EX-2.6 4 tm206812d1_ex2-6.htm EXHIBIT 2.6

 

Exhibit 2.6

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE RIGHTS OF EACH CLASS OF SECURITIES REGISTERED
UNDER SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

As of December 31, 2019, Itamar Medical Ltd. had two classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or Exchange Act: our ordinary shares and our American Depositary Shares, or ADSs. References herein to “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer to Itamar Medical Ltd. and not to any of its subsidiaries.

 

Description of Share Capital and Memorandum and Articles of Association

 

Set out below is a description of our share capital and certain provisions of our memorandum of association, or memorandum, and articles of association and the Companies Law (as currently in effect) related to such provisions. This description is only a summary and does not purport to be complete and is qualified by reference to the full text of the memorandum and articles of association, which are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the annual report of which this Exhibit 2.6 is part, or the Annual Report, and to the applicable sections of the Companies Law.

 

General

 

We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel under the name “Itamar Medical (CM) 1997 Ltd.” on January 15, 1997 as a company limited by shares. We changed our name to our current name in July 2000. Our registered office is 9 Halamish Street, Caesarea 3088900, Israel. Our registration number with the Israeli Registrar of Companies is 51-243421-8.

 

Pursuant to Section 2 of our memorandum and Section 4 of our articles of association, our objectives are to engage in any lawful activity as determined from time to time by our Board of Directors.

 

Authorized Share Capital

 

Our authorized share capital consists of 750,000,000 ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.01 per ordinary share.

 

Ordinary Shares

 

The following summarizes the rights of holders of our ordinary shares:

 

·Holders of ordinary shares have one vote for each ordinary share held on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders. Such voting rights may be affected by the grant of any special voting rights to the holders of a class of shares with preferential rights that may be authorized in the future.

  

·Our shareholders have the right to share in our profits distributed as a dividend and any other permitted distribution.

 

·In the event of our liquidation, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors, our assets will be distributed to the holders of ordinary shares in proportion to the par value of their holdings. This right may be affected by the grant of preferential dividend or distribution rights to the holders of a class of shares with preferential rights that may be authorized in the future.

 

·Under our memorandum and articles of association as well as the Companies Law, the liability of our shareholders is limited to the unpaid amount of the purchase price (i.e., the par value of the shares and the premium thereon, if any) that such shareholder (or its predecessor) initially undertook to pay for the shares issued thereto.

 

·Our ordinary shares are not redeemable and do not have any preemptive rights.

 

·All of our outstanding ordinary shares are validly issued, fully paid and non assessable.

 

For more information about our ordinary shares, see below.

 

 

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Shares and Rights Attaching to Them

 

Voting Rights

 

Holders of ordinary shares have one vote for each ordinary share held on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders. Such voting rights may be affected by the grant of any special voting rights to the holders of a class of shares with preferential rights that may be authorized in the future.

 

ADS holders generally have the right under the deposit agreement to instruct the depositary to exercise the voting rights for the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. See “Description of American Depositary Shares” below.

 

Dividends

 

Subject to any preferential, deferred or other rights or restrictions attached to any special class of shares with regard to dividends, the profits of the Company available for dividend and resolved to be distributed by the Board of Directors shall be applied in payment of dividends upon the shares of the Company in the same manner with respect to all of the shares granting a right to receive dividends on the date that resolution is adopted (or on later date, as determined by the Board of Directors).

 

Our Board of Directors may declare dividends in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Law. The Companies Law imposes restrictions on our ability to declare and pay dividends. According to the Companies Law, a company may distribute dividends only out of its “profits,” as such term is defined in the Companies Law and provided that there is no reasonable concern that payment of the dividend will prevent such company from satisfying its existing and foreseeable obligations as they become due. Notwithstanding the foregoing, dividends may be paid with the approval of a court, provided that there is no reasonable concern that payment of the dividend will prevent us from satisfying our existing and foreseeable obligations as they become due. “Profits”, for purposes of the Companies Law, means the greater of retained earnings or earnings accumulated during the preceding two years, after deduction of previous distributions that were not already deducted from the surpluses, as evidenced by the most recent audited or reviewed financial statements of the company prepared no more than six months prior to the date of distribution. Our articles of association provide that dividends will be declared and paid at the discretion of, and upon resolution by, our Board of Directors, subject to the provisions of the Companies Law.

