | ||||
Section 6.2 |
Notice of Developments |
30 | ||||
Section 6.3 |
Conduct of the Business Pending the Closing |
31 | ||||
Section 6.4 |
Further Assurances |
32 | ||||
Section 6.5 |
Confidentiality and Publicity |
32 | ||||
Section 6.6 |
Exclusivity |
33 | ||||
Section 6.7 |
Tax Filing |
33 | ||||
Section 6.8 |
Consent and Waiver |
33 | ||||
Section 6.9 |
Use of Proceeds |
34 | ||||
ARTICLE VII Conditions to Closing |
34 | |||||
Section 7.1 |
Conditions Precedent to Obligations of Each Party |
34 | ||||
Section 7.2 |
Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Purchaser |
34 | ||||
Section 7.3 |
Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Target Company |
36 | ||||
Section 7.4 |
Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Selling Shareholders |
36 | ||||
ARTICLE VIII Termination |
37 | |||||
Section 8.1 |
Termination of Agreement |
37 | ||||
Section 8.2 |
Termination of Agreement |
37 | ||||
Section 8.3 |
Procedure Upon Termination |
38 | ||||
Section 8.4 |
Effect of Termination |
38 | ||||
ARTICLE IX INDEMNIFICATION |
39 | |||||
Section 9.1 |
Survival of Representations, Warranties and Covenants |
39 | ||||
Section 9.2 |
Indemnification |
39 | ||||
Section 9.3 |
Limitation of Liability |
42 | ||||
ARTICLE X Miscellaneous |
43 | |||||
Section 10.1 |
Expenses |
43 | ||||
Section 10.2 |
Governing Law |
43 | ||||
Section 10.3 |
Arbitration |
43 | ||||
Section 10.4 |
Entire Agreement; Amendments and Waivers |
43 | ||||
Section 10.5 |
Specific Performance |
44 | ||||
Section 10.6 |
Notices |
44 | ||||
Section 10.7 |
Severability |
45 | ||||
Section 10.8 |
Binding Effect; Third Party Rights; Assignment |
45 | ||||
Section 10.9 |
Disclosure Schedule References |
45 | ||||
Section 10.10 |
Counterparts |
45 |
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SCHEDULES AND EXHIBITS
Schedule A | Capitalization Tables | |
Schedule B | Company Disclosure Schedule | |
Exhibit A | Form of Instrument of Transfer | |
Exhibit B | Form of Share Mortgage Agreement |
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SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this Agreement), dated as of June 11, 2020, is entered into by and between (i) AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company incorporated under the Laws of the Cayman Islands (the Purchaser), (ii) PolicyPal Pte. Ltd., a private company limited by shares incorporated under the Laws of Singapore (the Target Company), and (iii) Yap Wen Yin Valenzia, formerly known as Val Ji-Hsuan Yap (the Founder), and the other Persons set forth in Schedule A hereto (collectively and including the Founder, the Selling Shareholders and individually a Selling Shareholder).
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, the Target Company and the other Group Companies (as defined below) collectively are engaged in the insurance brokerage and agency and related business;
WHEREAS, each Selling Shareholder owns the number and type of Shares (as defined below) as set forth opposite such Selling Shareholders name in Schedule A under the heading Capitalization Immediately Before Closing;
WHEREAS, each Selling Shareholder desires to sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser desires to purchase from each Selling Shareholder, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, such number of Shares owned by such Selling Shareholder set forth opposite such Selling Shareholders name in Schedule A under the heading Purchased Old Shares; and
WHEREAS, the Target Company desires to issue and sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser desires to subscribe for and purchase from the Target Company, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, such number of newly issued Shares set forth in Schedule A under the heading Purchased New Shares, which, together with the Shares under the heading Purchased Old Shares, represent 51% of the Target Companys Shares on a fully diluted basis immediately after the Closing (as defined below).
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and the mutual covenants and agreements hereinafter contained, and intending to be legally bound, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1 Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings specified in this Section 1.1:
Affiliate means any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls, or is Controlled by, or is under common Control with, such Person, including without limitation, with respect to any Person that is an individual, his or her Immediate Family Members. For the avoidance of doubt, in the case of any Selling Shareholder, the term Affiliate includes (i) any of such Selling Shareholders shareholders, general partners or limited partners, or the general partners or limited partners of such Selling Shareholders shareholders, (ii) the fund manager managing or advising such Selling Shareholder (and general partners, limited partners, and officers thereof) and other funds managed or advised by such fund manager, (iii) trusts Controlled by or for the benefit of any such Person referred to in (i) or (ii), and (iv) any fund or holding company formed for investment purposes that is promoted, sponsored, managed, advised, or serviced by such Selling Shareholder which, in each case of (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv), Controls, or is Controlled by, or is under common Control with, such Selling Shareholder. For further avoidance of doubt, the Affiliates referenced in Section 3.18 means any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls, or is Controlled by, or is under common Control with, such Person, including without limitation, with respect to any Person that is an individual, his or her Immediate Family Members.
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Agreement has the meaning ascribed to it in the Preamble.
Amended Constitution means the amended and restated constitution of the Target Company, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Purchaser, which shall become effective immediately upon the Closing.
Applicable Accounting Standard means the United States generally accepted accounting principles, International Financial Reporting Standards, or other accounting standards adopted by the Target Company and applied consistently throughout the Financial Statements.
Balance Sheet Date has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.7(a).
Benefit Plan has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.16.
Breaching Selling Shareholder has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.7(a)(i).
Business means the business that is conducted or proposed to be conducted by the Group Companies, including without limitation insurance brokerage and agency, insurance underwriting, general insurance, life insurance, and any insurance business.
Business Day means a day that is not a Saturday or Sunday or any other day on which banks in Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, or the Cayman Islands are required or authorized to be closed.
Closing has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.3.
Closing Date has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.3.
Contract means any contract, agreement, indenture, note, bond, mortgage, loan, instrument, lease, franchise or license (whether written or oral).
Control of a given Person means the power or authority, whether exercised or not, to direct the business, management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise, which power or authority shall conclusively be presumed to exist upon possession of beneficial ownership or power to direct the vote of more than fifty percent (50%) of the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting of the members or shareholders of such Person or power to control the composition of a majority of the board of directors (or similar governing body) of such Person; the term Controlled has the meaning correlative to the foregoing.
2
Disclosure Schedule means the disclosure schedule dated as of the date hereof and attached to this Agreement as Schedule B.
Equity Securities means, with respect to any Person that is a legal entity, any and all shares of capital stock, membership interests, units, profits interests, ownership interests, equity interests, registered capital, and other equity securities of such Person, and any right, warrant, option, call, commitment, conversion privilege, pre-emptive right or other right to acquire any of the foregoing, or security convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for any of the foregoing, or any Contract providing for the acquisition of any of the foregoing.
Existing Constitution means the constitution of the Target Company effective as of the date of this Agreement.
Financial Statements has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.7(a).
Founder has the meaning ascribed to it in the Preamble.
Government Authority means supranational, national, federal, state, municipal or local court, administrative body or other governmental or quasi-governmental entity or authority with competent jurisdiction exercising legislative, judicial, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to supranational, national, federal, state, municipal or local government, including any department, commission, board, agency, bureau, subdivision, instrumentality or other regulatory, administrative, judicial or arbitral authority, and any securities exchange on which the securities of any Party or its Affiliates are listed, including, but not limited to MAS.
Government Official means any executive, official, member, or employee of a Government Authority or a political party; political candidate; executive, official, or employee of a public international organization; or director, officer, or employee of a wholly or majority state-owned or state-controlled enterprise.
Group Companies means the Target Company and any Person (other than a natural person) that is directly or indirectly Controlled by the Target Company.
HKIAC Rules has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 10.3(a).
Hong Kong means the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.
Immediate Family Members means, with respect to any natural Person, (i) such Persons spouse, parents, children (in each case whether adoptive or biological), (ii) spouses of such Persons children (in each case whether adoptive or biological), and (iii) estates, trusts, and partnerships which directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries are Controlled by the foregoing.
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Indebtedness of any Person means, without duplication, (i) the principal, accreted value, accrued and unpaid interest, prepayment, breakage and redemption costs, premiums or penalties, unpaid fees or expenses and other monetary obligations in respect of (A) indebtedness of such Person for borrowed money and (B) indebtedness evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other similar instruments for the payment of which such Person is responsible or liable; (ii) all obligations (contingent or otherwise) of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services, all conditional sale obligations of such Person and all obligations of such Person under any title retention the ordinary course of business consistent with the past practice of such Person; (iii) all capitalized lease obligations; (iv) all obligations and Liabilities payable upon termination of interest rate protection agreements, foreign currency exchange agreements or other interest rate or exchange rate hedging or swap arrangements; (v) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (iv) of any Persons the payment of which such Person is responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, as obligor, guarantor, surety or otherwise; and (vi) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (v) of other Persons secured by any Lien on any property or asset of such Person (whether or not such obligation is assumed by such Person).
Indemnified Party has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 9.2(d)(i).
Indemnifying Party has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 9.2(d)(i).
Intellectual Property means all intellectual property, including (i) all intellectual property rights in inventions, discoveries, and processes, and all patents, and patent disclosures, (ii) all trademarks, service marks, trade names, brand names, trade dress rights, logos, Internet domain names and corporate names, and, to the extent recognized under applicable Law, other source indicators, and the goodwill of the business symbolized thereby, (iii) all copyrights and works of authorship in any media, including all designs, (iv) all computer software, databases and programs, (v) all trade secrets, know-how, and other proprietary or confidential information and (vi) all applications, registrations, renewals, foreign counterparts, extensions, continuations, continuations-in-part, re-examinations, reissues, and divisionals of the foregoing.
Key Employees means the Founder and Wong Kai Chin.
Knowledge of the Target Company means the knowledge actually possessed, or should have been possessed by the Target Company, the directors of the Target Company, the Founder, and other executive officers of the Target Company after reasonable inquiry.
Law means any foreign, federal, state, municipal or local law, statute, code, ordinance, rule, decree, regulation or any common law of any Government Authority or jurisdiction.
Legal Proceeding means any judicial, administrative or arbitral actions, suits, proceedings or investigations (whether civil or criminal, judicial or administrative, at law or in equity, or public or private) by or before a Government Authority.
Liability means any indebtedness, liability or obligation (whether direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, accrued or unaccrued, liquidated or unliquidated, or due or to become due), including those arising under any Law, Order, Legal Proceeding or Contract and including all costs and expenses relating thereto.
License means any franchises, permits, licenses, approvals, authorizations and any similar document issued or granted by any Government Authority.
Lien means any lien (including, without limitation, tax lien), encumbrance, pledge, mortgage, deed of trust, security interest, claim, lease, charge, option, restrictive covenant, right of first refusal, right of first offer, easement, servitude or other restriction having similar effect.
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Long Stop Date means July 31, 2020.
MAS means the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Material Adverse Effect means any change, circumstance, event or effect that, individually or in the aggregate, is or would be materially adverse to (a) the business, operations, assets, Liabilities, condition (financial or otherwise), or results of operations of the Group Companies, taken as a whole; or (b) the ability of the Target Company or any Selling Shareholder to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder and under any other Transaction Documents.
Material Contract has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.14(a).
Order means any written order, injunction, judgment, decree, legally binding notice, ruling, writ, assessment or arbitration award of a Government Authority.
Party means a party to this Agreement.
Permit means any approval, authorization, consent, license, permit or certificate of or issued by a Government Authority.
Person means any individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or other entity.
Prohibited Payment has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.15(b).
Purchase Consideration has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.2.
Purchase Consideration for New Shares Acquisition has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.2.
Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.2.
Purchased New Shares has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.1.
Purchased Old Shares has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.1.
Purchased Shares has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.1.
Purchaser Director and Chairman means Mr. Calvin Choi (as chairman) and Mr. Sidney Ku (as a director), being the individuals designated by the Purchaser to the board of directors as chairman and director of the Target Company, respectively, prior to Closing.
Purchaser Fundamental Warranties has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 7.3(a).
Purchaser Group Companies means the Purchaser and any Person (other than a natural person) that is directly or indirectly Controlled by the Purchaser, and Purchaser Group Company means any of them.
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Purchaser Indemnitees has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 9.2(a).
Purchaser Losses has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 9.2(a).
Purchaser Shares means the Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share, in the capital of the Purchaser.
Qualified Funding means any bona fide investment by one or more third parties (other than the Purchaser) in cash for newly issued Shares of the Target Company (at a price per share that is no less than that of the Purchased Old Shares) completed prior to the Closing, provided that the amount of proceeds from such new share issuance (excluding the Purchase Consideration for New Shares Acquisition) by Target Company shall not be less than US$3.0 million, and such proceeds shall remain in Target Companys bank accounts at the Closing.
Related Party or Related Parties means (i) any Person who beneficially owns no less than 10% interest in the voting power of any Group Company, (ii) any director or Key Employees of any Group Company, (iii) other Affiliates of any Group Company, and (iv) Affiliates of the Persons enumerated under (i) and (ii), in each case of (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv), excluding any Group Company.
Related Party Contracts has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.17(a).
Relevant Tax Authority has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.7(b).
SAFE Agreement or SAFE Agreements means the simple agreements for future equity each SAFE Holder has entered into with the Company from time to time, including any relevant schedules, exhibits, side letters, supplemental letters, amendments and other relevant agreements or documents.
SAFE Holder or SAFE Holders means any Selling Shareholder identified as a SAFE Holder in Schedule A.
Sanctions has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.15(e).
Securities Act means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Selling Shareholder has the meaning ascribed to it in the Preamble.
Selling Shareholder Fundamental Warranties has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 7.2(a).
Selling Shareholder Indemnitees has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 9.2(c).
Selling Shareholder Losses has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 9.2(c).
Shareholders Agreement means the Shareholders Agreement between the Selling Shareholders, the Target Company, and the Purchaser, to be entered into at or prior to the Closing.
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Share Mortgage Agreement means the Share Mortgage Agreement between the Founder, other Key Employees, and the Purchaser, substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, to be entered into at or prior to the Closing.
Shares means the shares in the capital of the Target Company, being ordinary shares.
Straddle Period means any taxable period that begins on or before and ends after the Closing Date.
Target Company has the meaning ascribed to it in the Preamble.
Target Company Fundamental Warranties has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 7.2(a).
Target Company Options means option awards granted under the Target Company Share Incentive Plan that entitles the holder thereof to purchase Shares upon the vesting of such award.
Target Company Share Award Disclosure Schedule has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.4(c).
Target Company Share Awards means the share-based awards granted under the Target Company Share Incentive Plan, including the Target Company Options.
Target Company Share Incentive Plan means PolicyPal Employee Share Option Scheme dated March 1, 2018.
Target Valuation has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 2.2.
Tax or Taxes means (a) any national, provincial, municipal, or local taxes, charges, fees, levies, or other assessments, including, without limitation, all net income (including enterprise income tax and individual income withholding tax), turnover (including value-added tax, business tax, and consumption tax), resource (including urban and township land use tax), special purpose (including land value-added tax, urban maintenance and construction tax, and additional education fees), property (including urban real estate tax and land use fees), documentation (including stamp duty and deed tax), filing, recording, tariffs (including import duty and import value-added tax), and other taxes, charges, fees, levies, or other assessments of any kind whatsoever as applicable, (b) all interest, penalties (administrative, civil or criminal), or additional amounts imposed by any Government Authority in connection with any item described in clause (a) above, and (c) any form of transferor liability imposed by any Government Authority in connection with any item described in clauses (a) and (b) above.
Tax Return means any return, report or statement required to be filed with respect to any Tax (including any attachments thereto, and any amendment thereof), including any information return, claim for refund, amended return or declaration of estimated Tax, and including, where permitted or required, combined, consolidated or unitary returns for any group of entities that includes any Group Company.
Taxing Authority means any Government Authority responsible for the administration of any Tax.
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Third Party Claim has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 9.2(d)(ii).
Transaction Documents means this Agreement, the Shareholders Agreement, the Amended Constitution, the Share Mortgage Agreement, and other agreements or documents required to be executed and/or delivered by any Party in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Warrantors means the Target Company and the Founder.
Section 1.2 Interpretation and Rules of Construction.
(a) Unless otherwise expressly provided, for purposes of this Agreement, the following rules of interpretation shall apply:
(i) the provision of a table of contents, the division of this Agreement into Articles, Sections and other subdivisions and the insertion of headings are for convenience of reference only and shall not affect or be utilized in construing or interpreting this Agreement;
(ii) any reference in this Agreement to an Article, Section, Exhibit or Schedule, such reference is to an Article or Section of, or a Schedule or Exhibit to, this Agreement, unless otherwise indicated. All Exhibits and Schedules hereto or referred to herein are hereby incorporated in and made a part of this Agreement as if set forth in full herein;
(iii) any reference in this Agreement to gender shall include all genders, and words imparting the singular number only shall include the plural and vice versa;
(iv) any reference in this Agreement to any document, including this Agreement, shall include such document as amended, modified, varied, novated, supplemented, or replaced from time to time;
(v) the word written or in writing shall include any means of visible reproduction;
(vi) except where the context specifically requires otherwise, any thing or obligation to be done under this Agreement which is required or falls to be done on a stipulated day, shall be done on the next succeeding Business Day, if the day upon which that thing or obligation is required or falls to be done falls on a day which is not a Business Day;
(vii) the word including or any variation thereof means (unless the context of its usage otherwise requires) including, without limitation and shall not be construed to limit any general statement that it follows to the specific or similar items or matters immediately following it;
(viii) words such as herein, hereinafter, hereof and hereunder refer to this Agreement as a whole and not merely to a subdivision in which such words appear unless the context otherwise requires;
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(ix) when calculating the period of time before which, within which or following which any act is to be done or step taken pursuant to this Agreement, the date that is the reference date in calculating such period shall be excluded;
(x) the term non-assessable, when used with respect to any shares, means that no further sums are required to be paid by the holders thereof in connection with the issue thereof; and
(xi) except as otherwise provided herein, any reference in this Agreement to $ or US$ means U.S. dollars, the lawful currency of the United States.
(b) In the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any Party by virtue of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement.
ARTICLE II
SALE AND PURCHASE OF SHARES
Section 2.1 Sale and Purchase of Shares.
(a) Upon the terms and subject to the conditions contained herein, at the Closing, (i) each Selling Shareholder shall sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser shall purchase from each Selling Shareholder, such number of Shares set forth opposite such Selling Shareholders name under the heading Purchased Old Shares in Schedule A, which together with the Shares to be sold by the other Selling Shareholders to the Purchaser represent an aggregate of 37.96% of the Shares of the Target Company on a fully diluted basis immediately after the Closing, free and clear of all Liens (the Purchased Old Shares), and (ii) the Target Company shall issue and sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser shall subscribe for and purchase from the Target Company, such number of Shares set forth in Schedule A, which represent an aggregate of 13.04% of the Shares of the Target Company on a fully diluted basis immediately after the Closing, free and clear of all Liens (the Purchased New Shares, and together with the Purchased Old Shares, the Purchased Shares).
(b) If (i) any one or more Selling Shareholders (the Non-Closing Shareholders) terminate this Agreement prior to Closing in accordance with Section 8.4 or otherwise fail to proceed to Closing in accordance with Section 2.5 when the conditions precedent set forth in Sections 7.1 and 7.4 otherwise have been satisfied and (ii) the Purchaser elects to proceed under Section 2.7(a)(i), the Founder shall, in addition to selling the number of Shares stipulated in Section 2.1(a), further sell, at the Closing, to the Purchaser the aggregate number of Shares set forth opposite such Non-Closing Shareholders names under the heading Purchased Old Shares in Schedule A (the Alternative Arrangement Shares) in exchange for the corresponding aggregate number of Purchaser Shares set forth under the heading Purchaser Shares in Exchange in Schedule A in accordance with Section 2.2, provided that to the extent the Founder fails to further sell to the Purchaser any number of the Alternative Arrangement Shares in accordance with this Section 2.1(b), the Founder shall cause the Target Company to issue to the Purchaser, at the Closing, such aggregate number of Shares that the Founder so fails to further sell to the Purchaser.
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Section 2.2 Purchase Consideration. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions contained herein, at the Closing, (i) in exchange for any Purchased Old Shares (or any Alternative Arrangement Shares, if applicable), the Purchaser will deliver to each Selling Shareholder (or the Founder, if applicable) such number of newly issued Class A ordinary shares of the Purchaser free and clear of all Liens (the Purchaser Shares) set forth under the heading Purchaser Shares in Exchange in Schedule A (Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition); and (ii) in exchange for the combined Purchased New Shares and any Alternative Arrangement Shares to be issued by the Target Company in accordance with Section 2.1(b), the Purchaser will pay US$3.0 million by wire transfer in immediately available funds to an account designated by the Target Company in writing at least three (3) Business Days before Closing (Purchase Consideration for New Shares Acquisition, and together with Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition, the Purchase Consideration). The Target Valuation means either of the following: (i) the highest pre-money equity valuation of the Target Company in a Qualified Funding, or (ii) if Target Company shall not have completed a Qualified Funding prior to the Closing, US$20.0 million. The Target Valuation and the Purchase Consideration are based on the following conditions, and the Target Company and the Founder jointly covenant and confirm that, at the Closing, (i) the Group Companies will be free of any debts, including debts owed to the Selling Shareholders or their Affiliates or related parties except as disclosed in the Disclosure Schedule, and (ii) the Group Companies will have at least US$230,000 of working capital or cash in bank accounts.
Section 2.3 Closing Date. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the closing (the Closing) of sale and purchase of all Purchased Old Shares of all Selling Shareholders and the issuance and purchase of all Purchased New Shares as contemplated by this Agreement, including for the avoidance of doubt the transfer of any Alternative Arrangement Shares, shall take place via the remote exchange of electronic documents and signatures on a date that is no later than the third (3rd) Business Day after the satisfaction or valid waiver of each of the conditions set forth in ARTICLE VII (other than conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver of those conditions at such time) (the date on which the Closing occurs, the Closing Date), unless another time, date or place is agreed to in writing by the Purchaser, the Target Company, and the Selling Shareholders.
Section 2.4 Closing Deliveries by the Target Company. At the Closing, subject to and concurrently with the closing deliveries in accordance with Sections 2.5 and 2.6, the Target Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered:
(a) to the Purchaser:
(i) the Shareholders Agreement duly executed by the Target Company;
(ii) a copy of the electronic register of members of the Target Company, dated as of the Closing Date and certified by a director of the Target Company as true copy, evidencing the ownership by the Purchaser of all of the Purchased Shares;
(iii) a copy of the share certificate in the name of the Purchaser, dated as of the Closing Date, evidencing the ownership by the Purchaser of all of the Purchased Shares (the original duly executed copy of which shall be delivered to the Purchaser within five (5) Business Days after the Closing);
(iv) a copy of the electronic register of directors of the Target Company, dated as of the Closing Date and certified by a director of the Target Company as true copy, evidencing the appointment of Purchaser Director and Chairman as directors;
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(v) a copy of the resolutions duly passed by the board of directors of the Target Company and certified by a director of the Target Company, evidencing the authorization or acknowledgement (as applicable) by the board of directors of the Target Company of the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Target Company is a party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including, (A) the transfer of the Purchased Old Shares contemplated by this Agreement, (B) issuance of the Purchased New Shares as contemplated by this Agreement and any potential issuance of Shares pursuant to Section 2.1(b)(ii), (C) the adoption of the Amended Constitution effective as of the Closing, and (D) the appointment of Purchaser Director and Chairman effective as of the Closing subject to receipt of their respective consents to so act;
(vi) a copy of the resolutions duly passed by the shareholders of the Target Company and certified by a director of the Target Company, evidencing the shareholders authorization or acknowledgement (as applicable) of the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Target Company is a party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including, (A) the transfer of the Purchased Old Shares contemplated by this Agreement, (B) issuance of the Purchased New Shares as contemplated by this Agreement and any potential issuance of Shares pursuant to Section 2.1(b)(ii), (C) the adoption of the Amended Constitution effective as of the Closing, and (D) the appointment of Purchaser Director and Chairman effective as of the Closing subject to receipt of their respective consents to so act;
(vii) a certificate of good standing of the Target Company, dated as of a date no earlier than ten (10) Business Days prior to the Closing Date; and
(viii) the closing certificate of the Target Company as contemplated by Section 7.2(d).