 

Our Board of Directors is entitled to invest or utilize any unclaimed amount of dividend in any manner to our benefit until it is claimed. We are not obligated to pay interest or linkage on an unclaimed dividend.

 

Payment of dividends may be subject to Israeli withholding taxes. See in Item 10.C of the Annual Report under “Material Tax Considerations — Israeli Tax Considerations” for additional information.

 

Change of Control

 

Except for requiring a special majority voting in order to amend our articles of association, there are no specific provisions of our memorandum, articles of association or other constituent documents that would have an effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of the Company or that would operate only with respect to a merger, acquisition or corporate restructuring involving us (or any of our subsidiaries). However, as described below, certain provisions of the Companies Law may have such effect.

 

 

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The Companies Law includes provisions that allow a merger transaction and requires that each company that is a party to the merger have the transaction approved by its board of directors and a vote of the majority of its shares. For purposes of the shareholder vote of each party, unless a court rules otherwise, the merger will not be deemed approved if shares representing a majority of the voting power present at the shareholders meeting and which are not held by the other party to the merger (or by any person who holds 25% or more of the voting power or the right to appoint 25% or more of the directors of the other party) vote against the merger. Upon the request of a creditor of either party to the proposed merger, the court may delay or prevent the merger if it concludes that there exists a reasonable concern that as a result of the merger the surviving company will be unable to satisfy the obligations of any of the parties to the merger. In addition, a merger may not be completed unless at least (i) 50 days have passed from the time that the requisite proposals for approval of the merger were filed with the Israeli Registrar of Companies by each merging company and (ii) 30 days have passed since the merger was approved by the shareholders of each merging company.

 

The Companies Law also provides that an acquisition of shares in a public company must be made by means of a “special” tender offer if as a result of the acquisition (i) the purchaser would become a 25% or greater holder of the voting rights in the company, unless there is already another 25% or greater holder of voting rights in the company or (ii) the purchaser would become a 45% or greater holder of the voting rights in the company, unless there is already a 45% or greater holder of the voting rights in the company. These requirements do not apply if, in general, the acquisition (a) was made in a private placement that received shareholder approval, (b) was from a 25% or greater holder of the voting rights in the company which resulted in the acquirer becoming a 25% or greater holder of voting rights in the company, or (c) was from a 45% or greater holder of voting rights in the company which resulted in the acquirer becoming a 45% or greater holder of voting rights in the company. A “special” tender offer must be extended to all shareholders, but the offeror is not required to purchase more than 5% of the company’s outstanding shares, regardless of how many shares are tendered by shareholders. In general, the special tender offer may be consummated only if  (i) at least 5% of the company’s outstanding shares will be acquired by the offeror and (ii) the number of shares tendered in the offer exceeds the number of shares whose holders objected to the offer. If a special tender offer is accepted, then the purchaser or any person or entity controlling it or under common control with the purchaser or such controlling person or entity may not make a subsequent tender offer for the purchase of shares of the target company and may not enter into a merger with the target company for a period of one year from the date of the offer, unless the purchaser or such person or entity undertook to effect such an offer or merger in the initial special tender offer. Shares purchased in contradiction to the special tender offer rules under the Companies Law will have no rights and will become dormant shares.

 

If, as a result of an acquisition of shares, the acquirer will hold more than 90% of a company’s outstanding shares, the acquisition must be made by means of a “full” tender offer for all of the outstanding shares. In general, if less than 5% of the outstanding shares are not tendered in the tender offer and more than half of the offerees who have no personal interest in the offer tendered their shares, all the shares that the acquirer offered to purchase will be transferred to it. However, a full tender offer will also be accepted if the shareholders who do not accept the offer hold less than 2% of the issued and outstanding shares of the company. Shareholders may request appraisal rights in connection with a full tender offer for a period of six months following the consummation of the tender offer, but the acquirer is entitled to stipulate that tendering shareholders will forfeit such appraisal rights. If (i) the shareholders who did not respond or accept the tender offer hold at least 5% of the issued and outstanding shares of the company or the shareholders who accept the offer constitute less than a majority of the offerees that do not have a personal interest in the acceptance of the tender offer, or (ii) the shareholders who do not accept the offer hold 2% or more of the outstanding shares of the company, then the acquirer may not acquire shares that will cause its shareholdings to exceed 90% of the outstanding shares. Shares purchased in contradiction to the full tender offer rules under the Companies Law will have no rights and will become dormant shares.