Section 2.5 Closing Deliveries by the Selling Shareholders. At the Closing, subject to and concurrently with the closing deliveries in accordance with Sections 2.4 and 2.6, each Selling Shareholder (including for the avoidance of doubt the Founder acting in accordance with Section 2.1(b)) shall deliver or cause to be delivered:
(a) to the Target Company:
(i) the Shareholders Agreement duly executed by such Selling Shareholder;
(ii) an instrument of transfer in the form of Exhibit A hereto with respect to the Purchased Old Shares of such Selling Shareholder, duly executed by such Selling Shareholder; and
(iii) the original share certificate(s) representing the Purchased Old Shares of such Selling Shareholder or, if such original share certificate(s) could not be returned to the Target Company at the Closing, an affidavit and indemnity for lost share certificate in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the registered office provider of the Target Company and the Purchaser in respect of the Purchased Old Shares of such Selling Shareholder; and
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(b) to the Purchaser:
(i) the Shareholders Agreement duly executed by such Selling Shareholder;
(ii) a copy of the instrument of transfer in the form of Exhibit A hereto with respect to the Purchased Old Shares of such Selling Shareholder, duly executed by such Selling Shareholder;
(iii) where such Selling Shareholder is an entity, except for 500 Durians II. L. P, a copy of the resolutions or other internal authorizations duly and validly adopted by the board of directors and shareholders of such Selling Shareholder and certified by a duly authorized signatory of such Selling Shareholder evidencing its authorization of the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby; and
(iv) the closing certificate of each Selling Shareholder as contemplated by Section 7.2(d).
Section 2.6 Closing Deliveries by the Purchaser. At the Closing, subject to and concurrently with the closing deliveries in accordance with Sections 2.4 and 2.5, the Purchaser shall deliver or cause to be delivered:
(a) to the Target Company and each Selling Shareholder:
(i) the Shareholders Agreement duly executed by the Purchaser; and
(ii) a copy of the resolutions duly passed by the board of directors of the Purchaser, evidencing the authorization by the board of directors of the Purchaser of the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Purchaser is a party, the issuance of Purchaser Shares as Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby;
(b) to each Selling Shareholder:
(i) a copy of the register of members of the Purchaser, dated as of the Closing Date and duly certified by the registered office provider of the Purchaser, evidencing the ownership by such Selling Shareholder of the Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition;
(ii) a copy of the share certificate in the name of such Selling Shareholder, dated as of the Closing Date, evidencing the ownership by such Selling Shareholder of the Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition (the original duly executed copy of which shall be delivered to each Selling Shareholder within five (5) Business Days after the Closing); and
(iii) the closing certificate as contemplated by Section 7.4(c).
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(c) to the Target Company:
(i) in relation to each Selling Shareholder, a copy of the instrument of transfer in the form of Exhibit A hereto with respect to the Purchased Old Shares of such Selling Shareholder, duly executed by the Purchaser;
(ii) irrevocable wiring instruction by the Purchaser to pay US$3.0 million in immediately available funds to an account designated by the Target Company, being
Name of Company: PolicyPal Pte Ltd (UEN: 201610784K)
Name of Bank : *********************
Bank/Branch Code : *********************
SGD Account No. : *********************
Branch Address : *********************
SWIFT Code : *********************
(iii) an original consent to act duly executed by Purchaser Director and Chairman in respect of their respective appointment as directors of the Target Company; and
(iv) the closing certificate as contemplated by Section 7.3(c).
Section 2.7 Breach of Obligations at the Closing.
(a) If, at the Closing, any Selling Shareholder fails to fully comply with any of its obligations set forth in Section 2.5 (each a Breaching Selling Shareholder), the Purchaser shall be entitled to, at its sole discretion and by written notice to the Target Company and the Selling Shareholders, elect to (without prejudice to any other rights and remedies that may be available to the Purchaser):
(i) proceed to the Closing so far as practicable and consummate the sales and purchases of the Purchased Old Shares of the Selling Shareholders other than the Breaching Selling Shareholders in accordance with Section 2.1(b);
(ii) defer the Closing to a date not more than twenty (20) Business Days after the originally scheduled Closing Date; or
(iii) immediately terminate this Agreement.
(b) In the event that the Purchaser elects to proceed under Section 2.7(a)(i), this Agreement shall be deemed to have been duly amended and modified to the extent necessary to exclude the sale and purchase of the Purchased Old Shares of the Breaching Selling Shareholder(s) from the transactions contemplated hereby.
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(c) If, at the Closing, the Purchaser fails to fully comply with any of its obligations set forth in Section 2.6, the Target Company and the Selling Shareholders (acting jointly) shall be entitled to, at their sole discretion and by written notice to the Purchaser, elect to (without prejudice to any other rights and remedies that may be available to any of them:
(i) proceed to the Closing so far as practicable;
(ii) defer the Closing to a date not more than twenty (20) Business Days after the originally scheduled Closing Date; or
(iii) immediately terminate this Agreement.
(d) Each Selling Shareholder hereby agrees that, to the extent such Selling Shareholder is a Breaching Selling Shareholder, the Purchaser shall have the right (but not the obligation) to purchase, at any time after the consummation of the sale and purchase contemplated by Section 2.7(b), the Purchased Old Shares of such Breaching Selling Shareholder for an aggregate purchase price equal to the Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition for such Breaching Selling Shareholder (without interest), and otherwise on the terms and conditions (including the arrangements with respect to representations and warranties, and covenants in this Agreement) that would have been applicable to the sale and purchase of the Purchased Old Shares of such Breaching Selling Shareholder if such sale and purchase had occurred at the Closing.
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO GROUP
COMPANIES
The Warrantors shall jointly and severally represent and warrant to the Purchaser that the statements contained in this ARTICLE III are true, correct and complete as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date (unless any representations and warranties expressly relate to another date, in which case as of such other date).
Section 3.1 Organization and Good Standing. The Target Company is a private company limited by shares duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of Singapore and has all requisite corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to carry on its business as now conducted. The Target Company is duly qualified or authorized to do business as now conducted and is in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction in which such qualification or authorization is required. Complete and correct copies of the Existing Constitution, which are in full force and effect as of the date hereof and as of immediately prior to the Closing, have been provided to the Purchaser.
Section 3.2 Authorization. The Target Company has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Target Company is a party, to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Target Company is a party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action on the part of the Target Company. This Agreement has been, and each of the other Transaction Documents to which the Target Company is a party will be at or prior to the Closing, duly and validly executed and delivered by the Target Company and (assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by the other parties hereto and thereto) this Agreement constitutes, and the other Transaction Documents to which the Target Company is a party will constitute, the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Target Company, enforceable against it in accordance with their respective terms, except as enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity, whether applied in a court of Law or a court of equity, and by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar Law affecting creditors rights and remedies generally.
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Section 3.3 Conflicts; Consents of Third Parties.
(a) None of the execution, delivery and performance by the Target Company of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents to which the Target Company is a party, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or compliance by the Target Company with any of the provisions hereof or thereof will breach or conflict with, or result in any violation of or default (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) or loss of a benefit under, or give rise to a right of termination, consent or cancellation or increase in any fee, liability or obligation under, any provision of (i) the Existing Constitution or the constitution or comparable organizational documents of any other Group Company; (ii) any Contract or License of any Group Company; (iii) any Order applicable to any Group Company or by which any of the properties or assets of any Group Company are bound; or (iv) any applicable Law.
(b) Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, no consent, waiver, approval, Order, Permit or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, or notification to, any Government Authority or any other Person is required to be obtained or completed by the Group Companies in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents or the compliance by the Target Company with any of the provisions hereof or thereof, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, including without limitation Purchasers acquisition, ownership, and business operation of the Target Company from and after the Closing.
Section 3.4 Capitalization.
(a) The capitalization structure of the Target Company (on a fully diluted basis) immediately prior to and immediately after the Closing is set forth in Schedule A.
(b) All of the issued and outstanding Shares are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable. The Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and accurate list of all of the record and beneficial holders of the Shares and the respective number of Shares held thereby as at the date hereof.
(c) The Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and accurate list of all of the holders of any issued and outstanding Target Company Share Award as of the date hereof, indicating the total issued and outstanding Target Company Share Awards as of the date hereof and, for each such holder, the name, number, type, applicable vesting information and exercise price of the Target Company Share Awards of such holder (the Target Company Share Award Disclosure Schedule). Except as described in the Existing Constitution, and except as set forth in the Target Company Share Award Disclosure Schedule and the Disclosure Schedule, at the Closing, there shall be no outstanding Shares, any other shares or equity of the Target Company, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for any of the foregoing, or any other options, warrants, rights (including conversion or preemptive rights and rights of first refusal), subscriptions, or other rights, proxy or shareholders agreements or Contracts of any kind, either directly or indirectly, entitling the holder thereof to purchase or otherwise acquire or to compel the Target Company to issue, repurchase or redeem any share or other securities of the Target Company. Except as contemplated by the Transaction Documents and the Existing Constitution, (i) none of the Group Companies is under any obligation to register any of its currently outstanding securities or any securities issuable upon exercise or conversion of its currently outstanding securities under the Securities Act, nor is any Group Company obligated to register or qualify any such securities under the securities laws of any state of the United States or to list any of such securities in Singapore, Hong Kong or any other jurisdiction; and (ii) none of the Group Companies is a party or subject to any Contract that affects or relates to the voting or giving of consents with respect to, its currently outstanding securities or any securities issuable upon exercise or conversion of its currently outstanding securities.
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Section 3.5 Group Companies.
(a) The Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and accurate list of the Group Companies and, for each such Group Company, its name, the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated or organized, the names of its shareholders and the amount of share capital or other equity interest in such Group Company held by each such shareholder. Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, each such Group Company (other than the Target Company) (i) is a duly organized and validly existing company or other entity and, where applicable, in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization; (ii) is duly qualified or authorized to do business and, where applicable, is in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or the ownership of its properties requires such qualification or authorization, except to the extent that the failure to be so licensed, qualified or in good standing would not adversely affect the ability of the Target Company to carry out its obligations under, and to consummate the transactions contemplated by, this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents; and (iii) has all requisite corporate or entity power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and carry on its business as now conducted. Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, none of the Group Companies is a participant in any joint venture, partnership or other similar arrangement, or otherwise owns or Controls (directly or indirectly) any share or interest in any Person.
(b) All the outstanding share capital, registered capital, or other equity interest of each Group Company is validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable and are owned free and clear of all Liens. Except as contemplated by the Transaction Documents, as provided in the Existing Constitution, there are no outstanding options, warrants, rights (including conversion or preemptive rights and rights of first refusal), subscriptions, or other rights, proxy or shareholders agreements or Contracts of any kind, either directly or indirectly, entitling the holder thereof to purchase or otherwise acquire or to compel any of the Group Companies (other than the Target Company) to issue, repurchase or redeem any share or other securities of any Group Company. Except as pursuant to the Transaction Documents and the Existing Constitution, no Group Company is a party or subject to any Contract that affects or relates to the voting or giving of written consents with respect to, or the right to cause the registration of, any share or other securities of any Group Company.
(c) Each Person serving as a director of any Group Company is an employee of the Group Companies.
Section 3.6 Corporate Books and Records. Each Group Company has provided to the Purchaser a copy of its minute books. Such copy is true, correct and complete, and contains all amendments and all minutes of meetings and actions taken by the applicable Group Companys shareholders and directors since the time of incorporation through the date hereof, and reflects all transactions referred to in such minutes accurately in all material respects. All board and shareholder resolutions, charter documents (and any amendments thereto), and any other filings of the Group Companies, if required to be filed under applicable Law, have been duly filed with the relevant Government Authority within the required deadlines.
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Section 3.7 Financial Statements.
(a) Certain true and complete copies of (i) the audited financial statement of PolicyPal Singapore Pte. Ltd. for the fiscal year that ended on December 2018, (ii) the audited financial statement of PolicyPal Singapore Pte. Ltd. for the fiscal year that ended on March 2018, (iii) the unaudited consolidated and unconsolidated statements of income of the Group Companies for each of the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2017, 2018, and 2019, and (iv) the related consolidated and unconsolidated balance sheets, statements of cash flows, shareholders equity and changes in financial position of the Group Companies, together with all related notes and schedules thereto (collectively referred to herein as the Financial Statements)(December 31, 2019 is hereinafter referred to as the Balance Sheet Date). The Financial Statements (i) were prepared in accordance with the books of account and other financial records of the Group Companies, (ii) fairly present in all material respects the consolidated financial position of Target Company as of the dates indicated therein and the consolidated results of its operations, cash flows and changes in shareholders equity for the periods specified therein, (iii) have been prepared in accordance with the Applicable Accounting Standard applied on a basis consistent with the past practices of the Group Companies, and (iv) include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals) that are necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial condition of the Group Companies and the results of the operations of the Group Companies as of the dates thereof and for the periods covered thereby.
(b) All of the accounts receivable owing to any of the Group Companies, including without limitation all accounts receivable set forth on the Financial Statements, constitute valid and enforceable claims and are good and collectible in the ordinary course of business in all material respects, and reserves therefor shown on the Financial Statements are, based on the good faith judgment of the Target Company, adequate and on a basis consistent with the Applicable Accounting Standard. There are no material contingent or asserted claims, refusals to pay, or other rights of set-off with respect to any of the Group Companies.
(c) No Group Company has any Liabilities other than (i) Liabilities reflected or reserved in the Financial Statements, and (ii) Liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business after the Balance Sheet Date.
Section 3.8 Certain Operating Metrics. The results of operation of the Group Companies as measured by certain operating metrics (as such operating metrics are defined in the Disclosure Schedule) that have been provided to the Purchaser are in all material respects true, accurate and not misleading.
Section 3.9 Absence of Certain Changes. Except as specifically contemplated by the Transaction Documents and except as disclosed the Disclosure Schedule, since the Balance Sheet Date, each Group Company has operated its businesses and assets in the ordinary course consistent with past practice and none of the Group Companies has:
(a) entered into any transaction that was not in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; or made any material changes in the customary methods of operations of any Group Company;
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(b) acquired, sold, transferred, leased, subleased, licensed or otherwise disposed of any material properties or assets, or permitted or allowed any material assets to be subject to any Liens (other than Liens for Taxes in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice that are not yet due and payable), or, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, discharged or otherwise obtained the release of Liens related to any Group Company or paid or otherwise discharged any Liability;
(c) written down or written up (or failed to write down or write up in accordance with the Applicable Accounting Standard consistent with past practice) the value of any accounts receivable or revalued any of the assets of the Group Companies, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and in accordance with the Applicable Accounting Standard;
(d) made any change in any method of accounting or accounting practice or policy used by any Group Company, other than such changes required by the Applicable Accounting Standard;
(e) amended, terminated, cancelled or compromised any material claim of any Group Company or waived any other material right of value to any Group Company;
(f) issued or sold any equity or debt securities, or any option, warrant or other right to acquire the same, of any Group Company; or redeemed any equity interest in any Group Company or declared, made or paid any dividends or other distributions (whether in cash, securities or other property) to the holders of equity interests in any Group Company;
(g) made any capital expenditure or commitment for any capital expenditure in excess of US$100,000 (or the equivalent thereof in another currency) individually or US$100,000 (or the equivalent thereof in another currency) in the aggregate;
(h) made, revoked or changed any Tax election or method of Tax accounting or settled or compromised any Liability with respect to Taxes of any Group Company;
(i) incurred any Indebtedness or Liability that, individually or in the aggregate, exceeds US$300,000; failed to pay any creditor any amount owed to such creditor when due; or incurred any other Liability not in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(j) made any loan to, guaranteed any Indebtedness of or otherwise incurred any Indebtedness on behalf of any Person, other than travel advances and other advances made to employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(k) made any material change in any compensation or benefit arrangement or agreement with any Key Employees; or made any amendments or modifications to any Target Company Share Incentive Plan or issued any Target Company Share Award thereunder, except as expressly contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents;
(l) entered into any transaction with any Related Party other than in the ordinary course of business on arms-length basis;
(m) terminated the employment of, or received any resignation from, any Key Employees;
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(n) suffered any labor dispute involving any Group Company or any of its respective employees;
(o) amended, modified or consented to the termination of any Material Contract or the Group Companies rights thereunder, or entered into any Material Contract;
(p) amended or restated the constitution (or equivalent organizational documents) of any Group Company;
(q) suffered any Material Adverse Effect; or
(r) agreed, whether in writing or otherwise, to take any of the actions specified in this Section 3.9 or granted any options to purchase, rights of first refusal, rights of first offer or any other similar rights or commitments with respect to any of the actions specified in this Section 3.9, except as expressly contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents.
Section 3.10 Litigation. There are no Legal Proceedings against any Group Company, any employee, officer, or director of any Group Company in connection with their relationship with the Group Companies pending or, to the Knowledge of the Target Company, threatened, including but not limited to any Legal Proceeding that questions the validity of the Transaction Documents, the right of the Target Company to enter into the Transaction Documents to which the Target Company is a party, the rights and obligations of the Target Company to consummate the transactions contemplated by such Transaction Documents. There is no Order in effect against the Target Company. There is no Legal Proceeding initiated by any Group Company pending or which any of them intends to initiate.
Section 3.11 Title to Properties; Liens and Encumbrances. Each Group Company leases all properties and assets necessary to conduct the Business, and none of such leased properties or assets is owned by the Founder or any other Related Party that is not entered into in the ordinary course of business and not on arms length basis. Each Group Company has good and marketable title to all its properties and assets, including without limitation all properties and assets set forth on the Financial Statements, and has good title to all its leasehold interests, in each case not being subject to any Liens, except for Liens which (i) are created during the ordinary and usual course of business of such Group Company; or (ii) are Liens for Taxes, assessments or other expenses to any Government Authority which are not due in payment or in default. With respect to leased properties and assets, each Group Company is in compliance with all applicable leases. All properties and assets of each Group Company are in a good state of repair and in good working condition other than any normal wear and tear. None of the assets of any Group Company is a state-owned asset.
Section 3.12 Intellectual Property.
(a) Each Group Company at all times owns, has the sufficient rights (including but not limited to the rights of development, maintenance, licensing and sale) to, or otherwise has the licenses to use all Intellectual Property necessary to conduct the Business worldwide without conflicting with or infringing upon the rights of any other Person. No written claims have been asserted against any Group Company and remain unresolved nor, to the Knowledge of the Target Company, any threatened claim or demand, by any other Person (i) challenging or questioning any Group Companys validity, enforceability, ownership, right to, or use of any of the Intellectual Property owned or used by any Group Company, or in which any Group Company possess legal rights, or the validity or effectiveness of any license or similar agreement with respect thereto, (ii) alleging any interference, infringement, misappropriation or other violation of the Intellectual Property rights of other Persons, or (iii) alleging any unfair competition or trade practices. No Group Company has received any written communication alleging that such Group Company has violated or, by conducting its business as proposed, would violate any intellectual property rights of other Persons.
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(b) The Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete list of all Intellectual Property of each Group Company. All of such Intellectual Property are owned by, registered or applied for solely in the name of the Group Companies.
(c) Each Group Company has used commercially reasonable efforts to establish and preserve ownership of, or legally sufficient right to, all Intellectual Property material to the Business; and each Group Company has used commercially reasonable efforts to register, protect, maintain, and safeguard the Intellectual Property material to the Business, including any Intellectual Property for which improper or unauthorized disclosure would impair its value or validity and had executed appropriate nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements and made all appropriate filings, registrations and payments of fees in connection with the foregoing. To the Knowledge of the Target Company, there is no infringement, misappropriation or other violation by any other Person of any Intellectual Property of any Group Company.
(d) Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Schedule, each Group Company owns all rights in and to any and all Intellectual Property currently used by such Group Company, or covering or embodied in any past, current or planned activity, service or product of such Group Company, which Intellectual Property was made, developed, conceived, created or written by any consultant retained, or any employee employed, at any time, by such Group Company. No former or current employee, and no former or current consultant, of any Group Company owns or has any rights in any of the Group Companies Intellectual Property. Each current employee and current consultant engaged by any Group Company as of the Closing has executed a confidential information and invention assignment in a form which has been provided to the Purchaser. None of the Key Employees, employees, or consultants, currently employed or otherwise engaged by any Group Company, is in violation thereof. No Group Company is using any inventions of any of its employees made prior to or outside the scope of their employment by any Group Company.
(e) No Intellectual Property that is owned by any Group Company or in which any Group Company possesses legal rights, is the subject of any Lien, except for Liens which (i) are created during the ordinary and usual course of business of such Group Company; or (ii) are Liens for Taxes, assessments or other expenses to any Government Authority which are not due in payment or in default, or which are in contest with any Taxing Authority in good faith. No Group Company has (i) transferred or assigned, (ii) granted a license to, or (iii) provided or licensed in source code form, any Intellectual Property, owned by any Group Company, or in which any Group Company possesses legal rights, to any Person that is not a Group Company.
(f) Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Schedule, none of the Group Companies, the Founder, Key Employees, and to the Knowledge of the Target Company, Selling Shareholders, and their respective Affiliates own any intellectual property rights relating to the Business.
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Section 3.13 Taxes.
(a) Each Group Company has duly and timely filed (taking into account any extension of time within which to file) all Tax Returns as required by applicable Law to have been filed by it and all such Tax Returns are true, correct, and complete. Each Group Company has paid in full all Taxes required to be paid by it and no Tax Liens (other than for current Taxes not yet due or payable or which are in contest with any Taxing Authority in good faith) are currently in effect against any of the assets of any Group Company. The provisions for Taxes in the Financial Statements fully reflect all unpaid Taxes of each Group Company, whether or not assessed or disputed as of the date of the applicable Financial Statements.
(b) No examination or audit of any Tax Returns of any Group Company by any Government Authority is currently in progress or, to the Knowledge of the Target Company, is threatened. None of the Group Companies is subject to any waivers or extensions of applicable statutes of limitations imposed by any Government Authority with respect to Taxes for any past years. Since the Balance Sheet Date, none of the Group Companies has incurred any Taxes other than in the ordinary course of business or in connection with any transactions contemplated under any Transaction Document. None of the Group Companies has received any written claim from a Government Authority in a jurisdiction where a Group Company does not file Tax Returns that such Group Company is or may be subject to taxation by that jurisdiction. None of the Group Companies is treated as a resident for Tax purposes of, or is otherwise subject to income Tax in, a jurisdiction other than the jurisdiction in which it has been established.
(c) Each Group Company has withheld and paid all Taxes required to have been withheld and paid in connection with any amounts due, owing to or paid to any Person.
(d) Each Group Company is in compliance with all terms, conditions and formalities necessary for the continuance of any Tax exemption, Tax holiday, Tax credit, Tax incentive, Tax refund or other Tax reduction agreement or order available under any applicable Tax law. No Group Company has received any written notice of, or has reasonable grounds to believe there is, any planned or threatened cancellation or termination of any such Tax exemption, Tax holiday, Tax credit, Tax incentive, Tax refund or other Tax reduction agreement. Each Group Company is in compliance with transfer pricing requirements in all jurisdictions in which they are required to comply with applicable transfer pricing regulations, and all the transactions between any Group Company and other related Persons (including any Group Company) have been effected on an arms length basis. All exemptions, reductions and rebates of Taxes granted to any Group Company by a Government Authority are in full force and effect and have not been terminated. None of the Group Companies is responsible for Taxes of any other Person by reason of contract, successor liability, operation of Law or otherwise.
(e) The Group Companies have no plan to change method of accounting prior to the Closing Date. The transactions contemplated under this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which a Group Company is a party will not result in any Tax exemption, Tax holiday, Tax credit, Tax incentive, Tax refund being revoked, cancelled or terminated or trigger any Tax liability for the Group Companies.
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Section 3.14 Material Contracts.
(a) The Disclosure Schedule lists each of the following currently effective Contracts to which a Group Company is a party or by which a Group Company is otherwise bound (each such Contract, a Material Contract) that:
(i) involves payments (or a series of payments), contingent or otherwise, of S$50,000 (or the equivalent thereof in another currency) or more individually, in cash, property or services, or extends for more than one year beyond the date of this Agreement;
(ii) is with a Government Authority;
(iii) limits or restricts any Group Companys ability to compete or otherwise conduct the Business in any manner, time or place, or that contains any exclusivity or change in control provision;
(iv) grants a power of attorney, agency or similar authority, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(v) relates to Indebtedness, provides for an extension of credit, provides for indemnification or any guaranty, or provides for a keep well or other agreement to maintain any financial statement condition of another Person;
(vi) relates to any material Intellectual Property, other than shrink-wrap or off-the-shelf commercially available software;
(vii) is a Related Party Contract that was not entered into in the ordinary course of business or on arms-length basis;
(viii) is a material lease;
(ix) is outside the ordinary course of business of any Group Company; or
(x) is otherwise material to any Group Company or is a Contract on which any Group Company is substantially dependent.
(b) Each Material Contract is a valid and binding agreement of the Group Company that is a party thereto, the performance of which does not and will not violate any applicable Law or Order in any material respect, and is in full force and effect and enforceable in accordance with its terms. Such Group Company has duly performed in all material respects all of its obligations under each Material Contract to the extent that such obligations to perform have accrued, and no breach or default, alleged breach or alleged default, or event which would (with the passage of time, notice or both) constitute a material breach or default thereunder by such Group Company or any other party or obligor with respect thereto, has occurred, or as a result of the execution, delivery, and performance of the Transaction Documents will occur. No Group Company has given written notice that it intends to terminate a Material Contract or that any other party thereto has breached, violated or defaulted under any Material Contract. No Group Company has received any written notice that it has breached, violated or defaulted under any Material Contract or that any other party thereto intends to terminate such Material Contract.
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Section 3.15 Compliance with Laws and Other Instruments.
(a) Each Group Company is, and at all times has been, in compliance in all material respects with all Laws and Orders that are applicable to it or to the conduct or operation of the Business or the ownership or use of any of its properties, assets and Intellectual Property. No Group Company has received any notice or other communication from any Government Authorities (including without limitation MAS) or any other Person regarding any actual, alleged, or potential violation of, or failure to comply with, any legal and regulatory requirements. No event has occurred or circumstance exists that could constitute or result in a violation by any Group Company of, or failure of any Group Company to comply with, any legal and regulatory requirements.
(b) Neither the Group Companies or any of their respective officers, employees, directors, representatives, or to the Knowledge of the Target Company, distributors or agents, has made, offered, promised, authorized or condoned, or shall make, offer, promise, authorize or condone any Prohibited Payment (as defined below) in connection with the activities of the Target Company or the negotiation, approval or performance of the Transaction Documents. A Prohibited Payment means any gift, transfer or payment of any thing of value that is (i) made in violation of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the anti-corruption laws of Singapore and Hong Kong or other applicable laws, (ii) made to any Government Official with the intent or purpose of: (A) influencing any act or decision of such Government Official in his official capacity, (B) inducing such Government Official to do or omit to do any act in violation of the lawful duty of such Government Official, (C) securing any improper advantage, or (D) inducing such Government Official to use his influence with a government or instrumentality thereof, political party or international organization to affect or influence any act or decision of such government or instrumentality, political party or international organization, in order to assist the Target Company or any of the Group Companies in obtaining or retaining business for or with, or directing business to, any Person, or (iii) made to any Person while aware of a high probability that all or any portion of such thing of value would be paid, promised, offered or give to any Government Official with the intent or purpose described in subsection (ii). Prohibited Payment shall not include any gift, transfer or payment of anything of value that is expressly permitted by the applicable Laws of the recipients country.
(c) None of the Group Companies is in violation of its business license or its constitution.
(d) The Group Companies have obtained all approvals and authorizations (including any and all amendments to such approvals and authorizations) from the relevant Government Authorities and have fulfilled any and all fillings and registration requirements (including any and all amendment requirements) with the relevant Government Authorities required for the operations of the Group Companies. All filings and registrations with the relevant Government Authorities required in respect of the Group Companies, including but not limited to the registrations with the MAS, have been duly completed in accordance with the relevant Laws. No Group Company has received any written letter or notice from any relevant Government Authority notifying it of the revocation of any authorization of any Government Authority, permit or license issued to it for non-compliance or the need for compliance or remedial actions in respect of the activities carried out directly or indirectly by any Group Company. Each Group Company has been conducting its business activities within the permitted scope of business and is operating its businesses in compliance with all relevant Laws and Orders in all material respects.
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(e) (i) Neither any Group Company nor any director, officer or employee or, to the Knowledge of the Target Company, any agent or representative of any Group Company, is an individual or entity that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is: (A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majestys Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, Sanctions), nor (B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) and (ii) for the past five years none of the Group Companies has knowingly engaged in, is now knowingly engaged in, and will engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
Section 3.16 Employee Matters. All Key Employees and all other full time employees of each Group Company are devoting their full professional time to the Group Company. No employee of any Group Company is in material violation of any Law or Order, or any provision of any Contract, relating to such employees relationship with the Group Companies. Except for the Target Company Share Incentive Plan, or as required by applicable Law, or other standard employee benefits, none of the Group Companies has any Benefit Plan. For purposes hereof, Benefit Plan means any plan, Contract or other arrangement providing any benefit to any present or former officer, director or employee, or dependent or beneficiary thereof, including any employment agreement or profit sharing, deferred compensation, share option, performance share, employee share purchase, severance, retirement, health or insurance plan. No Key Employee has tendered any resignation notice to any Group Company, and none of the Group Companies has a present intention to terminate the employment of any of the Key Employees. There is no labor strike, labor slow down, labor claim, labor dispute or labor union organization activities or, to the Knowledge of the Target Company, threatened between any Group Company and its employees. Each Group Company (a) has complied in all material respects with all applicable Laws related to employment and related to the Benefit Plans (including Laws related to the contribution of social insurance and related benefits), employment practices generally applied to other entities in similar industry as such Group Company in the jurisdiction where such Group Company is incorporated, and the terms and conditions of employment, in each case, with respect to its employees; (b) has paid all wages, benefits and other required payments in the ordinary course of business; (c) is not liable for any arrears of wages or any Taxes or any penalty for failure to comply with any of the foregoing; and (d) other than as required by applicable Law, is not materially liable for any payment to any trust or other fund governed by or maintained by or on behalf of any Government Authority, with respect to unemployment compensation benefits, social security or other benefits or obligations for employees. No complaint or grievance relating to the labor practices of any of the Group Companies is pending or, to the Knowledge of the Target Company, threatened against any of the Group Companies, and no charges are pending or, to the Knowledge of the Target Company, threatened before any Government Authority responsible for the prevention of unlawful employment practices with respect to any of the Group Companies.
Section 3.17 Transactions with Related Parties.
(a) Other than Contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business, there are no Contracts to or by which any Group Company, on the one hand, and any Related Party, on the other hand, are or have been parties or otherwise bound or affected (the Related Party Contracts). Each Related Party Contract was made on terms and conditions as favorable to such Group Company as would have been obtainable by it at the time in a comparable arms-length transaction with an unrelated party.
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(b) No Related Party has any direct or indirect ownership in any Person with which any Group Company has a business relationship, or any Person that competes with or could reasonably be expected to compete with any Group Company. Except for transactions in the ordinary course of the business of a Group Company on terms and conditions as favorable to the Group Companies as would have been obtainable by them at the time in a comparable arms-length transaction with an unrelated party, no Related Party has any Contract with, proposed transaction with, or is indebted to, any Group Company, nor is any Group Company indebted (or committed to make loans or extend or guarantee credit) to any of them (other than for accrued salaries, reimbursable expenses or other standard employee benefits). No Related Party has had, either directly or indirectly, a material interest in: (i) any Person which purchases from or sells, licenses or furnishes to a Group Company any goods, property, intellectual or other property rights or services; or (ii) any Contract to which a Group Company is a party or by which it may be bound or affected.
Section 3.18 Competing Business. Any of the Group Companies, Key Employees and their respective Affiliates are not conducting and have no plan to conduct, engage in, invest in, or own any business or assets outside of the Group Companies that compete with the Business.
Section 3.19 Licenses and Permits. Each Group Company has at all times obtained and maintained the requisite Licenses and Permits necessary for the conduct of its business or the ownership or use of its assets worldwide. The Disclosure Schedule lists all the Licenses and Permits held by each of the Group Company. Except for those listed in the Disclosure Schedule, no other License is necessary for, or otherwise material to, the conduct of the Business by any such Person. The consummation of the transactions contemplated under the Transaction Documents will not result in the termination or revocation of any of the Licenses and Permits listed in the Disclosure Schedule. None of the Group Companies, Key Employees, and to the Knowledge of the Target Company, Selling Shareholders, and their respective Affiliates own any licenses or permits relating to the Business, except for those listed in the Disclosure Schedule. Each of the Licenses and Permits listed in the Disclosure Schedule is valid and in full force and effect, and each Group Company has at all times been in compliance with each of the Licenses and Permits.
Section 3.20 Entire Business. There are no facilities, services, assets or properties shared with any other Person (other than with any other Group Company), which are used in connection with the Business of the Group Companies.
Section 3.21 Office or Branch Locations. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Schedule, the Group Companies do not maintain any office or branch.
Section 3.22 Full Disclosure. Neither information provided by the Warrantors in this Agreement nor in any Exhibit or Schedule hereto contains any untrue statement of any material fact or omits to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements contained herein or therein not misleading.
Section 3.23 Brokers. No broker, finder or investment banker is entitled to receive from any Group Company any brokerage, finders or other fee or commission in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Transaction Document based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of any Group Company.
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Section 3.24 Amount Due to Option Holders. The Group Companies have no outstanding cash payment obligations to any former or current holders of the Target Company Share Awards due to their exercise of the Target Company Share Awards, through cashless exercise or other manner, or repurchase of the Target Company Share Awards or others permitted under the Target Company Share Incentive Plan.
Section 3.25 No Other Representations or Warranties. Except for the representations and warranties contained in this ARTICLE III, none of the Warrantors makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, at law or in equity, with respect to any Group Company or their business, assets or properties, employees, agents, or any other information provided to the Purchaser, its Affiliates or their representatives in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. None of the Warrantors will have or be subject to any liability or indemnification obligation to the Purchaser, its Affiliates or their representatives resulting from the distribution, or making available, to such persons, or such persons use of, any such information, including any documents, projections, forecasts or other materials made available to the Purchaser, its Affiliates or their representatives in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. The Purchaser agrees that none of the Warrantors is making any representation or warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the result of or consequences related to or arising out of the operation of the Group Companies by the Purchaser after the Closing Date.
ARTICLE IV
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO SELLING
SHAREHOLDERS
Each Selling Shareholder represents and warrants, severally and not jointly, to the Purchaser that the statements contained in this ARTICLE IV with respect only to such Selling Shareholder, are true, correct and complete as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date (unless any representations and warranties expressly relate to another date, in which case as of such other date).
Section 4.1 Capacity.
(a) If such Selling Shareholder is a natural person, such Selling Shareholder is of sound mind, has the legal capacity to enter into this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which he or she is a party, has entered into or will enter into this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which he or she is a party on his or her own will, and understands the nature of the obligations to be assumed by him or her under this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which he or she is a party.
(b) If such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person, such Selling Shareholder is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of the place of its incorporation or formation, and has all requisite corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to carry on its business as now conducted.
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Section 4.2 Authorization. Such Selling Shareholder has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which such Selling Shareholder is a party, to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. If such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person, the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which such Selling Shareholder is a party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action on the part of such Selling Shareholder. This Agreement has been, and each of the other Transaction Documents to which such Selling Shareholder is a party will be at or prior to the Closing, duly and validly executed and delivered by such Selling Shareholder and (assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by the other parties hereto and thereto) this Agreement constitutes, and the other Transaction Documents to which such Selling Shareholder is a party will constitute, the legal, valid and binding obligations of such Selling Shareholder, enforceable against it in accordance with their respective terms, except as enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity, whether applied in a court of Law or a court of equity, and by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar Law affecting creditors rights and remedies generally.
Section 4.3 Conflicts; Consents of Third Parties.
(a) None of the execution, delivery and performance by such Selling Shareholder of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents to which such Selling Shareholder is a party, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or compliance by such Selling Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof or thereof will breach or conflict with, or result in any violation of or default under (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both), any provision of (i) the memorandum and articles of association or comparable organizational documents of such Selling Shareholder (if such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person) or (ii) any Law or Order applicable to such Selling Shareholder.
(b) No consent, waiver, approval, Order, Permit or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, or notification to, any Government Authority or any other Person is required to be obtained or completed by such Selling Shareholder in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents or the compliance by such Selling Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof or thereof, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, except (x) where failure to obtain such consent, waiver, approval, Order, Permit or authorization, or make such declaration or filing, would not prevent or materially delay the consummation by such Selling Shareholder of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which such Selling Shareholder is a party or (y) as may be necessary as a result of any facts or circumstances relating solely to the Purchaser or any of its Affiliates.
Section 4.4 Ownership and Transfer of Shares. Such Selling Shareholder is the record and beneficial owner of the Purchased Old Shares of such Selling Shareholder, free and clear of all Liens. Such Selling Shareholder has the power to sell, transfer, assign and deliver its Purchased Old Shares as provided in this Agreement and, upon transfer and delivery of the Purchased Old Shares to the Purchaser and payment therefor in accordance with this Agreement and entry of the name of the Purchaser as the holder of the Purchased Old Shares in the register of members of the Target Company, such transfer and delivery will convey to the Purchaser good and marketable title to such Shares, free and clear of all Liens. Each Purchased Old Share of such Selling Shareholder is duly authorized, validly issued and fully paid. Each of the SAFE Holders agrees and confirms that the respective SAFE Agreement shall be terminated automatically upon the conversion of such SAFE Holders rights under the respective SAFE Agreement into the Shares pursuant to Schedule A.
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Section 4.5 No Undisclosed Interest. None of the Founder and her Affiliates is, a direct or indirect participant in any joint venture, partnership, or other similar arrangement, or otherwise owns or Controls (directly or indirectly) any equity interest in such Selling Shareholder or any of such Selling Shareholders Affiliates.
Section 4.6 Brokers. No broker, finder or investment banker is entitled to receive from any Group Company any brokerage, finders or other fee or commission in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Transaction Document based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder.
Section 4.7 No Other Representations or Warranties. Except for the representations and warranties contained in this ARTICLE IV, none of the Selling Shareholders makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, at law or in equity, with respect to any of them or their business, assets or properties, employees, agents, or any other information provided to the Purchaser, its Affiliates or their representatives in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. None of the Selling Shareholders will have or be subject to any liability or indemnification obligation to the Purchaser, its Affiliates or their representatives resulting from the distribution, or making available, to such persons, or such persons use of, any such information, including any documents, projections, forecasts or other materials made available to the Purchaser, its Affiliates or their representatives in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. The Purchaser agrees that none of the Selling Shareholders is making any representation or warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the result of or consequences related to or arising out of the operation of the Group Companies by the Purchaser after the Closing Date.
ARTICLE V
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PURCHASER
The Purchaser represents and warrants to the Warrantors and the Selling Shareholders that the statements contained in this ARTICLE V are true and correct as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date (unless any representations and warranties expressly relate to another date, in which case as of such other date):
Section 5.1 Organization and Good Standing. The Purchaser is an exempted company duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of the Cayman Islands, and has all requisite corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to carry on its business as now conducted. The Purchaser is duly qualified or authorized to do business as now conducted and is in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction in which such qualification or authorization is required. Complete and correct copies of the memorandum and articles of association of the Purchaser, which are in full force and effect as of the date hereof and as of immediately prior to the Closing, have been provided to the Warrantors and the Selling Shareholders.
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Section 5.2 Authorization. The Purchaser has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Purchaser is a party, to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Purchaser is a party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action on the part of the Purchaser. This Agreement has been, and each of the other Transaction Documents to which the Purchaser is a party will be at or prior to the Closing, duly and validly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and (assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by the other parties hereto and thereto) this Agreement constitutes, and the other Transaction Documents to which the Purchaser is a party will constitute, the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Purchaser, enforceable against it in accordance with their respective terms, except as enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity, whether applied in a court of Law or a court of equity, and by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar Law affecting creditors rights and remedies generally.
Section 5.3 Conflicts; Consents of Third Parties.
(a) None of the execution, delivery and performance by the Purchaser of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents to which the Purchaser is a party, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or compliance by the Purchaser with any of the provisions hereof or thereof will breach or conflict with, or result in any violation of or default under (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both), any provision of (i) the memorandum and articles of association of the Purchaser; (ii) any Contract or License of the Purchaser; (iii) any Order applicable to any Purchaser Group Company or by which any of the properties or assets of any Purchaser Group Company are bound, or (iv) any applicable Law; in each case of (i) to (iv), except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, materially and adversely affect the ability of the Purchaser to carry out its obligations hereunder and under the other Transactions Documents to which it is a party and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby.
(b) No consent, waiver, approval, Order, Permit or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, or notification to, any Government Authority or any other Person is required to be obtained or completed by the Purchaser in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents or the compliance by the Purchaser with any of the provisions hereof or thereof, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby including without limitation Purchasers acquisition, ownership, and business operation of the Target Company from and after the Closing, except (i) where failure to obtain such consent, waiver, approval, Order, Permit or authorization, or make such declaration or filing, would not prevent or materially delay the consummation by the Purchaser of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Purchaser is a party or (ii) as may be necessary as a result of any facts or circumstances relating solely to any party hereof or any of its Affiliates.
Section 5.4 Share Capital. The authorized share capital of the Purchaser consists of 4,800,000,000 Purchaser Shares and 200,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share. As of the date hereof, 49,826,667 ordinary shares of the Purchaser are issued and outstanding.
Section 5.5 Financial Statements. Certain true and complete copies of unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been delivered by the Purchaser to the Company. Except as may be otherwise indicated in these financial statements, these financial statements (i) were prepared in accordance with the books of account and other financial records of the Purchaser, (ii) fairly present in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Purchaser as of the dates indicated therein and the consolidated results of its operations for the periods specified therein, (iii) have been prepared in accordance with the Applicable Accounting Standard applied on a basis consistent with the past practices of the Purchaser, and (iv) include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals) that are necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial condition of the Purchaser and the results of the operations of the Purchaser as of the dates thereof and for the periods covered thereby.
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Section 5.6 No Other Representations or Warranties. Except for the representations and warranties contained in this ARTICLE V, the Purchaser makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, at law or in equity, with respect to it or its business, assets or properties, employees, agents, or any other information provided to the Warrantors and the Selling Shareholders, their Affiliates or their representatives in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. The Purchaser will not have or be subject to any liability or indemnification obligation to the Warrantors or the Selling Shareholders, their Affiliates or their representatives resulting from the distribution, or making available, to such persons, or such persons use of, any such information, including any documents, projections, forecasts or other materials made available to the Warrantors and the Selling Shareholders, its Affiliates or their representatives in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby.
ARTICLE VI
COVENANTS
Section 6.1 Access to Information. Following the date hereof until the earlier of (a) the Closing and (b) the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 8.1, subject to applicable Law or the terms of any Contract or Licence to which any Group Company is subject, the Purchaser shall be entitled to make, during normal business hours, such investigation of the properties, assets, businesses and operations of the Group Companies and such examination of the books and records of the Group Companies as it may reasonably request from time to time upon reasonable advance notice to the relevant Group Company and to make extracts and copies of such books and records, provided that none of the Warrantors shall be required to take or allow actions that would unreasonably interfere with the operation of the business of any Group Company. Subject to the Purchasers compliance with the preceding sentence, the Warrantors shall cause the Group Companies and each of the Group Companies respective Key Employees, directors, accountants, attorneys and other representatives to: (a) afford the officers, accountants, attorneys and other representatives of the Purchaser access, during regular business hours, to the offices, properties, facilities, books and records of each Group Company, and (b) furnish to the officers, accountants, attorneys and other representatives of the Purchaser such additional financial data and other information regarding the assets, properties, liabilities and goodwill of each Group Company as the Purchaser may from time to time request.
Section 6.2 Notice of Developments.
(a) Following the date hereof until the earlier of (a) the Closing and (b) the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 8.1, each Selling Shareholder and the Warrantors shall promptly notify the Purchaser in writing of all events, circumstances, facts and occurrences arising subsequent to the date of this Agreement which could result in any breach of a representation or warranty or covenant or agreement of such Selling Shareholder or the Warrantors in this Agreement, as the case may be, which could have the effect of making any representation or warranty of such Selling Shareholder or the Warrantors, as the case may be, untrue or incorrect in any respect, or which could result in any of the conditions set forth in Section 7.1 and Section 7.2 not to be satisfied on or before the Long Stop Date. Following the date hereof until the earlier of (a) the Closing and (b) the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 8.1, the Warrantors shall (i) promptly notify the Purchaser in writing of all other material developments affecting the assets, Liabilities, business, financial condition, operations, result of operations, client relationships, employee relations, projections or prospects of any Group Company, and (ii) promptly inform the Purchaser of any oral or written communication between any Warrantor or Group Company and any Government Authority in connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder.
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(b) Following the date hereof until the earlier of (a) the Closing and (b) the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 8.1, the Purchaser shall promptly notify the Selling Shareholders and the Warrantors in writing of all events, circumstances, facts and occurrences arising subsequent to the date of this Agreement which could result in any breach of a representation or warranty or covenant or agreement of the Purchaser in this Agreement, which could have the effect of making any representation or warranty of the Purchaser untrue or incorrect in any respect, or which could result in any of the conditions set forth in Section 7.1 and Section 7.3 not to be satisfied on or before the Long Stop Date.
Section 6.3 Conduct of the Business Pending the Closing. Between the date hereof and the earlier of (a) the Closing and (b) the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 8.1, except (x) as required by applicable Law, (y) as otherwise required by this Agreement or at the Purchasers request or with the Purchasers permission, or (z) with the prior written consent of the Purchaser, the Target Company shall, and shall cause the other Group Companies to, and the Warrantors shall cause the Target Company and the other Group Companies to:
(a) conduct the respective Businesses of the Group Companies in the ordinary course and consistent with the Group Companies past practice;
(b) not increase its indemnification protection currently available to the directors and officers of the Group Companies;
(c) use their commercially reasonable efforts to (i) preserve the present business operations, organization and goodwill of the Group Companies, (ii) keep available the services of its current officers and employees, (iii) preserve the present relationships with clients of the Group Companies, and (iv) not engage in any practice, take any action, fail to take any action or enter into any transaction which could cause any representation or warranty of the Warrantors or the Selling Shareholders in this Agreement to be untrue or result in a breach of any covenant made by the Warrantors or any Selling Shareholder in this Agreement;
(d) not declare any dividends;
(e) not issue any Equity Securities at a pre-money equity valuation of Target Company of less than US$20.0 million; and
(f) not take any of the actions enumerated in Section 3.9.