 

Lastly, Israeli tax law treats some acquisitions, such as stock-for-stock exchanges between an Israeli company and a foreign company, less favorably than U.S. tax laws. For example, Israeli tax law may, under certain circumstances, subject a shareholder who exchanges his ordinary shares for shares in another corporation to taxation prior to the sale of the shares received in such stock-for-stock swap.

 

Distributions on Winding Up

 

In the event of our liquidation, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors, our assets will be distributed to the holders of ordinary shares in proportion to the par value of their holdings. This right may be affected by the grant of preferential dividend or distribution rights to the holders of a class of shares with preferential rights that may be authorized in the future.

 

Variation of Rights

 

The rights attached to any class of shares (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issuance of the shares of that class) may be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of all the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a vote at a meeting of the shareholders passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of the class by a majority of the voting rights of such class represented at the meeting in person or by proxy and voting thereon.

 

 

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Under our articles of association, unless otherwise provided by the conditions of issuance, the enlargement of an existing class of shares, or the issuance of additional shares thereof, shall not be deemed to modify or abrogate the rights attached to the previously issued shares of such class or of any other class.

 

Alteration to Share Capital

 

Changes in our capital, such as increase of authorized share capital or creation of another class of shares, are subject to the approval of the shareholders by a special majority of 75% or more of the voting power represented at the meeting in person or by proxy and voting thereon.

 

Preemption Rights

 

Holders of our ordinary shares are not entitled to preemptive rights.

 

Transfer of Shares

 

Our fully paid ordinary shares are issued in registered form and may be freely transferred under our articles of association, unless the transfer is restricted or prohibited by another instrument, applicable law or the rules of a stock exchange on which the shares are listed for trade. The ownership or voting of our ordinary shares by non-residents of Israel is not restricted in any way by our articles of association or the laws of the State of Israel, except for ownership by nationals of some countries that are, or have been, in a state of war with Israel.

 

Shareholder Meetings

 

The Board of Directors must convene an annual meeting of shareholders at least once every calendar year, within fifteen months of the last annual meeting. A special meeting of shareholders may be convened by the Board of Directors, as it decides.

 

The Companies Law provides that the board of directors must, in general, convene a special meeting of shareholders upon the written demand of: (i) two of the directors or such number of directors equal to one fourth of the nominated directors, (ii) one or more shareholders having, in the aggregate, (a) at least 5% of the outstanding share capital and at least 1% of the voting power in the company, or (b) at least 5% of the voting power in the company. The Companies Law further provides that one or more shareholders holding 1% or more of the outstanding voting power in the company may ask the board of directors to add an item to the agenda of the shareholders’ meeting. Our articles of association contain procedural guidelines and disclosure items with respect to the submission of shareholder proposals for shareholders meetings.

 

In accordance with our articles of association, shareholders meetings require notice in the manner prescribed by the Companies Law. Under the Companies Law, shareholders meetings generally require prior notice of not less than 21 days or, with respect to certain matters, such as election of directors and affiliated party transactions, not less than 35 days. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and the regulations promulgated thereunder, shareholders entitled to participate and vote at general meetings are the shareholders of record on a date to be decided by the board of directors, which may be between four days and 40 days prior to the date of the meeting.

 

The quorum required at any meeting of shareholders consists of at least two shareholders present in person or represented by proxy, within half an hour from the time appointed for holding the meeting, who hold or represent, in the aggregate, at least 33 1/3% of the total voting rights in the Company. A meeting adjourned for lack of a quorum generally is adjourned to the same day in the following week at the same time and place or any time and place as the directors designate in a notice to the shareholders. If, at such adjourned meeting, a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for holding the meeting, any two shareholders present in person or by proxy who hold or represent, in the aggregate, at least 10% of the outstanding share capital of the Company, shall constitute a quorum.