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Section 6.4 Further Assurances. The Target Company, the Selling Shareholders, and the Purchaser shall use (and the Target Company shall cause each other Group Company to use) their best efforts to (a) take all actions necessary or appropriate and do all things (including to execute and deliver documents and other papers) necessary, proper or advisable to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (b) cause the fulfillment at the earliest practicable date of all of the conditions to their respective obligations to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including obtaining the approval by MAS and other Government Authorities or any third party consents on or before the Long Stop Date, (c) cause the Amended Constitution, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Purchaser, to become effective upon Closing, and (d) cause each of the SAFE Holders to convert its rights under the respective SAFE Agreement into the Shares pursuant to Schedule A.
Section 6.5 Confidentiality and Publicity.
(a) Each Party agrees to, and shall cause its agents, representatives, Affiliates, employees, officers and directors to treat and hold as confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any Person to) all confidential or proprietary information with respect to the other parties, the Business or the Group Companies or relating to the transactions contemplated hereby; provided, however, that this Section 6.5(a) shall not apply to (i) information to be provided to the directors, shareholders, Affiliates and legal, accounting and financial advisors of each Party, who have an absolute need to know such information in order to facilitate the transactions contemplated hereby; (ii) any information that, at the time of disclosure, is in the public domain and was not disclosed in breach of this Agreement by any Party or any of its agents, representatives, Affiliates, employees, officers or directors, or (iii) any information that is required to be disclosed by Law or Government Authority, provided that in such event (except that information is required to be disclosed in the Purchasers filing or reporting with the SEC as required under applicable securities law) the Party being required to make such disclosure shall provide the other Parties with prompt written notice of such requirement so that such other Party or Parties may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 6.5(a) and, in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or such other Party or Parties waive compliance with this Section 6.5(a), the Party being required to make such disclosure shall furnish only that portion of such confidential information which is legally required to be provided and exercise its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
(b) No Party shall make, or cause to be made, any press release or public announcement, comments, statements or communications in respect of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby or otherwise communicate with any news media without the prior written consent of the Purchaser (in the case of a proposed release or announcement by any Selling Shareholder or the Target Company) or of the Target Company (in the case of a proposed release or announcement by the Purchaser), unless otherwise required by Law or Government Authority.
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Section 6.6 Exclusivity. Between the date of this Agreement and the earlier of (a) the Closing and (b) the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 8.1, none of the Target Company and the Selling Shareholders or any of their respective Affiliates, officers, directors, representatives or agents shall, and the Target Company, the Founder, and the other Key Employees shall cause the other Group Companies and their respective Affiliates, officers, directors, representatives and agents to not, (i) solicit, initiate, consider, encourage or accept any other proposals or offers from any Person (A) relating to any acquisition or purchase of all or any portion of the equity interests in the Target Company or any other Group Company or all or any material portion of the assets of the Group Companies, or (B) to enter into any merger, consolidation, business combination, recapitalization, reorganization or other extraordinary business transaction involving or otherwise relating to any Group Company, or (ii) participate in any discussions, conversations, negotiations and other communications regarding, or furnish to any other Person any information with respect to, or otherwise cooperate in any way, assist or participate in, facilitate or encourage any effort or attempt by any other Person to seek to do any of the foregoing. The Target Company and the Selling Shareholders immediately shall, and the Target Company, the Founder, and the other Key Employees immediately shall cause the other Group Companies to, cease and cause to be terminated all existing discussions, conversations, negotiations and other communications with any Persons conducted heretofore with respect to any of the foregoing. The Target Company and the Selling Shareholders shall notify the Purchaser promptly if any such proposal or offer, or any inquiry or other contact with any Person with respect thereto, is made and shall, in any such notice to the Purchaser, indicate in reasonable detail the identity of the Person making such proposal, offer, inquiry or contact and the terms and conditions of such proposal, offer, inquiry or other contact.
Section 6.7 Tax Filing.
(a) The Parties hereby acknowledge, covenant and agree that, subject to Section 6.7(c), (i) the Purchaser shall have no obligation to pay any Tax of any nature that is required by applicable Law to be paid by any Selling Shareholder or its Affiliates or their respective direct and indirect partners, members and shareholders arising out of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents; and (ii) each Selling Shareholder agrees to bear and pay any Tax of any nature that is required by applicable Laws to be paid by it arising out of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents.
(b) Each of the Parties shall, at their own expenses, within such period of time as required by the Relevant Tax Authority duly and properly make with the applicable Taxing Authority (the Relevant Tax Authority) the relevant Tax filings and disclosures that are required by (and shall make such filings and disclosures in accordance with the requirements of) applicable Law in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby.
(c) To the extent that any Party is determined by the Relevant Tax Authority to be required by applicable Law to pay Taxes in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, such Party shall, within such period of time as required by the Relevant Tax Authority, pay such Taxes and provide the Purchaser and the Target Company, as soon as reasonably practicable, with evidence that such Taxes have been paid in the form of a receipt of payment issued by the Relevant Tax Authority.
(d) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Parties shall cooperate with the Target Company as and to the extent reasonably requested by the Target Company in connection with the filing of any Tax Returns and in any threatened or actual proceeding with respect to Taxes, including the retention and (upon request) the provision of records.
Section 6.8 Consent and Waiver.
(a) The Target Company and each Selling Shareholder hereby irrevocably consents to the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Transaction Documents and hereby irrevocably waives, subject to the Closing taking place, any protective provision, veto rights, right of first refusal, right of first offer, pre-emptive right, co-sale right, or any similar rights that the Target Company or such Selling Shareholder, as applicable, may have, whether pursuant to the Existing Constitution or otherwise, in respect of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Transaction Documents.
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(b) Each Selling Shareholder hereby irrevocably consents to the allocation of the Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition among the Selling Shareholders and the Purchase Consideration for their respective Purchased Old Shares as contemplated by Schedule A as well as the mechanism with respect to Alternative Arrangement Shares in accordance with Section 2.1(b).
Section 6.9 Use of Proceeds. Purchase Consideration for New Shares Acquisition shall be used for the business development, expansion and operation of the Target Company as approved by both the Chairman of the board of directors and the Chief Executive officer of the Target Company.
ARTICLE VII
CONDITIONS TO CLOSING
Section 7.1 Conditions Precedent to Obligations of Each Party. The respective obligations of each Party to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement is subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing Date, of each of the following conditions (any or all of which may be waived by such Party, in its sole discretion, in whole or in part to the extent permitted by applicable Law):
(a) there shall not be in effect any Law or Order by a Government Authority of competent jurisdiction restraining, enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby; and
(b) no Legal Proceeding shall have been commenced by or before any Government Authority against such Party seeking to restrain or materially and adversely alter the transactions contemplated by this Agreement which would render it impossible or unlawful to consummate such transactions, provided, however, that the provisions of this Section 7.1(b) shall not apply if such Party has directly or indirectly solicited or encouraged any such Legal Proceeding.
Section 7.2 Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Purchaser. The obligation of the Purchaser to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement is subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing Date, of each of the following additional conditions (any or all of which may be waived by the Purchaser, in its sole discretion, in whole or in part to the extent permitted by applicable Law):
(a) (i) the representations and warranties in Section 3.1, Section 3.2, Section 3.3, Section 3.4 and Section 3.5 (the foregoing representations and warranties, collectively, the Target Company Fundamental Warranties) and the representations and warranties in Section 4.1, Section 4.2, Section 4.3 and Section 4.4 (the foregoing representations and warranties, collectively, the Selling Shareholder Fundamental Warranties) shall be true and correct in all respects when made and as of the Closing with the same force and effect as if made as of the Closing, except to the extent such representations and warranties relate to another date (in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all respects as of such other date with the same force and effect as if made as of such other date), and (ii) the representations and warranties set forth in ARTICLE III and ARTICLE IV (other than the Target Company Fundamental Warranties and the Selling Shareholder Fundamental Warranties) (A) that are not qualified by materiality, Material Adverse Effect, or similar qualifiers shall have been true and correct in all respects when made and shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing with the same force and effect as if made as of the Closing, and (B) that are qualified by materiality, Material Adverse Effect, or similar qualifiers shall have been true and correct in all respects when made and as of the Closing with the same force and effect as if made as of the Closing, in each case of (A) and (B), other than such representations and warranties that relate to another date (in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all respects as of such other date with the same force and effect as if made as of such other date);
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(b) each of the Target Company and the Selling Shareholders shall have performed and complied with each of the obligations and agreements required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by such Party on or prior to the Closing Date;
(c) from and after the date hereof, there shall have been no change, event, effect or circumstance that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
(d) the Purchaser shall have received certificates from the Target Company and each Selling Shareholder, signed by an authorized signatory of the Target Company and each such Selling Shareholder, respectively, dated as of the Closing Date, certifying that, with respect to the Target Company and such Selling Shareholder (as applicable), the conditions set forth in Section 7.2(a), Section 7.2(b), and Section 7.2(c) have been satisfied;
(e) the Existing Constitution shall have been duly amended and restated as the Amended Constitution, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Purchaser;
(f) the Selling Shareholders and the Target Company shall have signed the Shareholders Agreement with the Purchaser, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Purchaser;
(g) the Founder and each Selling Shareholder that is a Key Employee shall sign a Share Mortgage Agreement, pledging 50% of the Purchaser Shares to Purchaser, substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto;
(h) the Target Company and the Selling Shareholders shall have obtained all consent, waiver, approval, Order, Permit or authorization of, or made declaration or filing with, or notification to, any Government Authority or any other Person required to be obtained or completed by the Group Companies in connection with the Closing;
(i) the Purchaser is satisfied with the results of its legal, business and financial due diligence on Target Company;
(j) the Founder and Key Employees have all entered into employment, confidentiality and non-competition agreements with the Target Company, each in a forms reasonably satisfactory to the Purchaser; and
(k) each of the SAFE Holders have converted its rights under the respective SAFE Agreement into the Shares pursuant to Schedule A.
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Section 7.3 Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Target Company. The obligations of the Target Company to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are subject to the fulfillment, prior to or on the Closing Date, of each of the following additional conditions (any or all of which may be waived by the Target Company in its sole discretion in whole or in part to the extent permitted by applicable Law):
(a) the representations and warranties in Section 5.1, Section 5.2, Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 (the foregoing representations and warranties, collectively, the Purchaser Fundamental Warranties) shall be true and correct in all respects when made and as of the Closing with the same force and effect as if made as of the Closing, and (ii) the representations and warranties of the Purchaser set forth in this Agreement (other than the Purchaser Fundamental Warranties) shall have been true and correct in all respects when made and shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing with the same force and effect as if made as of the Closing;
(b) the Purchaser shall have performed and complied with each of the obligations and agreements required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Purchaser on or prior to the Closing Date;
(c) the Target Company shall have received a certificate from the Purchaser signed by an authorized signatory of the Purchaser, dated the Closing Date, certifying that the conditions set forth in Section 7.3(a) and Section 7.3(b) have been satisfied; and
(d) the Purchaser shall have obtained all consent, waiver, approval, Order, Permit or authorization of, or made declaration or filing with, or notification to, any Government Authority or any other Person required to be obtained or completed by the Purchaser or the Purchaser Group Companies in connection with the Closing.
Section 7.4 Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Selling Shareholders. The obligations of the Selling Shareholders to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are subject to the fulfillment, prior to or on the Closing Date, of each of the following additional conditions (any or all of which may be waived by the Selling Shareholders in whole or in part to the extent permitted by applicable Law):
(a) the Purchaser Fundamental Warranties shall be true and correct in all respects when made and as of the Closing with the same force and effect as if made as of the Closing, and (ii) the representations and warranties of the Purchaser set forth in this Agreement (other than the Purchaser Fundamental Warranties ) shall have been true and correct in all respects when made and shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing with the same force and effect as if made as of the Closing;
(b) the Purchaser shall have performed and complied with each of the obligations and agreements required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Purchaser on or prior to the Closing Date;
(c) each Selling Shareholder shall have received a certificate from the Purchaser signed by an authorized signatory of the Purchaser, dated the Closing Date, certifying that the conditions set forth in Section 7.4(a) and Section 7.4(b) have been satisfied; and
(d) the Purchaser shall have obtained all consent, waiver, approval, Order, Permit or authorization of, or made declaration or filing with, or notification to, any Government Authority or any other Person required to be obtained or completed by the Purchaser or the Purchaser Group Companies in connection with the Closing.
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ARTICLE VIII
TERMINATION
Section 8.1 Termination of Agreement. This Agreement may be terminated with respect to all Parties and all transactions contemplated herein at any time prior to the Closing as follows:
(a) by the Purchaser if, between the date hereof and the Closing, (i) there is a breach of any representation or warranty or failure to perform any covenant or agreement set forth in this Agreement on the part of the Target Company or any Selling Shareholder and (ii) such breach or failure to perform would cause any of the conditions set forth in Section 7.1 or Section 7.2 not to be satisfied on or before the Long Stop Date and cannot be cured, or if curable, is not cured within twenty (20) days after written notice of such breach is given to the Target Company or the Selling Shareholders by the Purchaser;
(b) by the Target Company and the Founder, acting jointly, if, between the date hereof and the Closing, there is a breach of any representation or warranty or failure to perform any covenant or agreement set forth in this Agreement on the part of the Purchaser, which breach or failure to perform would cause any of the conditions set forth in Section 7.1 or Section 7.3 not to be satisfied on or before the Long Stop Date and cannot be cured, or if curable, is not cured within twenty (20) days after written notice of such breach is given to the Purchaser by the Target Company;
(c) by the Purchaser on or after the Long Stop Date if the Closing shall not have occurred by the close of business on the Long Stop Date, provided that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 8.1(c) shall not be available to the Purchaser if its failure to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement shall have resulted in the failure of the Closing to be consummated by the Long Stop Date;
(d) by the Target Company and the Founder, acting jointly, on or after the Long Stop Date if the Closing shall not have occurred by the close of business on the Long Stop Date, provided that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 8.1(d) shall not be available to the Target Company and the Founder if the failure by the Target Company or the Founder to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement shall have resulted in the failure of the Closing to be consummated by the Long Stop Date;
(e) by the Purchaser pursuant to Section 2.7(a)(iii),
(f) by the Target Company and the Selling Shareholders (acting jointly) pursuant to Section 2.7(c); or
(g) by mutual written consent of the Target Company, the Selling Shareholders and the Purchaser.
Section 8.2 Termination of Agreement with Respect to a Selling Shareholder. This Agreement may be terminated with respect to a Selling Shareholder that is not a Founder and the transactions contemplated herein between that Selling Shareholder and the other Parties at any time prior to the Closing as follows:
(a) by the Purchaser if, between the date hereof and the Closing, (i) there is a breach of any representation or warranty or failure to perform any covenant or agreement set forth in this Agreement on the part of such Selling Shareholder and (ii) such breach or failure to perform would cause any of the conditions set forth in Section 7.1 or Section 7.2 not to be satisfied on or before the Long Stop Date and cannot be cured, or if curable, is not cured within twenty (20) days after written notice of such breach is given to such Selling Shareholder by the Purchaser;
37
(b) by that Selling Shareholder if, between the date hereof and the Closing, there is a breach of any representation or warranty or failure to perform any covenant or agreement set forth in this Agreement on the part of the Purchaser, which breach or failure to perform would cause any of the conditions set forth in Section 7.1 or Section 7.3 not to be satisfied on or before the Long Stop Date and cannot be cured, or if curable, is not cured within twenty (20) days after written notice of such breach is given to the Purchaser by that Selling Shareholder;
(c) by the Purchaser on or after the Long Stop Date if the Closing shall not have occurred by the close of business on the Long Stop Date, provided that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 8.2(c) shall not be available to the Purchaser if its failure to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement shall have resulted in the failure of the Closing to be consummated by the Long Stop Date; and
(d) by that Selling Shareholder, on or after the Long Stop Date if the Closing shall not have occurred by the close of business on the Long Stop Date, provided that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 8.2(d) shall not be available to such Selling Shareholder if the failure by such Selling Shareholder to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement shall have resulted in the failure of the Closing to be consummated by the Long Stop Date.
Section 8.3 Procedure Upon Termination.
(a) In the event of termination by a Party pursuant to Section 8.1 hereof, written notice of such termination shall forthwith be given to the other Parties, and this Agreement shall thereupon terminate without further action by any Party.
(b) In the event of termination by the Purchaser or a Selling Shareholder that is not the Founder pursuant to Section 8.2 hereof, written notice of such termination shall forthwith be given to the other Parties, and this Agreement shall thereupon terminate with respect to that Selling Shareholder and the transactions contemplated herein between such Selling Shareholder and the Purchaser without further action by any Party.
Section 8.4 Effect of Termination.
(a) In the event that this Agreement is validly terminated in accordance with Section 8.1 and Section 8.3, each of the Parties shall be relieved of their duties and obligations arising under this Agreement after the date of such termination and such termination shall be without liability to any Party; provided that (i) no such termination shall relieve any Party hereto from liability for a breach of any of its covenants or agreements or its representations and warranties contained in this Agreement prior to the date of termination, (ii) any such termination shall be without prejudice to any rights which have already accrued to any Party under this Agreement, and (iii) ARTICLE I, Section 6.5, this Section 8.4, and ARTICLE X shall survive any such termination.
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(b) In the event that this Agreement is validly terminated with respect to a Selling Shareholder that is not the Founder in accordance with Section 8.2 and Section 8.3, that Selling Shareholder shall, and each of the other Parties shall with respect to that Selling Shareholder, be relieved of their duties and obligations arising under this Agreement after the date of such termination and such termination shall be without liability to any Party; provided that (i) no such termination shall relieve any Party hereto from liability for a breach of any of its covenants or agreements or its representations and warranties contained in this Agreement prior to the date of termination, (ii) any such termination shall be without prejudice to any rights which have already accrued to any Party under this Agreement, and (iii) ARTICLE I, Section 6.5, this Section 8.4, and ARTICLE X shall survive any such termination.
ARTICLE IX
INDEMNIFICATION
Section 9.1 Survival of Representations, Warranties and Covenants. The representations and warranties of each Party contained in this Agreement shall survive the Closing until the date that is two (2) years following the Closing Date; provided, however, the Target Company Fundamental Warranties, the Selling Shareholder Fundamental Warranties and the Purchaser Fundamental Warranties shall survive the Closing indefinitely, and the representations and warranties set forth in Section 3.13 (Taxes) shall survive the Closing until sixty (60) days after the applicable statute of limitations governing claims arising thereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the covenants or other agreements of the Target Company, the Selling Shareholders and/or the Purchaser contained in this Agreement that by their terms are to be performed after the Closing shall survive the Closing in accordance with their terms, unless and only to the extent that non-compliance with such covenants or agreements is waived in writing by the Party that is the beneficiary of such covenants or agreements. If written notice of a claim for indemnification has been given in accordance with Section 9.2 prior to the expiration of the applicable representations, warranties, covenants or other agreements, then the relevant representations, warranties, covenants or other agreements shall survive as to such claim, until such claim has been finally resolved.
Section 9.2 Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification by the Selling Shareholders. From and after the Closing, each of the Selling Shareholders shall, severally and not jointly, indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Purchaser and its Affiliates (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Group Companies from and after the Closing) and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, successors and permitted assigns (collectively, the Purchaser Indemnitees) from and against all Liabilities, losses, damages, diminution in value, claims, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees and expenses incurred in connection with the investigation or defense of any of the same or in responding to or cooperating with any governmental investigation), interest, awards, judgments, fines and penalties actually suffered or incurred by the Purchaser Indemnitees (in each case, whether absolute, accrued, conditional or otherwise and whether or not resulting from Third Party Claims) (hereinafter Purchaser Losses) directly arising out of or relating to:
(i) any untrue representation or warranty or breach thereof set forth in ARTICLE IV or any Transaction Documents; or
(ii) any breach or non-fulfillment of any covenant or obligation to be performed by any Selling Shareholder under the Transaction Documents.
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(b) Indemnification by the Warrantors. From and after the Closing, each of the Warrantors shall, severally and jointly, indemnify, defend and hold harmless (to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law) the Purchaser Indemnitees from and against all Purchaser Losses directly arising out of or relating to:
(i) any untrue representation or warranty or breach thereof set forth in ARTICLE III or any Transaction Documents;
(ii) any breach or non-fulfillment of any covenant or obligation to be performed by any Warrantor under the Transaction Documents;
(iii) any Tax obligations of the Group Companies for all taxable periods ending on or before the Closing Date and the portion of any Straddle Period through the end of the Closing Date, except to the extent that such Taxes are reserved in the Financial Statements; provided that, in the case of any Straddle Period, (A) the amount of any Taxes of the Group Companies based upon or measured by net income or gain which relate to the portion of the Straddle Period through the end of the Closing Date will be determined based on an interim closing of the books as of the close of business on the Closing Date, and (B) the amount of any other Taxes of the Group Companies which relate to the portion of the Straddle Period through the end of the Closing Date will be determined according to an interim closing of the books to the greatest extent possible, and otherwise shall be deemed to be the amount of such Tax for the entire Straddle Period (except to the extent that such Taxes are reserved for in the Financial Statements) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days in the portion of the Straddle Period through the end of the Closing Date and the denominator of which is the number of days in such Straddle Period;
(iv) any Liability and Legal Proceeding relating to any completed or proposed coin, token, or cryptocurrency offering or sales or similar financing by any Group Company or Warrantor; or
(v) any payment obligations and commitments that are outside of the Group Companies ordinary course of business and have not been disclosed or included in the Target Companys Financial Statements.
For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnity obligation of each Warrantor towards any Purchaser Indemnitees with respect to Item (iii) above shall not be affected or prejudiced by the fact that such matter may be disclosed to the Purchaser in the Disclosure Schedule or otherwise.
(c) Indemnification by the Purchaser. From and after the Closing, the Purchaser shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless each Selling Shareholder and its Affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, agents, employees, successors and permitted assigns (collectively, the Selling Shareholder Indemnitees) from and against all Liabilities, losses, damages, diminution in value, claims, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees and expenses incurred in connection with the investigation or defense of any of the same or in responding to or cooperating with any governmental investigation), interest, awards, judgments, fines and penalties actually suffered or incurred by the Selling Shareholder Indemnitees (in each case, whether absolute, accrued, conditional or otherwise and whether or not resulting from Third Party Claims) (hereinafter Selling Shareholder Losses) directly arising out of or relating to
40
(i) any untrue representation or warranty or breach thereof set forth in ARTICLE V; or any Transaction Documents; or
(ii) any breach or non-fulfillment of any covenant or obligation to be performed by the Purchaser under the Transaction Documents.
(d) Procedures Relating to Indemnification.
(i) Any Party seeking indemnification under this Section 9.2 (an Indemnified Party) shall promptly give the Party from whom indemnification is being sought (an Indemnifying Party) notice in writing of any matter which such Indemnified Party has determined has given or could reasonably be expected to give rise to a right of indemnification under this Agreement stating in reasonable detail the nature of the claim, and containing a reference to the provisions of this Agreement in respect of which such right of indemnification is claimed or arises; provided, however, that the failure to provide such notice shall not release the Indemnifying Party from any of its obligations under this Section 9.2 except to the extent the Indemnifying Party is materially prejudiced by such failure. With respect to any recovery or indemnification sought by an Indemnified Party from the Indemnifying Party that does not involve a Third Party Claim, if the Indemnifying Party does not notify the Indemnified Party within thirty (30) days from its receipt of the notice from the Indemnified Party that the Indemnifying Party disputes such claim, the Indemnifying Party shall be deemed to have accepted and agreed with such claim. If the Indemnifying Party has disputed a claim for indemnification (including any Third Party Claim), the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnified Party shall proceed in good faith to negotiate a resolution to such dispute. If the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnified Party cannot resolve such dispute in thirty (30) days after delivery of the dispute notice by the Indemnifying Party, such dispute shall be resolved by arbitration pursuant to Section 10.3.
(ii) If an Indemnified Party shall receive notice of any Legal Proceeding, audit, demand or assessment (each, a Third Party Claim) against it or which may give rise to a claim for Purchaser Loss or Selling Shareholder Loss under this Section 9.2, within 30 days of the receipt of such notice, the Indemnified Party shall give the Indemnifying Party written notice of such Third Party Claim; provided, however, that the failure to provide such notice shall not release the Indemnifying Party from any of its obligations under this Section 9.2 except to the extent that the Indemnifying Party is materially prejudiced by such failure. If the Indemnifying Party acknowledges in writing its obligation to indemnify the Indemnified Party hereunder against any Purchaser Losses or Selling Shareholder Losses, as applicable, that may result from such Third Party Claim, then the Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to assume and control the defense of such Third Party Claim at its expense and through counsel of its choice if it gives notice of its intention to do so to the Indemnified Party within five days of the receipt of such notice from the Indemnified Party; provided, however, that if there exists or is reasonably likely to exist a conflict of interest that would make it inappropriate in the judgment of the Indemnified Party in its sole and absolute discretion for the same counsel to represent both the Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party, then the Indemnified Party shall be entitled to retain its own counsel in each jurisdiction for which the Indemnified Party determines counsel is required, at the Indemnifying Partys expense. In the event that the Indemnifying Party exercises the right to undertake any such defense against any such Third Party Claim as provided above, the Indemnified Party shall cooperate with the Indemnifying Party in such defense and make available to the Indemnifying Party, at the Indemnifying Partys expense, all witnesses, pertinent records, materials and information in the Indemnified Partys possession or under the Indemnified Partys control relating thereto as is reasonably required by the Indemnifying Party. Similarly, in the event the Indemnified Party is, directly or indirectly, conducting the defense against any such Third Party Claim, the Indemnifying Party shall cooperate with the Indemnified Party in such defense and make available to the Indemnified Party, at the Indemnifying Partys expense, all such witnesses, records, materials and information in the Indemnifying Partys possession or under the Indemnifying Partys control relating thereto as is reasonably required by the Indemnified Party. No such Third Party Claim may be settled by the Indemnifying Party without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party.
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(e) No Warrantor or Selling Shareholder shall be entitled to claim against any Group Company for contribution, reimbursement, indemnification or other participation in respect of or arising out of any indemnification obligation of the Warrantors or Selling Shareholders hereunder, and each Warrantor and Selling Shareholder hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives any such claim it may have against the Group Companies. Each Warrantor and Selling Shareholder is entitled to claim against any other Warrantor or Selling Shareholders (other than the Target Company) for contribution, reimbursement, indemnification and other participation.
Section 9.3 Limitation of Liability.
(a) In no event shall any Indemnifying Party be liable to any Indemnified Party for indemnification under Section 9.2 for any punitive, incidental, consequential, special or indirect damages.
(b) The aggregate liability of the Target Company under Section 9.2 (other than with respect to breach of any of the Target Company Fundamental Warranties, fraud, and Section 9.2(b)(iii)-(v)) to the other Parties shall be capped at US$3.0 million.
(c) The aggregate liability of the Founder under Section 9.2 (other than with respect to breach of any of the Target Company Fundamental Warranties and Selling Shareholders Fundamental Warranties and fraud) to the Purchaser shall be capped at US$3.0 million plus the Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition attributable to the Founder, which shall be the amount calculated by multiplying the number of Purchased Old Shares sold by the Founder and US$123.85 (being the agreed value of each Purchased Old Share as at the date of Closing).
(d) The aggregate liability of each Selling Shareholder (excluding the Founder) under Section 9.2(a)(i) (other than with respect to breach of any of the Selling Shareholder Fundamental Warranties and fraud) to the Purchaser shall be capped at Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition attributable to such Selling Shareholder, which shall be the amount calculated by multiplying the number of Purchased Old Shares sold by such Selling Shareholder and US$123.85 (being the agreed value of each Purchased Old Share as at the date of Closing);
(e) The aggregate liability of the Purchaser under Section 9.2 (other than with respect to breach of any of the Purchaser Fundamental Warranties and fraud) to the other Parties shall be capped at, with respect to: (i) the Target Company, US$3.0 million; and (ii) each Selling Shareholder, Purchase Consideration for Old Shares Acquisition attributable to such Selling Shareholder, which shall be the amount calculated by multiplying the number of Purchased Old Shares sold by such Selling Shareholder and US$123.85 (being the agreed value of each Purchased Old Share as at the date of Closing).
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ARTICLE X
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 10.1 Expenses. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, each Party shall bear its own costs and expenses incurred in connection with the negotiation and execution of this Agreement and each other Transaction Document and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby.
Section 10.2 Governing Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule thereof.
Section 10.3 Arbitration.
(a) Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, including any question regarding its existence, validity or termination, shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration in Hong Kong in accordance with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre Administered Arbitration Rules (the HKIAC Rules) in force when the notice of arbitration is submitted in accordance with the HKIAC Rules. The HKIAC Rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference to this clause. The tribunal shall be comprised of three arbitrators. The Purchaser, on the one hand, and the Selling Shareholders, acting jointly, on the other hand, shall each nominate one arbitrator and the third, who shall serve as president of the tribunal, shall be nominated by the party-nominated arbitrators. The arbitration shall be conducted in English. Each Party irrevocably and unconditionally consents to such arbitration as the sole and exclusive method of resolving any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, including any question regarding its existence, validity or termination, other than any proceedings to seek the remedies of specific performance as contemplated by Section 10.5.
(b) The award of the arbitral tribunal shall be final and binding on the Parties. The Parties agree that they will not have recourse to any judicial proceedings, in any jurisdiction whatsoever, for the purpose of seeking appeal, annulment, setting aside, modification or any diminution or impairment of its terms or effect insofar as such exclusion can validly be made. Judgment upon any award rendered may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof, or application may be made to such court for a judicial acceptance of the award and an order of enforcement, as the case may be.
Section 10.4 Entire Agreement; Amendments and Waivers. This Agreement (including the schedules and exhibits hereto) and the other Transaction Documents represent the entire understanding and agreement among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof. This Agreement can be amended, supplemented or changed, and any provision hereof can be waived, only by written instrument making specific reference to this Agreement signed by the Purchaser, the Selling Shareholders and the Target Company (except as specifically contemplated by Section 2.7(b)). No action taken pursuant to this Agreement, including any investigation by or on behalf of any Party, shall be deemed to constitute a waiver by the Party taking such action of compliance with any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement contained herein. The waiver by any Party of a breach of any provision of this Agreement shall not operate or be construed as a further or continuing waiver of such breach or as a waiver of any other or subsequent breach. No failure on the part of any Party to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right, power or remedy hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of such right, power or remedy by such Party preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or remedy.
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Section 10.5 Specific Performance. The Parties acknowledge and agree that irreparable damage would occur if any provision of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with the terms hereof and that, prior to the termination of this Agreement in accordance with ARTICLE VIII, each Party shall be entitled to seek specific performance of the terms hereof. It is accordingly agreed that prior to such termination, each Party shall be entitled to seek an injunction or injunctions to prevent such breaches of this Agreement and to seek to enforce specifically (without proof of actual damages or harm, and not subject to any requirement for the securing or posting of any bond in connection therewith) such terms and provisions of this Agreement, this being in addition to any other remedy to which each Party is entitled at law or in equity.
Section 10.6 Notices. All notices and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed effectively given (i) when delivered personally by hand (with written confirmation of receipt), (ii) when sent by email (provided that the email was properly and correctly addressed to the recipients email address notified by the recipient under this Agreement) or (iii) two Business Days following the day sent by international overnight courier (with written confirmation of receipt), in each case at the following addresses and email addresses (or to such other address or email address as a party may have specified by notice given to the other party pursuant to this provision):
If to the Purchaser, to:
AMTD Digital Inc.
Address: 23/F - 25/F Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong
Email: *********************
Attention: *********************
If to the Target Company, to:
PolicyPal Pte. Ltd.
Address: Registered office of the Target Company from time to time
Email: *********************
Attention: *********************
If to the Target Company, an additional copy to:
*********************
Address: Block 309 Yishun Ring Road, #02-1250C, Singapore 760309
Email: *********************
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If to the Selling Shareholders, to the address, email address and attention details set forth on the signature page to this Agreement of such Selling Shareholder.
Section 10.7 Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal, or incapable of being enforced by any law or public policy, all other terms or provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal, or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated as originally contemplated to the greatest extent possible.
Section 10.8 Binding Effect; Third Party Rights; Assignment. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns. Except as provided in Section 9.2 hereof, nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, shall create or be deemed to create upon any Person who is not a Party, any rights or remedies under or by reason of this Agreement pursuant to the Contracts (Right of Third Parties) Ordinance (Cap.623, Laws of Hong Kong). No assignment of this Agreement or of any rights or obligations hereunder may be made by (i) any Selling Shareholder or the Target Company, directly or indirectly (by operation of law or otherwise), without the prior written consent of the Purchaser, and (ii) the Purchaser directly or indirectly (by operation of law or otherwise), without the prior written consent of the Selling Shareholders and the Target Company, and any attempted assignment in violation of this Section 10.8 shall be void.
Section 10.9 Disclosure Schedule References. The Parties agree that any reference in a particular Section of the Disclosure Schedule shall be deemed to be an exception to or, as applicable, a disclosure for purposes of the representations and warranties, or covenants, as applicable, of the relevant Party that are contained in the corresponding Section of this Agreement.
Section 10.10 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which will be deemed to be an original copy of this Agreement and all of which, when taken together, will be deemed to constitute one and the same agreement. Facsimile and e-mailed copies of signatures shall be deemed to be originals for purposes of the effectiveness of this Agreement.
** REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK **
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The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
AMTD Digital Inc. | ||
By: |
/s/ William Fung | |
Name: William Fung | ||
Title: Director and CEO |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. | ||
By: | /s/ Yap Wen Yin Valenzia | |
Name: Yap Wen Yin Valenzia | ||
Title: Authorized Signatory |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Yap Wen Yin Valenzia |
/s/ Yap Wen Yin Valenzia |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Wong Kai Chin |
/s/ Wong Kai Chin |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Toh Pei Yu |
/s/ Toh Pei Yu |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Yan Wye Huong |
/s/ Yan Wye Huong |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Phoo Yong Koon, Wilson |
/s/ Phoo Young Koon, Wilson |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Lily Priska Tania |
/s/ Lily Priska Tania |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Lim Ting Zhou |
/s/ Lim Ting Zhou |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Ong JunTian, Ivan |
/s/ Ong JunTian, Ivan |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Rennes Lee Ting |
/s/ Rennes Lee Ting |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Eilane Wang |
/s/ Eilane Wang |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Deborah Ong |
/s/ Deborah Ong |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Muhamad Iswan Bin Mastuah |
/s/ Muhamad Iswan Bin Mastuah |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Zhaoyan Liu |
/s/ Zhaoyan Liu |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Gerald Tear Nam Jiang |
/s/ Gerald Tear Nam Jiang |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Lim Siow Wei |
/s/ Lim Siow Wei |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
SHAREHOLDER: | ||
500 DURIANS II, L.P. | ||
By: 500 DURIANS II, L.L.C., | ||
its general partner | ||
By: | /s/ Christine Tsai | |
Name: | Christine Tsai | |
Title: | President | |
Address: ****************** | ||
Email: ****************** | ||
Attention: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Ho Poh Wah |
/s/ Ho Poh Wah |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
SEA DRAGONS FUND PTE LTD. | ||
By: | /s/ AARON TAN Wei CHENG | |
Name: | AARON TAN WEI CHENG | |
Title: | Authorized Signatory | |
Address: ****************** | ||
Email: ****************** | ||
Attention: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
PECK Wee Boon Patrick |
/s/ PECK Wee Boon Patrick |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
GREAT NOBLE INTERNATIONAL II LIMITED | ||
By: | /s/ Tan Chow Boon | |
Name: | Tan Chow Boon | |
Title: | Corporate reprehensive | |
Address: ****************** | ||
Email: ****************** | ||
Attention: Tan Chow Boon |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE GLOBAL LIMITED | ||
By: | /s/ Dennis Jacobs | |
Name: | Dennis Jacobs | |
Title: | COO | |
Address: ****************** | ||
Email: ****************** | ||
Attention: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Mok Li Yee |
/s/ Mok Li Yee |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
FENBUSHI INVESTMENT FUND LP | ||
By: |
/s/ Bo Shen | |
Name: |
Bo Shen | |
Title: |
Director | |
Address: ****************** | ||
Email: ****************** | ||
Attention: Bo Shen |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Tan Jun Hong |
/s/ Tan Jun Hong |
Address: ****************** |
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Apoorva Jain | ||
By: | /s/ Apoorva Jain | |
Address: ****************** | ||
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Koh Kia Leng Kimberley | ||
By: | /s/ Koh Kia Leng Kimberley | |
Address: ****************** | ||
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Hoong Kah Kuan | ||
By: | /s/ Hoong Kah Kuan | |
Address: ****************** | ||
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
The Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
Ng Cheng Wei | ||
By: | /s/ Ng Cheng Wei | |
Address: ****************** | ||
Email: ****************** |
[Signature Page to Share Purchase Agreement]
SCHEDULE A
CAPITALIZATION TABLES
(fully diluted)
Capitalization as of the date hereof |
Capitalization Immediately Before Closing |
Transaction Contemplated in this Agreement |
Capitalization Immediately After Closing |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of Selling Shareholder |
Class of |
Number of |
Shareholding (fully diluted) |
Class of Shares |
Number of Shares |
Shareholding (fully diluted) |
Purchased Old Shares* |
Purchaser Shares in Exchange* |
Purchased New Shares |
Class of Shares |
Number of Shares^ |
Shareholding (fully diluted)^ |
||||||||||||||||
Gerald Tear Nam Jiang# |
Ordinary Shares |
7,092 | 4.39 | % | 3,096 | 30,863 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
3,996 | 2.15 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Lim Siow Wei# |
Ordinary Shares |
3,546 | 2.20 | % | 1,548 | 15,432 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
1,998 | 1.08 | % | |||||||||||||||||
500 DURIANS II, L.P. # |
Ordinary Shares |
3,546 | 2.20 | % | 1,548 | 15,432 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
1,998 | 1.08 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Ho Poh Wah# |
Ordinary Shares |
1,773 | 1.10 | % | 774 | 7,716 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
999 | 0.54 | % | |||||||||||||||||
SEA DRAGONS FUND PTE LTD. # |
Ordinary Shares |
1,773 | 1.10 | % | 774 | 7,716 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
999 | 0.54 | % | |||||||||||||||||
PECK Wee Boon Patrick # |
Ordinary Shares |
5,319 | 3.29 | % | 2,322 | 23,147 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
2,997 | 1.61 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Great Noble International II Limited# |
Ordinary Shares |
3,546 | 2.20 | % | 1,548 | 15,432 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
1,998 | 1.08 | % | |||||||||||||||||
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE GLOBAL LIMITED # |
Ordinary Shares |
1,064 | 0.66 | % | 464 | 4,630 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
600 | 0.32 | % | |||||||||||||||||
MOK Li Yee# |
Ordinary Shares |
1,773 | 1.10 | % | 774 | 7,716 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
999 | 0.54 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Fenbushi Investment Fund LP # |
Ordinary Shares |
1,773 | 1.10 | % | 774 | 7,718 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
999 | 0.54 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Tan Jun Hong# |
Ordinary Shares |
5,319 | 3.29 | % | 2,322 | 23,148 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
2,997 | 1.61 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Reserved ESOP |
Ordinary Shares |
8,684 | 5.38 | % | 3,791 | 37,791 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
4,893 | 2.63 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Toh Pei Yu |
Ordinary Shares |
565 | 0.35 | % | 247 | 2,459 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
318 | 0.17 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Yan Wye Huong |
Ordinary Shares |
1,103 | 0.68 | % | 482 | 4,800 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
621 | 0.33 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Phoo Yong Koon, Wilson |
Ordinary Shares |
982 | 0.61 | % | 429 | 4,273 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
553 | 0.30 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Lily Priska Tania |
Ordinary Shares |
177 | 0.11 | % | 77 | 770 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
100 | 0.05 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Zhaoyan Liu |
Ordinary Shares |
62 | 0.04 | % | 27 | 270 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
35 | 0.02 | % |
Lim Ting Zhou |
Ordinary Shares |
163 | 0.10 | % | 71 | 709 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
92 | 0.05 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Ivan Ong JunTian |
Ordinary Shares |
148 | 0.09 | % | 65 | 644 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
83 | 0.04 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Rennes Lee Ting |
Ordinary Shares |
71 | 0.04 | % | 31 | 309 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
40 | 0.02 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Eilane Wang |
Ordinary Shares |
149 | 0.09 | % | 65 | 648 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
84 | 0.05 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Koh Kia Leng Kimberley |
Ordinary Shares |
2,000 | 1.24 | % | 873 | 8,704 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
1,127 | 0.61 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Deborah Ong |
Ordinary Shares |
112 | 0.07 | % | 49 | 487 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
63 | 0.03 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Muhamad Iswan Bin Mastuah |
Ordinary Shares |
75 | 0.05 | % | 33 | 326 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
42 | 0.02 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Reserved Advisors |
Ordinary Shares |
1,657 | 1.03 | % | 723 | 7,212 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
934 | 0.50 | % | |||||||||||||||||
MOK Li Yee |
Ordinary Shares |
800 | 0.50 | % | 349 | 3,481 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
451 | 0.24 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Apoorva Jain |
Ordinary Shares |
492 | 0.30 | % | 215 | 2,141 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
277 | 0.15 | % | |||||||||||||||||
PECK Wee Boon Patrick |
Ordinary Shares |
800 | 0.50 | % | 349 | 3,481 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
451 | 0.24 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Great Noble International II Limited |
Ordinary Shares |
200 | 0.12 | % | 87 | 870 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
113 | 0.06 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Ng Cheng Wei |
Ordinary Shares |
200 | 0.12 | % | 87 | 870 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
113 | 0.06 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Hoong Kah Kuan |
Ordinary Shares |
138 | 0.09 | % | 60 | 601 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
78 | 0.04 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Wong Kai Chin |
Ordinary Shares | 10,000 | 9.40% | Ordinary Shares |
10,000 | 6.19 | % | 4,365 | 43,518 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
5,635 | 3.03 | % | ||||||||||||||
Yap Wen Yin Valenzia |
Ordinary Shares | 96,385 | 90.60% | Ordinary Shares |
96,385 | 59.69 | % | 42,076 | 419,451 | N/A | Ordinary Shares |
54,309 | 29.24 | % | ||||||||||||||
New Issuance to Purchaser |
N/A | Ordinary Shares |
24,223 | 13 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||
New Money Funding for New PolicyPal Shares |
Ordinary Shares |
70,495 | 37.96 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Total |
106,385 | 100% | 161,487 | 100 | % | 70,495 | 702,765 | 185,710 | 100 | % | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* | Numbers calculated based on Target Valuation of US$20.0 million for illustration purpose. |
^ | Numbers calculated based on post-money valuation of Target Company (i.e. the equivalent of Target Valuation plus Purchase Consideration for New Shares Acquisition) of US$23.0 million for illustration purposes. |
# | SAFE Holder. |
SCHEDULE B
COMPANY DISCLOSURE SCHEDULE
Attached.
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF INSTRUMENT OF TRANSFER
INSTRUMENT OF TRANSFER FORM
PolicyPal Pte. Ltd.
(the Company)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED,
[TRANSFEROR NAME] (the Transferor) hereby sells, assigns and transfers to AMTD DIGITAL INC. (the Transferee) [number] ordinary shares fully paid up and in the Company subject to several conditions on which the Transferor held the same immediately before the execution hereof, and the Transferee hereby agrees to accept the said shares subject to the conditions aforesaid. This document may be executed in any number of counterparts.
The parties have executed this document on 2020
The Transferor |
|
Name: |
Designation: |
For and on behalf of [TRANSFEROR] |
[OR] |
|
[TRANSFEROR] |
The Transferee |
|
Name: |
Designation: |
For and on behalf of AMTD DIGITAL INC. |
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF SHARE MORTGAGE AGREEMENT
CONFIDENTIAL
Exhibit 10.15
DATED 30 JULY 2020
NGSP Holdings Limited
and
AMTD Digital Inc.
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of the 30th day of July 2020 by and between:
1. | NGSP Holdings Limited, a company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of British Virgin Islands (the Investor); and |
2. | AMTD Digital Inc., a company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company). |
The Company and the Investor are each referred to herein as a Party, and collectively as the Parties.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor desires to subscribe to and purchase from the Company certain number of Class A Shares (defined below) of the Company on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | DEFINITIONS. |
1.1 In addition to the terms defined in the context hereof, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them below.
Affiliate means, with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly Controlling, Controlled by, or under common Control with such Person; provided that none of the Company and any of its Subsidiaries shall be considered an Affiliate of the Investor.
Applicable Law means, with respect to any Person, any international, domestic or foreign federal, state or local law (statutory, common or otherwise), constitution, treaty, convention, ordinance, code, rule, regulation, order, injunction, judgment, decree, ruling or other similar requirement enacted, adopted, promulgated or applied by a Governmental Authority that is binding upon or applicable to such Person, as amended unless expressly specified otherwise.
Balance Sheet Date means the consolidated balance sheet as of 31st December 2019 provided to the Investor by the Company.
Business Day means a day, other than Saturday, Sunday, or other day on which commercial banks in the Cayman Islands or Hong Kong are authorized or required by Applicable Laws to close.
Class A Shares means Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, in the share capital of the Company.
Class B Shares means Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, in the share capital of the Company.
1
Closing Date means the date of the Closing.
Consent means any consent, approval, authorization, release, waiver, permit, grant, franchise, concession, agreement, license, exemption or order of, registration, certificate, declaration or filing with, or report or notice to, any Person, including any Governmental Authority.
Contract means any agreement, contract, lease, indenture, instrument, note, debenture, bond, mortgage, or deed of trust or other agreement, commitment, arrangement, or understanding, whether written or oral.
Control means, when used with respect to any Person, the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise, and the terms Controlling and Controlled have correlative meanings.
Encumbrance means any security interest, pledge, mortgage, lien, charge, claim, hypothecation, title defect, right of first option or refusal, right of preemption, or other encumbrance of any kind.
Governmental Authority means any transnational, domestic or foreign federal, state or local governmental, regulatory or administrative authority, department, court, agency or official, including any political subdivision thereof.
Group Company means each of the Company and its Subsidiaries, and Group Companies refers to all of the Group Companies collectively.