 

 

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Under our articles of association, all shareholder resolutions require approval of no less than a majority of the voting rights represented at the meeting in person or by proxy and voting thereon, except that (i) amendments to our articles of association (including any change to provisions relating to the composition of our Board of Directors) and (ii) removal of directors (who are not external directors or “independent directors” as such term is defined by the Companies Law) by our shareholders, require a special majority of 75% or more of the voting power represented at the meeting in person or by proxy and voting thereon.

 

Pursuant to our articles of association, our directors (except external directors) are elected at our annual general meeting of shareholders by a vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power represented and voting at such meeting.

 

Access to Corporate Records

 

Under the Companies Law, shareholders generally have the right to review minutes of our general meetings, our shareholders register and principal shareholders register, our articles of association, our annual audited financial statements and any document that we are required by law to file publicly with the Israeli Registrar of Companies or the Israel Securities Authority. In addition, shareholders may request to be provided with any document related to an action or transaction requiring shareholder approval under the related party transaction provisions of the Companies Law. We may deny this request if we believe it has not been made in good faith or if such denial is necessary to protect our interests or protect a trade secret or patent.

 

Board of Directors

 

Introduction

 

According to the Companies Law and our articles of association, the management of our business is vested in our Board of Directors. Pursuant to the Companies Law and our articles of association, our board of directors may exercise all powers and take all actions that are not required under law or under our articles of association to be exercised or taken by our shareholders, including the power to borrow money for company purposes. As such, the Board of Directors is primarily responsible for outlining our policies and supervising our chief executive officer.

 

Under our articles of association, retirement of directors from office is not subject to any age limitation and our directors are not required to own shares in our Company in order to qualify to serve as directors.

 

Number of Directors

 

Under our articles of association, our Board of Directors must consist of not less than five and not more than nine members, including two external directors as required by the Companies Law.

 

Election of Directors

 

Pursuant to our articles of association, other than the external directors, for whom special election and removal requirements apply under the Companies Law (as further described below), the vote required to elect a director is a simple majority vote of holders of our ordinary shares participating and voting at the relevant shareholders meeting. Our articles of association provide that, unless otherwise provided by law, our directors (other than external directors and “independent directors” as such term is defined by the Companies Law) may be elected solely at our shareholders annual general meetings, which are required to be held at least once during every calendar year and not more than fifteen months after the last preceding annual general meeting. However, our articles of association allow our Board of Directors to appoint directors to fill vacancies on our Board of Directors, which occur for any reason, or as additional directors, provided that the number of board members shall not exceed the maximum number of directors, as mentioned above. The appointment of a director by the Board of Directors shall remain in effect until the annual general meeting of our shareholders following the appointment or until the end of his tenure, in accordance with our articles of association.

 

Except for our external directors (as further described below), our directors hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders following the annual meeting at which they were appointed.

 

 

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Under our articles of association and the Companies Law, (i) directors (other than external directors and “independent directors” as such term is defined by the Companies Law) may be removed by our shareholders before the expiration of their term by a special majority vote of at least 75% of the votes of shareholders present and voting at the meeting, not taking into account abstentions; (ii) external directors may be removed by our shareholders before the expiration of their term only in limited circumstances as described under the section titled “External Directors” below; and (iii) “independent directors” (as such term is defined by the Companies Law) may be removed before the expiration of their term only by a simple majority of the shareholders, or by a court, and then only if the independent directors cease to meet the statutory qualifications with respect to their appointment or if they violate their duty of loyalty to the Company. In addition, under the Companies Law, directors may be removed upon the occurrence of disqualifying events, such as bankruptcy or conviction of the director in certain criminal offenses. Under the Companies Law, our Board of Directors is required to determine the minimum number of directors who must have “accounting and financial expertise” (as such term is defined in regulations promulgated under the Companies Law). Our Board of Directors determined that the Board of Directors should consist of at least two directors who have “accounting and financial expertise”.

 

Meetings of the Board of Directors are generally held at least once each quarter, with additional special meetings scheduled when required.

 

Alternate directors

 

Our articles of association provide, as allowed by the Companies Law, that any director may, by written notice to us, appoint another person who is qualified to serve as a director to serve as an alternate director. See in Item 6.C of the Annual Report under “Board Practices — Alternate Directors” for additional information.