IFRS means the International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
knowledge of any Person that is not an individual means the knowledge of such Persons officers after reasonable inquiry and investigation.
Management Accounts means unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for the 2020 ended 30th April 2020 prepared in accordance with IFRS.
Material Adverse Effect means any event, circumstance, change, or effect that, individually or in the aggregate, has or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition or results of operations of the Group Companies taken as a whole, provided, however, that none of the following, either alone or in combination, shall be considered a Material Adverse Effect: (i) events, circumstances, changes, or effects that generally affect the industries in which the Group Companies operate (including legal and regulatory changes), (ii) general economic or political conditions or events, circumstances, changes, or effects affecting the markets generally, and (iii) changes caused by a material worsening of current conditions caused by acts of terrorism or war (whether or not declared), social unrest, or health epidemics occurring after the date hereof.
Memorandum and Articles means the memorandum and articles of association of the Company, as amended, in effect from time to time.
Person means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, trust, or other entity or organization, including a Governmental Authority.
2
Securities means any ordinary shares or any equity interest of, or shares of any class in the share capital (ordinary, preferred or otherwise) of, the Company and any convertible securities, options, warrants and any other type of equity or equity-linked securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for any such equity interest or shares of any class in the share capital of the Company.
Securities Act means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Subsidiary of any Person means any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint stock company, joint venture, or other organization or entity, whether incorporated or unincorporated, which is controlled by such Person.
Transfer means directly or indirectly, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, transfer, assign, give, hypothecate, encumber, grant a security interest in, convey in trust, gift, devise or descent, or otherwise dispose of, or suffer to exist (whether by operation of law of otherwise) any encumbrance on, any Securities or any right, title or interest therein or thereto, or enter into a transaction which would have the same effect, or enter into any swap, hedge or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Securities, in cash or otherwise, or publicly disclose the intention to make any such disposition or to enter into any such transaction, swap, hedge or other arrangement, including transfers pursuant to divorce or legal separation, transfers to receivers, levying creditors, trustees or receivers in bankruptcy proceedings or general assignees for the benefit of creditors, whether voluntary or by operation of law, directly or indirectly, of any Securities.
1.2 Other Defined Terms. The following terms shall have the meanings defined for such terms in the Sections set forth below.
Agreement |
Preamble | |||
Closing |
Section 2.2 | |||
Company |
Preamble | |||
Confidential Information |
Section 5.2 | |||
Consultation Period |
Section 7.14(a) | |||
Dispute |
Section 7.14(a) | |||
HKIAC |
Section 7.14(b) | |||
Indemnifiable Loss |
Section 7.1(a) | |||
Indemnifying Party |
Section 7.1(a) | |||
Indemnitee |
Section 7.1(a) | |||
Investor |
Preamble | |||
Permit |
Section 3.7 | |||
Purchased Shares |
Section 2.1 | |||
Purchase Price |
Section 2.1 |
2. | PURCHASE AND SALE. |
2.1 Purchase and Sale. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing (as defined below) the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, 50,000 Class A Shares (the Purchased Shares) for an aggregate purchase price of US$500,000.00 (the Purchase Price).
3
2.2 Transfer of Funds. The Investor shall pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of United States dollars in immediately available funds on or before 06 August 2020 to the bank account designated by the Company as follow:
Beneficiary Bank: |
********************* | |
Swift Code: |
********************* | |
Beneficiary Name: |
AMTD Digital Inc. | |
Account Number: |
********************* |
2.3 Closing. The closing of the transactions as set forth in Section 2.1 (the Closing) shall take place remotely via the electronic exchange of documents and signatures subject to and within two (2) Business Days (defined below) after satisfaction or, to the extent permissible, waiver by the Party or Parties entitled to the benefit of the conditions set forth in Section 6 (other than conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or, to the extent permissible, waiver of those conditions at the Closing), or at such other time or place as the Company and the Investor may agree.
(a) The Investor shall, at the Closing, pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds to a designated account of the Company, provided that the Company shall deliver wire transfer instructions to the Investor at least two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing.
(b) The Company shall (i) cause, at the Closing, its register of members to be updated to reflect the Investor as the record holder of the Purchased Shares, and (ii) deliver to the Investor, within five (5) Business Days after the Closing, a certified copy of an extract of such updated register of members and a share certificate issued in favor of the Investor representing the Purchased Shares, duly signed for and on behalf of the Company.
3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY. |
Subject to such exceptions as may be specifically set forth in the corresponding sections of a disclosure schedule to be delivered by the Company to the Investor as of the date of this Agreement, where applicable, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Organization, Standing, and Qualification. Each Group Company is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the place of its establishment and has all requisite power and authorization to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted. Each Group Company is duly qualified or licensed to do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it makes such qualification or licensing necessary, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or licensed would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.2 Capitalization. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000,000 ordinary shares, including (i) 8,000,000,000 Class A Shares, of which 10,726,667 Class A Shares are issued and outstanding, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B Shares, of which 38,800,000 Class B Shares are issued and outstanding. The register of members of the Company provided by the Company to the Investor prior to the Closing is true and correct as of the date provided.
4
3.3 Authorization; Enforceability; Validity. All corporate actions on the part of the Company necessary for the authorization, execution, and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement have been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
3.4 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares. The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold, delivered, and paid for by the Investor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable.
3.5 Consents; No Conflicts. All Consents from or with any Governmental Authority or any other Person required in connection with the valid execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder, other than on the part of the Investor, have been duly obtained or completed and are in full force and effect. The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement by the Company do not, and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereunder will not, (i) result in a violation of the Memorandum and Articles, (ii) conflict with or result in a violation of the Applicable Laws, or (iii) conflict with or result in a breach or violation in, or constitute a default under, any Contract to which the Company is a party, in each case, except to the extent that such violation, conflict, breach, or default would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.6 Financial Statements. The Company has delivered the Management Accounts to the Investor prior to the date hereof. Except as may be otherwise indicated in the Management Accounts, the Management Accounts (i) are in accordance with the books and records of the Group Companies, (ii) are true, correct, and complete and present fairly the financial condition of the Group Companies as a whole as of the date or dates therein indicated and the results of operations for the period or periods therein specified, and (iii) have been prepared in accordance with the IFRS applied on a consistent basis. Since the Balance Sheet Date, (i) each Group Company has operated in the ordinary course of its business in all material respects and (ii) there has not been a Material Adverse Effect.
3.7 Compliance with Applicable Laws. Each Group Company is, and has been, in compliance with Applicable Laws, except where such non-compliance would not be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Group Companies have all material permits, licenses, authorizations, consents, orders and approvals (Permits) that are required in order to carry on their business as presently conducted. All such material Permits are in full force and effect.
3.8 No Undisclosed Liabilities. Except as disclosed in the Management Accounts, there are no liabilities of any Group Company, whether accrued, contingent, absolute, determined, determinable or otherwise, and there is no existing condition, situation or set of circumstances that would reasonably be expected to result in such a liability, other than: (i) liabilities incurred since the Balance Sheet Date in the ordinary course of business, (ii) any other undisclosed liabilities that are not material to the Company on a consolidated basis, and (iii) any liabilities incurred pursuant to this Agreement.
5
3.9 Exempt Offering. The offer and sale of the Purchased Shares under this Agreement are or shall be exempt from the registration requirements and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, and from the registration or qualification requirements of any other applicable securities laws and regulations. None of the Company, its affiliates, or any Person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act) in the United States in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement.
3.10 Insolvency and Winding Up. No order or petition has been presented or resolution passed for the administration, winding-up, dissolution, or liquidation of any Group Company and no administrator, receiver, or manager has been appointed in respect thereof. None of the Group Companies has commenced any other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, composition, arrangement, adjustment of debt, release of debtors, dissolution, insolvency, liquidation, or similar Law of any jurisdiction and no such proceedings have been commenced against any Group Company.
3.12 Litigation. There are no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened material actions, claims, demands, investigations, examinations, indictments, litigations, suits or other criminal, civil or administrative or investigative proceedings before or by any Governmental Authority or by any other person against any Group Company, except that would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE INVESTOR. |
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company as follows.
4.1 Authorization. The Investor has all requisite power, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized (including as approved by the board of directors of the Investor), executed, and delivered by the Investor. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Investor, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of such Investor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization, and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles.
4.2 Purchase for Own Account. The Purchased Shares will be acquired for the Investors own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof. By executing this Agreement, the Investor further represents that it does not have any Contract with any person to sell, transfer, or grant participations to any person, with respect to any of the Purchased Shares.
4.3 Organization, Good Standing, and Qualification. The Investor is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation.
4.4 Investment Experience. The Investor acknowledges that it is able to fend for itself, can bear the economic risks of its investment, and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment in the Purchased Shares.
6
4.5 Status of Investor. The Investor is (i) not a U.S. person within the meaning of Rule 902 of Regulation S under the Act, or (ii) purchasing the Purchased Shares outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction.
4.6 Restricted Securities. Investor understands that the Purchased Shares it is purchasing are characterized as restricted securities under U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Act only in certain limited circumstances.
4.7 Legends. It is understood that the certificates evidencing the Purchased Shares shall bear the following legend:
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR A VALID EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
5. | COVENANTS. |
5.1 5.1 Lock-Up. The Investor shall not, during the Lock-Up Period (as defined below), Transfer any Securities without the prior written consent of the Company (which the Company may grant or withhold in its sole discretion). Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the Investor may freely Transfer any Securities to any of its Subsidiaries, provided that the Investor shall cause such Subsidiary to which it makes such Transfer to be subject to the same lock-up restrictions provided in the first sentence under this Section 5.1 and the Investor shall be responsible for any breach of such lock-up restrictions by such transferees. As used herein, the Lock-Up Period with respect to any Securities held by the Investor will commence on the Closing Date and continue until and include the date that is 180 days after the pricing of an initial public offering of the Class A Shares of the Company.
5.2 Non-Disclosure. The Investor shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to: (i) treat and hold as strictly confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any person or entity to) all confidential or proprietary information relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation the existence and content of this Agreement (collectively, Confidential Information), (ii) in the event that the Investor or any of its affiliates becomes legally compelled to disclose any such information, provide the Company with prompt written notice of such requirement (to the extent compliant with Applicable Laws) so that the Company may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 5.2, and (iii) in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or the Company chooses to waive compliance with this Section 5.2, furnish only that portion of such confidential information that is legally required to be provided and exercise its reasonable endeavors to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
6. | CONDITIONS TO CLOSING. |
6.1 Conditions to Obligations of All Parties. The obligations of each Party hereto to consummate the Closing are subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
7
(a) no provision of any Applicable Law or no judgment entered by or with any Governmental Authority with competent jurisdiction, shall be in effect that enjoins, prohibits or materially alters the terms of the transactions contemplated hereby; and
(b) no proceeding challenging this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, or seeking to prohibit, alter, prevent or materially delay the Closing, shall have been instituted or be pending before any Governmental Authority.
6.2 Conditions to Obligations of the Investor. The obligations of the Investor to consummate the Closing are subject to the satisfaction of the following further conditions:
(a) (i) the representations and warranties of the Company that are qualified hereunder by materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall be true and correct in all respects on and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date, and (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company that are not qualified hereunder by materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date;
(b) the Company shall have performed or complied with all obligations and conditions herein required to be performed or complied with by the Company on or prior to the Closing Date; and
(c) there shall have been no Material Adverse Effect.
6.3 Conditions to Obligations of the Company. The obligations of the Company to consummate the Closing are subject to the satisfaction of the following further conditions:
(a) the representations and warranties of the Investor herein shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date; and
(b) the Investor shall have performed all obligations and conditions herein required to be performed or observed by the Investor on or prior to the Closing Date.
7. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
7.1 Indemnity.
(a) The Company shall jointly and severally indemnify the Investor and its directors, officers, employees, and agents (in each case, the indemnifying party as the Indemnifying Party and each of the indemnified parties as the Indemnitee), as applicable, against any losses, liabilities, damages, liens, penalties, diminution in value, costs, and expenses, including reasonable advisors fees and other reasonable expenses of investigation and defense of any of the foregoing, incurred by such Indemnitee (the Indemnifiable Loss) as a result of (i) any breach or violation of any representation or warranty made by the Indemnifying Party, or (ii) any breach by the Indemnifying Party of any covenant or agreement contained herein.
(b) If an Indemnitee believes that it has a claim that may give rise to an indemnity obligation hereunder, it shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party stating specifically the basis on which such claim is being made, the material facts related thereto, and (if ascertainable or quantifiable) the amount of the claim asserted. In the event of a third-party claim against an Indemnitee for which such Indemnitee seeks indemnification from the Indemnifying Party, no settlement shall be deemed conclusive with respect whether there was an Indemnifiable Loss or the amount of such Indemnifiable Loss unless such settlement is consented to by the Indemnifying Party. Any dispute related to this Section 7.1(b) shall be resolved pursuant to Section 7.14 hereof.
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(c) (i) The Indemnifying Party shall not have any liability under this Agreement until the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Loss incurred by an Indemnitee exceeds an amount equal to US$200,000, in which case such Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of the entire amount of the Indemnifiable Loss; and (ii) the amount of Indemnifiable Loss for which the Indemnitee may be indemnified by the Indemnifying Party under this Agreement shall be limited to the Purchase Price actually paid by the Investor.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, this Section 7.1 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of each Party for any claim arising out of or resulting from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that no limitation or exceptions with respect to the obligations or liabilities on any Party provided in Section 7.1(c) shall apply to an Indemnifiable Loss arising due to the fraud or willful misconduct of such Party.
7.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Hong Kong as to matters within the scope thereof, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
7.3 Survival. The representations and warranties made herein shall survive for two (2) years after the Closing.
7.4 Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions hereof shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, and administrators of the Parties. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by a Party without the written consent of the other Parties.
7.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto constitute the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to terminate or supersede the provisions of any applicable confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements executed by the Parties prior to the date hereof, which agreements shall continue in full force and effect until terminated in accordance with their respective terms.
7.6 Notices. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests, waivers, and other communications made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be conclusively deemed to have been duly given (i) when hand delivered to a Party, upon delivery; (ii) when sent by facsimile at the number set forth in Exhibit A hereto, upon receipt of confirmation of error-free transmission; (iii) seven (7) Business Days after deposit in the mail as air mail or certified mail, receipt requested, postage prepaid, and addressed to the relevant Party or Parties as set forth in Exhibit A; or (iv) three (3) Business Days after deposit with an overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, addressed to the relevant Parties as set forth in Exhibit A with next business day delivery guaranteed, provided that the sending Party receives a confirmation of delivery from the delivery service provider.
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Each person making a communication hereunder by facsimile shall promptly confirm by telephone to the person to whom such communication was addressed each communication made by it by facsimile pursuant hereto, but the absence of such confirmation shall not affect the validity of any such communication. A Party may change or supplement the addresses given above, or designate additional addresses, for purposes of this Section 7.6, by giving the other parties written notice of the new address in the manner set forth above.
7.7 Amendments. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor.
7.8 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any Party, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such Party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of any similar breach of default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent, or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any waiver thereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing. All remedies, either under this Agreement, or by law or otherwise afforded to the Parties shall be cumulative and not alternative.
7.9 Finders Fees. Each Party represents and warrants to the other Parties that it has retained no finder or broker in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
7.10 Interpretation; Titles and Subtitles. This Agreement shall be construed according to its fair language. The rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in interpreting this Agreement. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all references to Sections and Exhibits herein are to Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.
7.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed (including facsimile signature) in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
7.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, to the extent feasible, so as to render the provision enforceable and to provide for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby on substantially the same terms as originally set forth herein, and if no feasible interpretation would save such provision, it shall be severed from the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect unless the severed provision is essential to the rights or benefits intended by the parties. In such event, the parties shall use best efforts to negotiate, in good faith, a substitute, valid and enforceable provision or agreement which most nearly effects the parties intent in entering into this Agreement.
7.13 Further Assurances. Each Party shall from time to time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be made, done, and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents, and assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
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7.14 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Consultation Between Parties. Any dispute, controversy or, claim or difference of any kind whatsoever arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity hereof (including the validity, scope, and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (the Dispute) shall first be attempted to be resolved through consultation between the Parties in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice has been sent by registered mail by any Party to the other Party (the Consultation Period).
(b) Arbitration. If the Dispute remains unresolved upon expiration of the Consultation Period, any Party may in its sole discretion elect to submit the matter to arbitration with notice to any other Party or Parties. The arbitration shall be conducted in Hong Kong and shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the commencement of the arbitration. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators. The language of the arbitration shall be English. The decision of the arbitrators (by rule of majority) shall be final and binding on the parties (including any decision on their fees) and their fees shall be borne and paid by the parties in such proportions as the arbitrators shall determine.
7.15 Calculation Adjustment. Calculation of any share number or any per share amount shall be adjusted from time to time for any share split, share dividend, share combination, recapitalization, or any other similar transactions after the Closing Date, as appropriate.
7.16 Expenses. The Investor and the Company shall bear their own cost and expense for consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder.
7.17 Rights of Third Parties. Unless otherwise stated, a person who is not a party to this Agreement has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Ordinance (Cap. 623) to enforce any term of this Agreement but this does not affect any right or remedy of a third party that exists or is available apart from that Ordinance. The Parties do not require the consent of any Person that is not party to this Agreement to rescind or vary this Agreement at any time.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE COMPANY: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ William Fung | |
Name: William Fung | ||
Title: Director |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE INVESTOR: | ||
NGSP HOLDINGS LIMITED | ||
By: | /s/ Nimil Rajnikant Parekh | |
Name: Nimil Rajnikant Parekh | ||
Title: Director |
EXHIBIT A
Notices
To the Company
Address: | 23/F25/F Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong | |
Email: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* |
To the Investor
Address: | ||
Email: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* |
Exhibit 10.16
DATED March 8, 2021
AMTD ASSETS ALPHA GROUP
and
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of March 8, 2021, by and among:
1. | AMTD Assets Alpha Group, an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of Cayman Islands (the Investor); and |
2. | AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company). |
The Company and the Investor are each referred to herein as a Party, and collectively as the Parties.
RECITALS
The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor desires to purchase from the Company 8,500,000 class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company (the A Shares) on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | ISSUANCE, SALE, AND PURCHASE OF PURCHASED SHARES. |
1.1 Issuance, Sale, and Purchase of Purchased Shares. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing (as defined below) the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, 8,500,000 of A Shares for an aggregate purchase price of US$85,000,000 (the Purchase Price).
The Purchased Shares shall have the rights, privileges, and restrictions as set forth in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (the MAA).
1.2 Settlement of Purchase Price. The Purchase Price shall be settled by the Investor to the Company within 15 business days from the date of this Agreement.
2. | CLOSINGS; DELIVERY. |
2.1 Closing. The allotment and sale of the Purchased Shares shall be held within ten Business Days (Business Day, defined as any day other than a Saturday or Sunday on which banks are ordinarily open for business in Hong Kong) after the fulfillment or waiver of the conditions to closing as set forth in Section 6 and Section 7 or at such other time as the Company and the Investor may mutually agree (the Closing).
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2.2 Delivery.
Within 2 days upon receipt of the share certificate(s) and register of members from the registered agent of the Company, the Company shall deliver to the Investor (x) the scanned copy of duly issued share certificate(s) issued in favor of such Investor representing the Purchased Shares purchased by such Investor, duly signed for and on behalf of the Company, (y) the scanned copy of the register of members of the Company reflecting the Investors ownership of the Purchased Shares and (z) the scanned copy of the board resolutions approving the issuance of the Purchased Shares to the Investor.
3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY. |
The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Organization, Standing, and Qualification. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries (the Group Companies) is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the place of its establishment and has all requisite power and authority to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted, where failure to be so qualified would have a Material Adverse Effect. Material Adverse Effect means a material adverse effect on the business (as presently conducted and presently contemplated to be conducted), condition (financial or otherwise), affairs, properties, liabilities, assets, or results of operation of the Group Companies taken as whole.
3.2 Capitalization.
(a) Ordinary Shares. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company is authorized to issue (i) 8,000,000,000 A Shares, of which 26,146,142 A Shares are issued and outstanding, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the B Shares), of which 24,202,000 B Shares are issued and outstanding.
(b) Options, Warrants, Reserved Shares. Except for (i) any Shares (and options and warrants therefor) reserved for issuance to the employees, directors, and consultants of the Group Companies pursuant to any equity incentive plan that may be adopted from time to time by the Company, (ii) as provided in the MAA, and (iii) any Shares to be issued to certain potential investors, including the transactions contemplated herein, there are no options, warrants, conversion privileges, agreements, or rights of any kind with respect to the issuance or purchase of the Purchased Shares or any other securities of the Company. Apart from any exceptions noted in the MAA, no outstanding shares (including the Purchased Shares), or shares issuable upon exercise or exchange of any outstanding options, warrants, or other shares issuable by the Company, are subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal, or other rights of any kind to purchase such shares (whether in favor of the Company or any other person).
3.3 Due Authorization; Valid Agreement. All corporate actions on the part of the Company necessary for the authorization, execution, and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement have been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
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3.4 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares. The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold, delivered, and paid for by the Investor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable
3.5 Compliance with Laws; Consents and Permits. Neither the execution and the delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, will (i) violate any provision of the organizational documents of the Company or violate any constitution, statute, regulation, or rule of any government authority to which the Company is subject, or (ii) conflict with, result in a breach of, constitute a default under, any agreement to which the Company is a party. Each Group Company has all material Permits, licenses, and any similar authority necessary for the conduct of its business as currently conducted and the ownership of its properties and assets.
3.6 Exempt Offering. The offer and sale of the Purchased Shares under this Agreement are or shall be exempt from the registration requirements and prospectus delivery requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), and from the registration or qualification requirements of any other applicable securities laws and regulations. None of the Company, its affiliates, or any person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Act) in the United States in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement.
3.7 Insolvency and Winding Up3.8 . No order or petition has been presented or resolution passed for the administration, winding-up, dissolution, or liquidation of any Group Company and no administrator, receiver, or manager has been appointed in respect thereof. None of the Group Companies has commenced any other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, composition, arrangement, adjustment of debt, release of debtors, dissolution, insolvency, liquidation, or similar Law of any jurisdiction and no such proceedings have been commenced against any Group Company.
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE INVESTOR. |
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company as follows:
4.1 Authorization. The Investor has all requisite power, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed, and delivered by the Investor. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Investor, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of such Investor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization, and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles.
4.2 Purchase for Own Account. The Purchased Shares will be acquired for the Investors own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof. By executing this Agreement, the Investor further represents that it does not have any contract with any person to sell, transfer, or grant participations to any person, with respect to any of the Purchased Shares.
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4.3 Organization, Good Standing, and Qualification. The Investor is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation.
4.4 Investment Experience. The Investor acknowledges that it is able to fend for itself, can bear the economic risks of its investment, and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment in the Purchased Shares.
4.5 Status of Investor. The Investor is (i) not a U.S. person within the meaning of Rule 902 of Regulation S under the Act, or (ii) purchasing the Purchased Shares outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction.
4.6 Restricted Securities. Investor understands that the Purchased Shares it is purchasing are characterized as restricted securities under U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Act only in certain limited circumstances.
4.7 Legends. It is understood that the certificates evidencing the Purchased Shares shall bear the following legend:
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR A VALID EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
5. | COVENANTS. |
5.1 Distribution Compliance Period. The Investor agrees not to resell or transfer any Purchased Shares within the United States or to any U.S. person, as each of those terms is defined in Regulation S under the Act, during the forty (40) days following the Closing Date.
5.2 Lock-Up. In connection with any initial public offering of the Shares, the Investor hereby irrevocably agrees to enter into a lock-up agreement with the underwriters and other relevant parties and be subject to a lock-up period of at least 180 days.
5.3 Non-Disclosure. The Investor shall, and shall cause its affiliates to: (i) treat and hold as strictly confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any person or entity to) all confidential or proprietary information relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation the existence and content of this Agreement (collectively, Confidential Information), (ii) in the event that the Investor or any of its affiliates becomes legally compelled to disclose any such information, provide the Company with prompt written notice of such requirement so that the Company may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 5.2, and (iii) in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or the Company chooses to waive compliance with this Section 5.2, furnish only that portion of such confidential information that is legally required to be provided and exercise its reasonable endeavors to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
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6. | CONDITIONS TO THE INVESTORS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
6.1 The obligation of the Investor to purchase the Purchased Shares at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment, to the satisfaction of such Investor (or waiver thereof) on or prior to the date of the Closing (the Closing Date), of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties True and Correct. The representations and warranties made by the Company in Section 3 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Proceedings and Documents. The resolutions of the board of directors of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been duly passed.
6.2 The Investor may at any time waive in writing any of the conditions above, on such terms as it may decide.
7. | CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANYS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
7.1 Closing. The obligations of the Company under this Agreement with respect to the Investor are subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing Date of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Investor contained in Section 4 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Payment of the Purchase Price. The Investor shall have delivered to the Company the Purchase Price in accordance with Section 1.2.
8. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
8.1 Indemnity.
(a) Each Party (an Indemnifying Party) shall indemnify the other Party and its directors, officers, employees, and agents (each, an Indemnitee) against any losses, liabilities, damages, liens, penalties, diminution in value, costs, and expenses, including reasonable advisors fees and other reasonable expenses of investigation and defense of any of the foregoing, incurred by such Indemnitee (the Indemnifiable Loss) as a result of (i) any breach or violation of any representation or warranty made by the Indemnifying Party, or (ii) any breach by the Indemnifying Party of any covenant or agreement contained herein.
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(b) If an Indemnitee believes that it has a claim that may give rise to an indemnity obligation hereunder, it shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party stating specifically the basis on which such claim is being made, the material facts related thereto, and (if ascertainable or quantifiable) the amount of the claim asserted. In the event of a third-party claim against an Indemnitee for which such Indemnitee seeks indemnification from the Indemnifying Party, no settlement shall be deemed conclusive with respect whether there was an Indemnifiable Loss or the amount of such Indemnifiable Loss unless such settlement is consented to by the Indemnifying Party. Any dispute related to this Section 8.1(b) shall be resolved pursuant to Section 8.14 hereof.
(c) (i) The Indemnifying Party shall not have any liability under this Agreement until the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Loss incurred by an Indemnitee exceeds an amount equal to US$17,000,000, in which case such Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of the entire amount of the Indemnifiable Loss; and (ii) the amount of Indemnifiable Loss for which the Indemnitee may be indemnified by the Indemnifying Party under this Agreement shall be limited to the Purchase Price actually paid by the Investor.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, this Section 8.1 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of each Party for any claim arising out of or resulting from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that no limitation or exceptions with respect to the obligations or liabilities on any Party provided in the foregoing sub-sections under this Section 8.1 shall apply to an Indemnifiable Loss arising due to the fraud or willful misconduct of such Party.
8.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Hong Kong as to matters within the scope thereof, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
8.3 Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements made herein shall survive for two (2) years after the Closing.
8.4 Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions hereof shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, and administrators of the Parties. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by a Party without the written consent of the other Party.
8.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto constitute the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to terminate or supersede the provisions of any applicable confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements executed by the Parties prior to the date hereof, which agreements shall continue in full force and effect until terminated in accordance with their respective terms.
8.6 Notices. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests, waivers, and other communications made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be conclusively deemed to have been duly given (i) when hand delivered to a Party, upon delivery; (ii) when sent by facsimile at the number set forth in Exhibit A hereto, upon receipt of confirmation of error-free transmission; (iii) seven (7) Business Days after deposit in the mail as air mail or certified mail, receipt requested, postage prepaid, and addressed to the relevant Party or Parties as set forth in Exhibit A; or (iv) three (3) Business Days after deposit with an overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, addressed to the relevant Parties as set forth in Exhibit A with next business day delivery guaranteed, provided that the sending Party receives a confirmation of delivery from the delivery service provider.
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Each person making a communication hereunder by facsimile shall promptly confirm by telephone to the person to whom such communication was addressed each communication made by it by facsimile pursuant hereto, but the absence of such confirmation shall not affect the validity of any such communication. A Party may change or supplement the addresses given above, or designate additional addresses, for purposes of this Section 8.6, by giving the other parties written notice of the new address in the manner set forth above.
8.7 Amendments. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor.
8.8 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any Party, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such Party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of any similar breach of default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent, or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any waiver thereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing. All remedies, either under this Agreement, or by law or otherwise afforded to the Parties shall be cumulative and not alternative.
8.9 Finders Fees. Each Party represents and warrants to the other Party that it has retained no finder or broker in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.10 Interpretation; Titles and Subtitles. This Agreement shall be construed according to its fair language. The rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in interpreting this Agreement. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all references to Sections and Exhibits herein are to Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.
8.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed (including facsimile signature) in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
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8.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, to the extent feasible, so as to render the provision enforceable and to provide for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby on substantially the same terms as originally set forth herein, and if no feasible interpretation would save such provision, it shall be severed from the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect unless the severed provision is essential to the rights or benefits intended by the parties. In such event, the parties shall use best efforts to negotiate, in good faith, a substitute, valid and enforceable provision or agreement which most nearly effects the parties intent in entering into this Agreement.
8.13 Further Assurances. Each Party shall from time to time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be made, done, and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents, and assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.14 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Consultation Between Parties. Any dispute, controversy or, claim or difference of any kind whatsoever arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity hereof (including the validity, scope, and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (the Dispute) shall first be attempted to be resolved through consultation between the Parties in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice has been sent by registered mail by any Party to the other Party (the Consultation Period).
(b) Arbitration. If the Dispute remains unresolved upon expiration of the Consultation Period, any Party may in its sole discretion elect to submit the matter to arbitration with notice to any other Party or Parties. The arbitration shall be conducted in Hong Kong and shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the commencement of the arbitration. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators. The language of the arbitration shall be English. The decision of the arbitrators (by rule of majority) shall be final and binding on the parties (including any decision on their fees) and their fees shall be borne and paid by the parties in such proportions as the arbitrators shall determine.
8.15 Expenses. The Investor and the Company shall bear their own cost and expense for consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE COMPANY: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ LO CHI HANG | |
Name: LO CHI HANG | ||
Title: Director |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE INVESTOR: | ||
AMTD ASSETS ALPHA GROUP | ||
By: | /s/ SEE HIU LUN | |
Name: SEE HIU LUN | ||
Title: Company Secretary |
EXHIBIT A
Notices
To the Company | ||
Address: | 23/F-25/F, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong | |
Facsimile: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* | |
To the Investor | ||
Address: | 23/F-25/F, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong | |
Facsimile: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* |
Exhibit 10.17
DATED March 8, 2021
AMTD EDUCATION GROUP
and
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of March 8, 2021, by and among:
1. | AMTD Education Group, an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of Cayman Islands (the Investor); and |
2. | AMTD Digital Inc., an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company). |
The Company and the Investor are each referred to herein as a Party, and collectively as the Parties.
RECITALS
The Company desires to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor desires to purchase from the Company 8,500,000 class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company (the A Shares) on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
1. | ISSUANCE, SALE, AND PURCHASE OF PURCHASED SHARES. |
1.1 Issuance, Sale, and Purchase of Purchased Shares. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing (as defined below) the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, 8,500,000 of A Shares for an aggregate purchase price of US$85,000,000 (the Purchase Price).
The Purchased Shares shall have the rights, privileges, and restrictions as set forth in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (the MAA).
1.2 Settlement of Purchase Price. The Purchase Price shall be settled by the Investor to the Company within 15 business days from the date of this Agreement.
2. | CLOSINGS; DELIVERY. |
2.1 Closing. The allotment and sale of the Purchased Shares shall be held within ten Business Days (Business Day, defined as any day other than a Saturday or Sunday on which banks are ordinarily open for business in Hong Kong) after the fulfillment or waiver of the conditions to closing as set forth in Section 6 and Section 7 or at such other time as the Company and the Investor may mutually agree (the Closing).
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2.2 Delivery.
Within 2 days upon receipt of the share certificate(s) and register of members from the registered agent of the Company, the Company shall deliver to the Investor (x) the scanned copy of duly issued share certificate(s) issued in favor of such Investor representing the Purchased Shares purchased by such Investor, duly signed for and on behalf of the Company, (y) the scanned copy of the register of members of the Company reflecting the Investors ownership of the Purchased Shares and (z) the scanned copy of the board resolutions approving the issuance of the Purchased Shares to the Investor.
3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY. |
The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Organization, Standing, and Qualification. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries (the Group Companies) is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under the laws of the place of its establishment and has all requisite power and authority to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted, where failure to be so qualified would have a Material Adverse Effect. Material Adverse Effect means a material adverse effect on the business (as presently conducted and presently contemplated to be conducted), condition (financial or otherwise), affairs, properties, liabilities, assets, or results of operation of the Group Companies taken as whole.
3.2 Capitalization.
(a) Ordinary Shares. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company is authorized to issue (i) 8,000,000,000 A Shares, of which 26,146,142 A Shares are issued and outstanding, and (ii) 2,000,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the B Shares), of which 24,202,000 B Shares are issued and outstanding.
(b) Options, Warrants, Reserved Shares. Except for (i) any Shares (and options and warrants therefor) reserved for issuance to the employees, directors, and consultants of the Group Companies pursuant to any equity incentive plan that may be adopted from time to time by the Company, (ii) as provided in the MAA, and (iii) any Shares to be issued to certain potential investors, including the transactions contemplated herein, there are no options, warrants, conversion privileges, agreements, or rights of any kind with respect to the issuance or purchase of the Purchased Shares or any other securities of the Company. Apart from any exceptions noted in the MAA, no outstanding shares (including the Purchased Shares), or shares issuable upon exercise or exchange of any outstanding options, warrants, or other shares issuable by the Company, are subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal, or other rights of any kind to purchase such shares (whether in favor of the Company or any other person).
3.3 Due Authorization; Valid Agreement. All corporate actions on the part of the Company necessary for the authorization, execution, and delivery of, and the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement have been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors rights generally, and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
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3.4 Valid Issuance of Purchased Shares. The Purchased Shares, when issued, sold, delivered, and paid for by the Investor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable
3.5 Compliance with Laws; Consents and Permits. Neither the execution and the delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, will (i) violate any provision of the organizational documents of the Company or violate any constitution, statute, regulation, or rule of any government authority to which the Company is subject, or (ii) conflict with, result in a breach of, constitute a default under, any agreement to which the Company is a party. Each Group Company has all material Permits, licenses, and any similar authority necessary for the conduct of its business as currently conducted and the ownership of its properties and assets.
3.6 Exempt Offering. The offer and sale of the Purchased Shares under this Agreement are or shall be exempt from the registration requirements and prospectus delivery requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), and from the registration or qualification requirements of any other applicable securities laws and regulations. None of the Company, its affiliates, or any person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Act) in the United States in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement.
3.7 Insolvency and Winding Up3.8 . No order or petition has been presented or resolution passed for the administration, winding-up, dissolution, or liquidation of any Group Company and no administrator, receiver, or manager has been appointed in respect thereof. None of the Group Companies has commenced any other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, composition, arrangement, adjustment of debt, release of debtors, dissolution, insolvency, liquidation, or similar Law of any jurisdiction and no such proceedings have been commenced against any Group Company.
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE INVESTOR. |
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company as follows:
4.1 Authorization. The Investor has all requisite power, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed, and delivered by the Investor. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Investor, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of such Investor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization, and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles.
4.2 Purchase for Own Account. The Purchased Shares will be acquired for the Investors own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof. By executing this Agreement, the Investor further represents that it does not have any contract with any person to sell, transfer, or grant participations to any person, with respect to any of the Purchased Shares.
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4.3 Organization, Good Standing, and Qualification. The Investor is duly established, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation.
4.4 Investment Experience. The Investor acknowledges that it is able to fend for itself, can bear the economic risks of its investment, and has such knowledge and experience in financial or business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the investment in the Purchased Shares.
4.5 Status of Investor. The Investor is (i) not a U.S. person within the meaning of Rule 902 of Regulation S under the Act, or (ii) purchasing the Purchased Shares outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction.
4.6 Restricted Securities. Investor understands that the Purchased Shares it is purchasing are characterized as restricted securities under U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Act only in certain limited circumstances.
4.7 Legends. It is understood that the certificates evidencing the Purchased Shares shall bear the following legend:
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR A VALID EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
5. | COVENANTS. |
5.1 5.1 Distribution Compliance Period. The Investor agrees not to resell or transfer any Purchased Shares within the United States or to any U.S. person, as each of those terms is defined in Regulation S under the Act, during the forty (40) days following the Closing Date.
5.2 Lock-Up. In connection with any initial public offering of the Shares, the Investor hereby irrevocably agrees to enter into a lock-up agreement with the underwriters and other relevant parties and be subject to a lock-up period of at least 180 days.
5.3 Non-Disclosure. The Investor shall, and shall cause its affiliates to: (i) treat and hold as strictly confidential (and not disclose or provide access to any person or entity to) all confidential or proprietary information relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation the existence and content of this Agreement (collectively, Confidential Information), (ii) in the event that the Investor or any of its affiliates becomes legally compelled to disclose any such information, provide the Company with prompt written notice of such requirement so that the Company may seek a protective order or other remedy or waive compliance with this Section 5.2, and (iii) in the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained, or the Company chooses to waive compliance with this Section 5.2, furnish only that portion of such confidential information that is legally required to be provided and exercise its reasonable endeavors to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded such information.
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6. | CONDITIONS TO THE INVESTORS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
6.1 The obligation of the Investor to purchase the Purchased Shares at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment, to the satisfaction of such Investor (or waiver thereof) on or prior to the date of the Closing (the Closing Date), of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties True and Correct. The representations and warranties made by the Company in Section 3 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Proceedings and Documents. The resolutions of the board of directors of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been duly passed.
6.2 The Investor may at any time waive in writing any of the conditions above, on such terms as it may decide.
7. | CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANYS OBLIGATIONS AT THE CLOSING. |
7.1 Closing. The obligations of the Company under this Agreement with respect to the Investor are subject to the fulfillment, on or prior to the Closing Date of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Investor contained in Section 4 hereof shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly speak of a specified date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such specified date).
(b) Payment of the Purchase Price. The Investor shall have delivered to the Company the Purchase Price in accordance with Section 1.2.
8. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
8.1 Indemnity.
(a) Each Party (an Indemnifying Party) shall indemnify the other Party and its directors, officers, employees, and agents (each, an Indemnitee) against any losses, liabilities, damages, liens, penalties, diminution in value, costs, and expenses, including reasonable advisors fees and other reasonable expenses of investigation and defense of any of the foregoing, incurred by such Indemnitee (the Indemnifiable Loss) as a result of (i) any breach or violation of any representation or warranty made by the Indemnifying Party, or (ii) any breach by the Indemnifying Party of any covenant or agreement contained herein.
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(b) If an Indemnitee believes that it has a claim that may give rise to an indemnity obligation hereunder, it shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party stating specifically the basis on which such claim is being made, the material facts related thereto, and (if ascertainable or quantifiable) the amount of the claim asserted. In the event of a third-party claim against an Indemnitee for which such Indemnitee seeks indemnification from the Indemnifying Party, no settlement shall be deemed conclusive with respect whether there was an Indemnifiable Loss or the amount of such Indemnifiable Loss unless such settlement is consented to by the Indemnifying Party. Any dispute related to this Section 8.1(b) shall be resolved pursuant to Section 8.14 hereof.
(c) (i) The Indemnifying Party shall not have any liability under this Agreement until the aggregate amount of Indemnifiable Loss incurred by an Indemnitee exceeds an amount equal to US$17,000,000, in which case such Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of the entire amount of the Indemnifiable Loss; and (ii) the amount of Indemnifiable Loss for which the Indemnitee may be indemnified by the Indemnifying Party under this Agreement shall be limited to the Purchase Price actually paid by the Investor.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, this Section 8.1 shall be the sole and exclusive monetary remedy of each Party for any claim arising out of or resulting from this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, except that no limitation or exceptions with respect to the obligations or liabilities on any Party provided in the foregoing sub-sections under this Section 8.1 shall apply to an Indemnifiable Loss arising due to the fraud or willful misconduct of such Party.
8.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Hong Kong as to matters within the scope thereof, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
8.3 Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements made herein shall survive for two (2) years after the Closing.
8.4 Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions hereof shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, and administrators of the Parties. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by a Party without the written consent of the other Party.
8.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto constitute the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to terminate or supersede the provisions of any applicable confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements executed by the Parties prior to the date hereof, which agreements shall continue in full force and effect until terminated in accordance with their respective terms.
8.6 Notices. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests, waivers, and other communications made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be conclusively deemed to have been duly given (i) when hand delivered to a Party, upon delivery; (ii) when sent by facsimile at the number set forth in Exhibit A hereto, upon receipt of confirmation of error-free transmission; (iii) seven (7) Business Days after deposit in the mail as air mail or certified mail, receipt requested, postage prepaid, and addressed to the relevant Party or Parties as set forth in Exhibit A; or (iv) three (3) Business Days after deposit with an overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, addressed to the relevant Parties as set forth in Exhibit A with next business day delivery guaranteed, provided that the sending Party receives a confirmation of delivery from the delivery service provider.
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Each person making a communication hereunder by facsimile shall promptly confirm by telephone to the person to whom such communication was addressed each communication made by it by facsimile pursuant hereto, but the absence of such confirmation shall not affect the validity of any such communication. A Party may change or supplement the addresses given above, or designate additional addresses, for purposes of this Section 8.6, by giving the other parties written notice of the new address in the manner set forth above.
8.7 Amendments. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of the Company and the Investor.
8.8 Delays or Omissions. No delay or omission to exercise any right, power, or remedy accruing to any Party, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power, or remedy of such Party, nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of any similar breach of default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent, or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any waiver thereof, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing. All remedies, either under this Agreement, or by law or otherwise afforded to the Parties shall be cumulative and not alternative.
8.9 Finders Fees. Each Party represents and warrants to the other Party that it has retained no finder or broker in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.10 Interpretation; Titles and Subtitles. This Agreement shall be construed according to its fair language. The rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in interpreting this Agreement. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all references to Sections and Exhibits herein are to Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the words include and including, and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation.
8.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed (including facsimile signature) in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
8.12 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, to the extent feasible, so as to render the provision enforceable and to provide for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby on substantially the same terms as originally set forth herein, and if no feasible interpretation would save such provision, it shall be severed from the remainder of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect unless the severed provision is essential to the rights or benefits intended by the parties. In such event, the parties shall use best efforts to negotiate, in good faith, a substitute, valid and enforceable provision or agreement which most nearly effects the parties intent in entering into this Agreement.
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8.13 Further Assurances. Each Party shall from time to time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be made, done, and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents, and assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8.14 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Consultation Between Parties. Any dispute, controversy or, claim or difference of any kind whatsoever arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity hereof (including the validity, scope, and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (the Dispute) shall first be attempted to be resolved through consultation between the Parties in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice has been sent by registered mail by any Party to the other Party (the Consultation Period).
(b) Arbitration. If the Dispute remains unresolved upon expiration of the Consultation Period, any Party may in its sole discretion elect to submit the matter to arbitration with notice to any other Party or Parties. The arbitration shall be conducted in Hong Kong and shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the commencement of the arbitration. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators. The language of the arbitration shall be English. The decision of the arbitrators (by rule of majority) shall be final and binding on the parties (including any decision on their fees) and their fees shall be borne and paid by the parties in such proportions as the arbitrators shall determine.
8.15 Expenses. The Investor and the Company shall bear their own cost and expense for consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder.
[The Remainder of this page has been intentionally left blank]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE COMPANY: | ||
AMTD DIGITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ LO CHI HANG | |
Name: LO CHI HANG | ||
Title: Director |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
THE INVESTOR: | ||
AMTD EDUCATION GROUP | ||
By: | /s/ WONG YUI KEUNG MARCELLUS | |
Name: WONG YUI KEUNG MARCELLUS | ||
Title: Director |
EXHIBIT A
Notices
To the Company
Address: | 23/F-25/F, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong | |
Facsimile: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* |
To the Investor
Address: | 23/F-25/F, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong | |
Facsimile: | ********************* | |
Attention: | ********************* |
Exhibit 21.1
Principal Subsidiaries of the Registrant
Subsidiaries |
Place of Incorporation | |
AMTD Digital Solutions Power Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
AMTD Digital Connectors Holdings Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Digital Financial Holdings Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Digital Investments Holdings Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Digital Media Holdings Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
AMTD Digital Media Limited | Hong Kong | |
AMTD Risk Solutions Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Risk Solutions Group Limited | Hong Kong | |
AMTD Direct Investment I Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Direct Investment III Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Investment Solutions Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Principal Investment Solutions Group Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Biomedical Investment Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
PolicyPal Group Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
PolicyPal Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
BaoXianBaoBao Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
PolicyPal Tech Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
AMTD Singapore Solidarity Fund | Singapore | |
AMTD Solidarity Fund 1 Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
AMTD Solidarity Fund 2 Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
AMTD Solidarity Fund 3 Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
AMTD Solidarity Fund 4 Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
AMTD Solidarity Fund 5 Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
AMTD (Singapore) Group Holdings Ltd | British Virgin Islands | |
AMTD Digital Holdings Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
Singa Digital Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
AMTD Digital Media Solutions Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
Applaud Digital Solutions Pte. Ltd. | Singapore |
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the use in this Registration Statement on Form F-1 of our report dated April 16, 2021, relating to the financial statements of AMTD Digital Inc. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading Experts in such Registration Statement.
/s/ Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Hong Kong
May 20, 2021
Exhibit 99.1
AMTD DIGITAL INC.
CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS
(Adopted by the Board of Directors of AMTD Digital Inc. on May 18, 2021, effective upon the effectiveness of its registration statement on Form F-1 relating to its initial public offering)
I. | PURPOSE |
This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the Code) contains general guidelines for conducting the business of AMTD Digital Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, the Company) consistent with the highest standards of business ethics, and is intended to qualify as a code of ethics within the meaning of Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder. To the extent this Code requires a higher standard than required by commercial practice or applicable laws, rules or regulations, the Company adheres to these higher standards.
This Code is designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:
| honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships; |
| full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and in other public communications made by the Company; |
| compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations; |
| prompt internal reporting of violations of the Code; and |
| accountability for adherence to the Code. |
II. | APPLICABILITY |
This Code applies to all directors, officers and employees of the Company, whether they work for the Company on a full-time, part-time, consultative or temporary basis (each, an employee and collectively, the employees). Certain provisions of the Code apply specifically to our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, other chief officers, senior financial officer, controller, senior vice presidents, vice presidents and any other persons who perform similar functions for the Company (each, a senior officer, and collectively, the senior officers).
The Board of Directors of AMTD Digital Inc. (the Board) has appointed the head of the Compliance and Controls Department of AMTD Digital Inc. as the Compliance Officer for the Company (the Compliance Officer). If you have any questions regarding the Code or would like to report any violation of the Code, please contact the Compliance Officer by email at compliance@amtdigital.net.