 

External Directors

 

The Companies Law requires Israeli companies with shares that have been offered to the public, such as the Company, to appoint at least two external directors. See in Item 6.C of the Annual Report under “Board Practices — External Directors” for additional information.

 

Independent Directors

 

See in Item 6.C of the Annual Report under “Board Practices — Independent Directors” for additional information.

 

Directors’ Interests

 

Under the provisions of the Companies Law and our articles of association, a director generally cannot participate in a meeting of the board of directors nor vote on a proposal, arrangement or contract in which he or she is personally interested, unless the transaction is not an “extraordinary transaction” or a majority of the other directors have a personal interest in such matter.

 

In addition, our directors generally cannot vote on proposals related to their own compensation. See also under “Approval of Office Holder Compensation” below.

 

Fees and Remuneration

 

Each of the directors (i) is entitled to remuneration for their service as directors and other services undertaken for the Company, subject to, in general, approval of our Compensation Committee, Board of Directors and our shareholders at a general meeting and (ii) may be paid his expenses in connection with the exercise of powers and the discharge of responsibilities in relation to the Company. See also under “Approval of Office Holder Compensation” below.

 

Exculpation, Indemnification and Insurance of Directors and Officers

 

See in Item 6.C of the Annual Report under “Board Practices — Exculpation, Indemnification and Insurance of Directors and Officers” for additional information.

 

 

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Other Israeli Law Considerations

 

Approval of Related Party Transactions under Israeli Law

 

General

 

Under the Companies Law, a company may approve an action by an office holder from which the office holder would otherwise have to refrain, as described above, if:

 

·the office holder acts in good faith and the act or its approval does not cause harm to the company; and

 

·the office holder disclosed the nature of his or her interest in the transaction (including any significant fact or document) to the company at a reasonable time before the company’s approval of such matter.

 

Disclosure of Personal Interests of an Office Holder

 

The Companies Law requires that an office holder disclose to the company, promptly, and, in any event, not later than the board meeting at which the transaction is first discussed, any direct or indirect personal interest that he or she may have and all related material information known to him or her relating to any existing or proposed transaction by the company. If the transaction is an extraordinary transaction, the office holder must also disclose any personal interest held by:

 

·the office holder’s relatives. Relatives are defined to include the spouse, siblings, parents, grandparents, descendants, spouse’s descendants and the spouses of any of these people; or

 

·any corporation in which the office holder or his or her relatives holds 5% or more of the shares or voting rights, serves as a director or general manager or has the right to appoint at least one director or the general manager.

 

Under the Companies Law, an extraordinary transaction is a transaction:

 

·not in the ordinary course of business;

 

·not on market terms; or

  

·that is likely to have a material impact on the company’s profitability, assets or liabilities.

  

The Companies Law does not specify to whom within the company nor the manner in which required disclosures are to be made. We require our office holders to make such disclosures to our Board of Directors. Under the Companies Law, once an office holder complies with the above disclosure requirement, the Board of Directors may approve a transaction between the company and an office holder, or a third party in which an office holder has a personal interest, unless the articles of association provide otherwise and provided that the transaction is not detrimental to the company’s interest. If the transaction is an extraordinary transaction, first the audit committee and then the board of directors of the company, in that order, must approve the transaction. Under specific circumstances, shareholder approval may also be required. A director who has a personal interest in an extraordinary transaction, which is considered at a meeting of the board of directors or the audit committee, may not be present at this meeting or vote on this matter, unless a majority of the board of directors or the audit committee, as the case may be, has a personal interest. If a majority of the board of directors or the audit committee has a personal interest, then shareholder approval is generally also required.

 

Approval of Office Holder Compensation

 

Pursuant to the Companies Law, every Israeli public company, such as the Company, must adopt a compensation policy, recommended by the compensation committee, and approved by the Board of Directors and the shareholders, in that order. The shareholder approval must be by a simple majority of all votes cast, provided that (i) such majority includes a simple majority of the votes cast by non-controlling shareholders having no personal interest in the matter or (ii) the total number of votes of shareholders mentioned in clause (i) above who voted against the approval of the policy does not exceed 2% of the total voting rights in the company. Even if the shareholders do not approve the compensation policy, the board of directors may resolve to approve the compensation policy, subject to certain conditions. In general, all office holders’ terms of compensation — including fixed remuneration, bonuses, equity compensation, retirement or termination payments, indemnification, liability insurance and the grant of an exemption from liability — must comply with the company’s compensation policy. The compensation policy must take into account certain factors, including advancement of the company’s objectives, the company’s business plan and its long-term strategy, and creation of appropriate incentives. It must also consider, among other things, the company’s risk management, size and the nature of its operations. The compensation policy must include certain principles, such as: a link between variable compensation and long-term performance and measurable criteria; the relationship between variable and fixed compensation; and the minimum holding or vesting period for variable, equity-based compensation.

 

 

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In addition, the compensation terms of directors, the chief executive officer, and any employee or service provider who is considered a controlling shareholder, must be approved separately by the compensation committee, the board of directors and, subject to certain exceptions, the shareholders of the company (by the same majority noted above), in that order. The compensation terms of other officers require the approval of the compensation committee and the board of directors.

 

Duties of Shareholders

 

Disclosure by Controlling Shareholders

 

Under the Companies Law, the disclosure requirements that apply to an office holder also apply to a controlling shareholder of a public company. A controlling shareholder is a shareholder who has the ability to direct the activities of a company, including a shareholder that owns 25% or more of the voting rights if no other shareholder owns more than 50% of the voting rights, but excluding a shareholder whose power derives solely from his or her position on the board of directors or any other position with the company. Two or more shareholders with a personal interest in the approval of the same transaction are deemed to be holding the shares together.

 

Approval of Certain Transactions

 

Extraordinary transactions with a controlling shareholder or (i) in which a controlling shareholder has a personal interest (including a private placement in which a controlling shareholder has a personal interest); (ii) transactions for the provision of services, whether directly or indirectly, by a controlling shareholder or his or her relative, or a company such controlling shareholder controls; and (iii) the engagement of a controlling shareholder or his or her relative as an office holder or employee (including compensation therefor), generally require the approval of the audit committee (or compensation committee with respect to engagement as an office holder or employee), the Board of Directors and the shareholders, in that order. The shareholder approval must include at least a majority of the shares of non-interested shareholders voted on the matter. However, the transaction can be approved by shareholders without this special approval if the total shares of non-interested shareholders that voted against the transaction do not represent more than 2% of the voting rights in the company. In addition, any such extraordinary transaction whose term is longer than three years may require further shareholder approval every three years, unless, where permissible under the Companies Law, the audit committee approves that a longer term is reasonable under the circumstances. Pursuant to regulations promulgated under the Companies Law, certain transactions with a controlling shareholder or his or her relative, or with directors or other office holders, that would otherwise require approval of a company’s shareholders may be exempt from shareholder approval under certain conditions.

 

Duties of Shareholders

 

Under the Companies Law, each shareholder has a duty to act in good faith toward the company and other shareholders and to refrain from abusing his or her power in the company, such as in shareholder votes. In addition, specified shareholders have a duty of fairness toward the company. These shareholders include any controlling shareholder, any shareholder who knows that it possesses the power to determine the outcome of a shareholder vote and any shareholder who, pursuant to the provisions of the articles of association, has the power to appoint or prevent the appointment of an office holder or any other power with respect to the company. However, the Companies Law does not define the substance of this duty of fairness.

 

 

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Private Placements

 

Under the Companies Law, if  (i) as a result of a private placement a person would become a controlling shareholder (as defined under the Companies Law) or (ii) a private placement will entitle investors to receive 20% or more of the voting rights of a company as calculated before the private placement, and all or part of the private placement consideration is not in cash or in public traded securities or is not in market terms and if as a result of the private placement the holdings of a substantial shareholder shall increase or as a result of it a person shall become a substantial shareholder, then in either case, the private placement must be approved by the board of directors and by the shareholders of the company. A “substantial shareholder” is defined as a shareholder who holds five percent or more of the company’s outstanding share capital or voting power, assuming the exercise of all of the securities convertible into shares held by that person. In order for the private placement to be considered on “market terms,” the board of directors has to determine, on the base of detailed explanation, that the private placement is on market terms, unless proven otherwise.