III. | CONFLICTS OF INTEREST |
Identifying Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an employees private interest interferes, or appears to interfere, in any way with the interests of the Company as a whole. An employee should actively avoid any private interest that may impact such employees ability to act in the interests of the Company or that may make it difficult to perform the employees work objectively and effectively. In general, the following are considered conflicts of interest:
| Competing Business. No employee may be employed by a business that competes with the Company or deprives it of any business. |
| Corporate Opportunity. No employee may use corporate property, information or his/her position with the Company to secure a business opportunity that would otherwise be available to the Company. If an employee discovers a business opportunity that is in the Companys line of business through the use of the Companys property, information or position, the employee must first present the business opportunity to the Company before pursuing the opportunity in his/her individual capacity. |
| Financial Interests. |
(i) | No employee may have any financial interest (ownership or otherwise), either directly or indirectly through a spouse or other family member, in any other business or entity if such interest adversely affects the employees performance of duties or responsibilities to the Company, or requires the employee to devote time to it during such employees working hours at the Company; |
(ii) | No employee may hold any ownership interest in a privately held company that is in competition with the Company; |
(iii) | An employee may hold less than 5% ownership interest in a publicly traded company that is in competition with the Company; provided that if the employees ownership interest in such publicly traded company increases to 5% or more, the employee must immediately report such ownership to the Compliance Officer; |
(iv) | Unless pre-approved by the Compliance Officer, no employee may hold any ownership interest in a company that has a business relationship with the Company if such employees duties at the Company include managing or supervising the Companys business relations with that company; and |
(v) | Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Code, |
(a) a director or any family member of such director (collectively, Director Affiliates) or a senior officer or any family member of such senior officer (collectively, Officer Affiliates) may continue to hold his/her investment or other financial interest in a business or entity (an Interested Business) that:
(1) was made or obtained either (x) before the Company invested in or otherwise became interested in such business or entity; or (y) before the director or senior officer joined the Company (for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of whether the Company had or had not already invested in or otherwise become interested in such business or entity at the time the director or senior officer joined the Company); or
(2) may in the future be made or obtained by the director or senior officer, provided that at the time such investment or other financial interest is made or obtained, the Company has not yet invested in or otherwise become interested in such business or entity;
provided that such director or senior officer shall disclose such investment or other financial interest to the Board;
(b) an interested director or senior officer shall refrain from participating in any discussion among senior officers of the Company relating to an Interested Business and may not be involved in any proposed transaction between the Company and an Interested Business; and
(c) before any Director Affiliate or Officer Affiliate (i) invests, or otherwise acquires any equity or other financial interest, in a business or entity that is in competition with the Company; or (ii) enters into any transaction with the Company, the related director or senior officer shall obtain prior approval from the Audit Committee of the Board.
For purposes of this Code, a company or other entity is deemed to be in competition with the Company if it competes with the Companys digital financial services, SpiderNet ecosystem solutions, digital media, content, and marketing, digital investments and any other business in which the Company engages in.
| Loans or Other Financial Transactions. No director or employee may obtain loans or guarantees of personal obligations from, or enter into any other personal financial transaction with, any company that is a material customer, supplier or competitor of the Company. This guideline does not prohibit arms-length transactions with recognized banks or other financial institutions. |
| Service on Boards and Committees. No director or employee may serve on a board of directors or trustees or on a committee of any entity (whether profit or not-for-profit) whose interests could reasonably be expected to conflict with those of the Company. Directors and employees must obtain prior approval from the Board before accepting any such board or committee position. The Company may revisit its approval of any such position at any time to determine whether an employees service in such position is still appropriate. |
The above is in no way a complete list of situations where conflicts of interest may arise. The following questions might serve as a useful guide in assessing a potential conflict of interest situation not specifically addressed above:
| Is the action to be taken legal? |
| Is it honest and fair? |
| Is it in the best interests of the Company? |
Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
The Company requires that directors and employees fully disclose any situations that could reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest. If a director or employee suspects that he/she has a conflict of interest, or a situation that others could reasonably perceive as a conflict of interest, the employee must report it immediately to the Compliance Officer. Conflicts of interest may only be waived by the Board, or the appropriate committee of the Board, and will be promptly disclosed to the public to the extent required by law and applicable rules of the applicable stock exchange.
Family Members and Work
The actions of family members outside the workplace may also give rise to conflicts of interest because they may influence a directors or employees objectivity in making decisions on behalf of the Company. If a member of a directors or employees family is interested in doing business with the Company, the criteria as to whether to enter into or continue the business relationship and the terms and conditions of the relationship must be no less favorable to the Company compared with those that would apply to an unrelated party seeking to do business with the Company under similar circumstances.
Directors and employees are required to report any situation involving family members that could reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest to their supervisor or the Compliance Officer. For purposes of this Code, family members or members of employees family include a directors or employees spouse, parents, children and siblings, whether by blood, marriage or adoption or anyone residing in such employees home.
IV. | GIFTS, MEALS AND ENTERTAINMENT |
All directors and employees are required to comply with the Anti-Corruption Compliance Policy of the Company regarding gifts, meals and entertainment. A copy of such policy is attached hereto as Annex A.
V. | PROTECTION AND USE OF COMPANY ASSETS |
Employees should protect the Companys assets and ensure their efficient use for legitimate business purposes only. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on the Companys profitability. Any use of the funds or assets of the Company, whether for personal gain or not, for any unlawful or improper purpose is strictly prohibited.
To ensure the protection and proper use of the Companys assets, each employee is required to:
| Exercise reasonable care to prevent theft, damage or misuse of Company property; |
| Promptly report any actual or suspected theft, damage or misuse of Company property; |
| Safeguard all electronic programs, data, communications and written materials from unauthorized access; and |
| Use Company property only for legitimate business purposes. |
Except as approved in advance by the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, the Company prohibits political contributions (directly or through trade associations) by any employee on behalf of the Company. Prohibited political contributions include:
| any contributions of the Companys funds or other assets for political purposes; |
| encouraging individual employees to make any such contribution; and |
| reimbursing an employee for any political contribution. |
VI. | INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND CONFIDENTIALITY |
Directors and employees shall abide by the Companys rules and policies in protecting the intellectual property and confidential information, including the following:
| All inventions, creative works, computer software, and technical or trade secrets developed by an employee in the course of performing the employees duties or primarily through the use of the Companys assets or resources while working at the Company are the property of the Company. |
| Directors and employees shall maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to them by the Company or entities with which the Company has business relations, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated. Confidential information includes all non-public information that might be of use to competitors, or harmful to the company or its business associates, if disclosed. |
| The Company maintains a strict confidentiality policy. During a directors or employees term of employment with the Company, the director or employee shall comply with any and all written or unwritten rules and policies concerning confidentiality and shall fulfill the duties and responsibilities concerning confidentiality applicable to the employee. |
| In addition to fulfilling the responsibilities associated with his/her position in the Company, a director or an employee may not, without obtaining prior approval from the Company, disclose, announce or publish trade secrets or other confidential business information of the Company, nor may an employee use such confidential information outside the course of his/her duties to the Company. |
| Even outside the work environment, an employee must maintain vigilance and refrain from disclosing important information regarding the Company or its business, business associates or employees. |
| An employees duty of confidentiality with respect to the confidential information of the Company survives the termination of such employees employment with the Company for any reason until such time as the Company discloses such information publicly or the information otherwise becomes available in the public sphere through no fault of the employee. |
| Upon termination of employment, or at such time as the Company requests, an employee must return to the Company all of its property without exception, including all forms of medium containing confidential information, and may not retain duplicate materials. |
VII. ACCURACY OF FINANCIAL REPORTS AND OTHER PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
The Company is required to report its financial results and other material information about its business to the public and the SEC. It is the Companys policy to promptly disclose accurate and complete information regarding its business, financial condition and results of operations. Employees must strictly comply with all applicable standards, laws, regulations and policies for accounting and financial reporting of transactions, estimates and forecasts. Inaccurate, incomplete or untimely reporting will not be tolerated and can severely damage the Company and result in legal liability.
Employees should be on guard for, and are required to promptly report, any possibility of inaccurate or incomplete financial reporting. Particular attention should be paid to:
| Financial results that seem inconsistent with the performance of the underlying business; |
| Transactions that do not seem to have an obvious business purpose; and |
| Requests to circumvent ordinary review and approval procedures. |
The Companys senior financial officers and other employees working in the finance department have a special responsibility to ensure that all of the Companys financial disclosures are full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable. These individuals are required to report any practice or situation that might undermine this objective to the Compliance Officer.
Employees are prohibited from directly or indirectly taking any action to coerce, manipulate, mislead or fraudulently influence the Companys independent auditors for the purpose of rendering the financial statements of the Company materially misleading. Prohibited actions include but are not limited to:
| issuing or reissuing a report on the Companys financial statements that is not warranted in the circumstances (due to material violations of International Financial Reporting Standards, generally accepted accounting standards or other professional or regulatory standards); |
| not performing audit, review or other procedures required by generally accepted auditing standards or other professional standards; |
| not withdrawing an issued report when withdrawal is warranted under the circumstances; or |
| not communicating matters as required to the Companys Audit Committee. |
VIII. | COMPANY RECORDS |
Accurate and reliable records are crucial to the Companys business and form the basis of its earnings statements, financial reports and other disclosures to the public. The Companys records are a source of essential data that guides business decision-making and strategic planning. Company records include, but are not limited to, contracts, booking information, payroll, timecards, travel and expense reports, e-mails, accounting and financial data, measurement and performance records, electronic data files and all other records maintained in the ordinary course of business.
All Company records must be complete, accurate and reliable in all material respects. There is never an acceptable reason to make false or misleading entries. Undisclosed or unrecorded funds, payments or receipts are strictly prohibited. An employee is responsible for understanding and complying with the Companys recordkeeping policy. An employee should contact the Compliance Officer if he/she has any questions regarding the recordkeeping policy.
IX. | COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS |
Each director or employee has an obligation to comply with the laws of the cities, provinces, regions and countries in which the Company operates. This includes, without limitation, laws covering commercial bribery and kickbacks, patent, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, information privacy, insider trading, offering or receiving gratuities, employment harassment, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, false or misleading financial information, misuse of corporate assets and foreign currency exchange activities. Directors and employees are expected to understand and comply with all laws, rules and regulations that apply to their positions at the Company. If any doubt exists about whether a course of action is lawful, the director or employee should seek advice immediately from the Compliance Officer.
X. | DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT |
The Company is firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, national origin or any other protected class. For further information, employees should consult the Compliance Officer.
XI. | FAIR DEALING |
Each employee should endeavor to deal fairly with the Companys customers, suppliers, competitors and employees. No employee may take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other unfair-dealing practice.
XII. | HEALTH AND SAFETY |
The Company strives to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment. Each employee has responsibility for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for other employees by following environmental, safety and health rules and practices and reporting accidents, injuries and unsafe equipment, practices or conditions. Violence or threats of violence are not permitted.
Each employee is expected to perform his/her duty to the Company in a safe manner, free of any influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or other controlled substances. The use of illegal drugs or other controlled substances in the workplace is prohibited.
XIII. | VIOLATIONS OF THE CODE |
All employees have a duty to report any known or suspected violation of this Code, including any violation of laws, rules, regulations or policies that apply to the Company. Reporting a known or suspected violation of this Code by others will not be considered an act of disloyalty, but an action to safeguard the reputation and integrity of the Company and its employees.
If an employee knows of or suspects a violation of this Code, it is such employees responsibility to immediately report the violation to the Compliance Officer, who will work with the employee to investigate his/her concern. All questions and reports of known or suspected violations of this Code will be treated with sensitivity and discretion. The Compliance Officer and the Company will protect the employees confidentiality to the extent possible, consistent with the law and the Companys need to investigate the employees concern.
It is the Companys policy that any employee who violates this Code will be subject to appropriate discipline, including termination of employment, based upon the facts and circumstances of each particular situation. An employees conduct, if it does not comply with the law or with this Code, can result in serious consequences for both the employee and the Company.
The Company strictly prohibits retaliation against an employee who, in good faith, seeks help or reports known or suspected violations. An employee inflicting reprisal or retaliation against another employee for reporting a known or suspected violation will be subject to disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
XIV. | WAIVERS OF THE CODE |
Waivers of this Code will be granted on a case-by-case basis and only in extraordinary circumstances. Waivers of this Code may be made only by the Board, or the appropriate committee of the Board, and may be promptly disclosed to the public if so required by applicable laws and regulations and rules of the applicable stock exchange.
XV. | CONCLUSION |
This Code contains general guidelines for conducting the business of the Company consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. If directors or employees have any questions about these guidelines, they should contact the Compliance Officer. The Company expects all directors and employees to adhere to these standards. Each director or employee is separately responsible for his/her actions. Conduct that violates the law or this Code cannot be justified by claiming that it was ordered by a supervisor or someone in higher management positions. If an employee engages in conduct prohibited by the law or this Code, such employee will be deemed to have acted outside the scope of his/her employment. The prohibited conduct will subject the employee to disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Annex A
Anti-Corruption Compliance Policy
Exhibit 99.2
CLIFFORD CHANCE PTE LTD
12 MARINA BOULEVARD 25TH FLOOR TOWER 3 MARINA BAY FINANCIAL CENTRE SINGAPORE 018982
TEL +65 6410 2200 FAX +65 6410 2288
www.cliffordchance.com |
AMTD Digital Inc. Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman KY1-1111, Cayman Islands |
Our reference: JT/17-41000624/CN Direct Dial: +65 6506 1956 E-mail: jean.thio@cliffordchance.com
20 May 2021 |
1. | We have acted as Singapore legal advisers to AMTD Digital Inc. (the Company), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in connection with the (a) the proposed initial public offering (the Offering) of certain number of American depositary shares (the ADSs), each ADS representing certain number of Class A ordinary shares, par value of US$0.0001 per share, of the Company, by the Company as set forth in the Companys registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the Registration Statement), filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 19 May 2021 under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (as amended) in relation to the Offering, and (b) the Companys proposed listing (the Listing) of the ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market/New York Stock Exchange. |
2. | In connection with our opinion expressed below, we have examined originals or copies certified or otherwise authenticated to our satisfaction of such of such agreements, documents, certificates and other statements provided by the Company and of corporate officers and representatives of the Company and such other papers as we have deemed relevant and necessary as a basis for such opinion. As to any facts material to our opinion, we have relied, to extent that we deemed such reliance proper, upon the representations, confirmations, certificates and other statements of officers and representatives of the Company. |
3. | In rendering this opinion, we have assumed without independent check or verification the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, conformed or photostated copies, and all documents submitted to us are up-to-date and have not been altered. |
CLIFFORD CHANCE PTE LTD IS A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY REGISTERED UNDER THE LAWS OF SINGAPORE. COMPANY NO. 200210967G.
CLIFFORD CHANCE PTE LTD |
4. | This opinion is being furnished to you on the basis of our understanding of Singapore laws as at the date of this opinion. This opinion does not cover any questions arising under or relating to any other laws. Our statements in this opinion are strictly limited to the matters stated in this letter and do not apply by implication to other matters. We express no opinion on any taxation matter, and none is implied or may be inferred. |
5. | This opinion is strictly limited to the matters stated in paragraph 6 of this opinion, do not extend to any other matters and is intended to be used in the context which is specifically referred to herein. In particular, this opinion does not relate to any additional documents or statements concerning the Registration Statement, the Company, the Offering or the Listing that may be made by any person or any other conduct that any person may engage in concerning the Registration Statement. |
6. | Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the statements set forth in the Registration Statement under the caption Regulation Singapore and Enforceability of Civil Liabilities Singapore insofar as such statements constitute summaries of the Singapore legal matters referred to therein as of the date hereof, fairly present the information called for with respect to such legal matters and fairly summarise the matters referred to therein as of the date hereof. |
7. | We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and to the reference to our name in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder. |
8. | This opinion is rendered by us solely for the benefit of the Company. It may not, without our prior written consent, be relied upon by any other person. |
Yours faithfully
/s/ Clifford Chance Pte. Ltd.
Clifford Chance Pte. Ltd.
- 2 -
Exhibit 99.3
Justin Chow & Co. Solicitors LLP
周廷勳律師行有限法律責任合夥
5A, Chung Hing Commercial Building,
62-63 Connaught Road Central,
Central, Hong Kong
justin.chow@jchow.hk
Tel (852) 3105 3165 Fax (852) 3188 2959
Date: 20 May 2021
AMTD Digital Inc.
25/F, Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
Dear Sir or Madam,
We are qualified lawyers of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China (Hong Kong) and as such are qualified to issue this opinion on the laws and regulations of Hong Kong effective as of the date hereof.
We were engaged (the Engagement) as Hong Kong counsel to AMTD Digital Inc. (the Company), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and its subsidiaries established in Hong Kong in connection with (a) the proposed initial public offering (the Offering) of certain number of American depositary shares (the Offered ADSs), each Offered ADS representing certain number of Class A ordinary shares, par value of US$0.0001 per share, of the Company, by the Company as set forth in the Companys registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the Registration Statement), filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (as amended) in relation to the Offering, and (b) the Companys proposed listing of the Offered ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market/New York Stock Exchange.
A. Assumptions
In rendering this opinion, we have assumed without independent investigation that (the Assumptions):
(i) | all signatures, seals and chops are genuine, each signature on behalf of a party thereto is that of a person duly authorized by such party to execute the same, all documents (the Documents) submitted to us in relation to the Engagement as originals are authentic, and all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies conform to the originals; |
(ii) | each of the parties to the Documents, (a) if a legal person or other entity, is duly organized and is validly existing in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization and/or incorporation; or (b) if an individual, has full capacity for civil conduct; each of them, has full power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its/her/his obligations under such documents to which it is a party in accordance with the laws of its jurisdiction of organization or incorporation or the laws that it/she/he is subject to; |
(iii) | the Documents remain in full force and effect on the date of this opinion and have not been revoked, amended or supplemented, and no amendments, revisions, supplements, modifications or other changes have been made, and no revocation or termination has occurred, with respect to any of such Documents after they were submitted to us for the purposes of this legal opinion; and |
Partners Chow Justin Ting Fun (周廷勳), Lee Steven K (李凱峰) |
Consultants Ngai Wan Chi Joyce (魏韵芝), Donnet Federico |
Justin Chow & Co. Solicitors LLP
周廷勳律師行有限法律責任合夥
5A, Chung Hing Commercial Building,
62-63 Connaught Road Central,
Central, Hong Kong
justin.chow@jchow.hk
Tel (852) 3105 3165 Fax (852) 3188 2959
(iv) | the laws of jurisdictions other than Hong Kong which may be applicable to the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of the Documents are complied with. |
B. Opinions
Subject to the Assumptions and the Qualifications, we are of the opinion that:
(i) | the description of the matters in relation to Hong Kong laws as set forth in the Registration Statement, including but not limited to the sections headed Prospectus Summary, Risk Factors, Enforceability of Civil Liabilities, Corporate History and Structure, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation, Business, Regulation, Management, and Related Party Transactions in so far as such descriptions purport to summarise the applicable provisions of Hong Kong laws, and for the section headed Corporate History and Structure, in so far as descriptions therein purport to summarise applicable provisions of Hong Kong laws or terms and provisions of documents or agreements governed by Hong Kong laws, accurately summarise in all material respects the relevant legal or regulatory or other matters referred to therein as at the date hereof; and |
(ii) | the statements set forth in the Registration Statement under the caption TaxationHong Kong Taxation are true and accurate in all material respects and that such statements constitute our opinions. |
C. Qualifications
Our opinion expressed above is subject to the following qualifications (Qualifications):
(i) | our opinion is limited to the laws of Hong Kong of general application on the date hereof. We have made no investigation of, and do not express or imply any views on, the laws of any jurisdiction other than Hong Kong; |
(ii) | the laws of Hong Kong referred to herein are laws and regulations publicly available and currently in force on the date hereof and there is no guarantee that any of such laws and regulations, or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, will not be changed, amended or revoked in the future with or without retrospective effect; |
Partners Chow Justin Ting Fun (周廷勳), Lee Steven K (李凱峰) |
Consultants Ngai Wan Chi Joyce (魏韵芝), Donnet Federico |
Justin Chow & Co. Solicitors LLP
周廷勳律師行有限法律責任合夥
5A, Chung Hing Commercial Building,
62-63 Connaught Road Central,
Central, Hong Kong
justin.chow@jchow.hk
Tel (852) 3105 3165 Fax (852) 3188 2959
(iii) | our opinion is subject to the effects of (a) certain legal or statutory principles affecting the enforceability of contractual rights generally under the concepts of public interest, social ethics, national security, good faith, fair dealing, and applicable statutes of limitation; (b) any circumstance in connection with formulation, execution or performance of any legal documents that would be deemed materially mistaken, clearly unconscionable, fraudulent, coercionary or concealing illegal intentions with a lawful form; (c) judicial discretion with respect to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, remedies or defenses, or calculation of damages; and (d) the discretion of any competent Hong Kong legislative, administrative or judicial bodies in exercising their authority in Hong Kong; |
(iv) | this opinion is issued based on our understanding of the laws of Hong Kong. For matters not explicitly provided under the laws of Hong Kong, the interpretation, implementation and application of the specific requirements under the laws of Hong Kong are subject to the final discretion of competent Hong Kong legislative, administrative and judicial authorities, and there can be no assurance that the government agencies will ultimately take a view that is not contrary to our opinion stated above; |
(v) | we may rely, as to matters of fact (but not as to legal conclusions), to the extent we deem proper, on certificates and confirmations of responsible officers of the Company and public searches carried in Hong Kong; |
(vi) | this opinion is intended to be used in the context which is specifically referred to herein; and |
(vii) | as used in this opinion, the expression to our best knowledge or similar language with reference to matters of fact refers to the current actual knowledge of the solicitors of this firm who have worked on matters for the Company in connection with the Offering and the transactions contemplated thereunder. We have not undertaken any independent investigation to determine the existence or absence of any fact, and no inference as to our knowledge of the existence or absence of any fact should be drawn from our representation of the Company or the rendering of this opinion. |
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and to the reference to our name in such Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Justin Chow & Co., Solicitors LLP | ||
Justin Chow & Co., Solicitors LLP |
Partners Chow Justin Ting Fun (周廷勳), Lee Steven K (李凱峰) |
Consultants Ngai Wan Chi Joyce (魏韵芝), Donnet Federico |
Exhibit 99.4
[Letterhead of China Insights Industry Consultancy Limited]
Date: May 20, 2021
AMTD Digital Inc.
23/F Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
Re: AMTD Digital Inc.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We understand that AMTD Digital Inc. (the Company) plans to file a registration statement on Form F-1 (the Registration Statement) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) in connection with its proposed initial public offering (the Proposed IPO).
We hereby consent to the references to our name and the inclusion of information, data and statements from our research reports and amendments thereto (collectively, the Reports), and any subsequent amendments to the Reports, as well as the citation of our research reports and amendments thereto, in the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, in any other future filings with the SEC by the Company, including, without limitation, filings on Form 20-F or Form 6-K or other SEC filings (collectively, the SEC Filings), on the websites of the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, in institutional and retail road shows and other activities in connection with the Proposed IPO, and in other publicity materials in connection with the Proposed IPO.
We further hereby consent to the filing of this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and as an exhibit to any other SEC Filings.
Yours faithfully,
For and on behalf of
China Insights Industry Consultancy Limited
/s/ Leon Zhao | ||
Name: | Leon Zhao | |
Title/Position: | Partner |