 

Exchange Controls

 

Israeli law and regulations do not impose any material foreign exchange restrictions on non-Israeli holders of our ordinary shares. There are currently no Israeli currency control restrictions on payments of dividends or other distributions with respect to our ordinary shares or the proceeds from the sale of the shares, except for the obligation of Israeli residents to file reports with the Bank of Israel regarding certain transactions. However, legislation remains in effect pursuant to which currency controls can be imposed by administrative action at any time.

 

The ownership or voting of our ordinary shares by non-residents of Israel, except with respect to citizens of countries which are in a state of war with Israel, is not restricted in any way by our memorandum or articles of association or by the laws of the State of Israel.

  

Description of American Depositary Shares

 

American Depositary Shares

 

The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary, will register and deliver American Depositary Shares, also referred to as ADSs. Each ADS will represent 30 shares (or a right to receive 30 shares) deposited with either of Bank Leumi or Bank Hapoalim, as custodian for the depositary in Israel. Each ADS will also represent any other securities, cash or other property that may be held by the depositary. The deposited shares together with any other securities, cash or other property held by the depositary are referred to as the deposited securities. The depositary’s office at which the ADSs will be administered and its principal executive office are located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286.

 

You may hold ADSs either (A) directly (i) by having an American Depositary Receipt, also referred to as an ADR, which is a certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs, registered in your name, or (ii) by having uncertificated ADSs registered in your name, or (B) indirectly by holding a security entitlement in ADSs through your broker or other financial institution that is a direct or indirect participant in The Depository Trust Company, also called DTC. If you hold ADSs directly, you are a registered ADS holder, also referred to as an ADS holder. This description assumes you are an ADS holder. If you hold the ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or other financial institution to assert the rights of ADS holders described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are.

 

Registered holders of uncertificated ADSs will receive statements from the depositary confirming their holdings.

 

As an ADS holder, we will not treat you as one of our shareholders and you will not have shareholder rights. Israeli law governs shareholder rights. The depositary will be the holder of the shares underlying your ADSs. As a registered holder of ADSs, you will have ADS holder rights. A deposit agreement among us, the depositary, ADS holders and all other persons indirectly or beneficially holding ADSs sets out ADS holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. New York law governs the deposit agreement and the ADSs.

 

 

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The following is a summary of the material provisions of the deposit agreement. This description is only a summary and does not purport to be complete and is qualified by reference to the full text of the deposit agreement and the form of ADR, which are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the Annual Report.

 

Dividends and Other Distributions

 

How will you receive dividends and other distributions on the shares?

 

The depositary has agreed to pay or distribute to ADS holders the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on shares or other deposited securities, upon payment or deduction of its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of shares your ADSs represent.

 

Cash.   The depositary will convert any cash dividend or other cash distribution we pay on the shares into U.S. dollars, if it can do so on a reasonable basis and can transfer the U.S. dollars to the United States. If that is not possible or if any government approval is needed and cannot be obtained, the deposit agreement allows the depositary to distribute the foreign currency only to those ADS holders to whom it is possible to do so. It will hold the foreign currency it cannot convert for the account of the ADS holders who have not been paid. It will not invest the foreign currency and it will not be liable for any interest.

 

Before making a distribution, any withholding taxes, or other governmental charges that must be paid will be deducted. See Item 10.C of the Annual Report under “Material Tax Considerations” for additional information. The depositary will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents and will round fractional cents to the nearest whole cent. If the exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the depositary cannot convert the foreign currency, you may lose some of the value of the distribution.

 

Shares.   The depositary may distribute additional ADSs representing any shares we distribute as a dividend or free distribution. The depositary will only distribute whole ADSs. It will sell shares which would require it to deliver a fraction of an ADS (or ADSs representing those shares) and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. If the depositary does not distribute additional ADSs, the outstanding ADSs will also represent the new shares. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed shares (or ADSs representing those shares) sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in connection with that distribution.

 

Rights to purchase additional shares.   If we offer holders of our securities any rights to subscribe for additional shares or any other rights, the depositary may (i) exercise those rights on behalf of ADS holders, (ii) distribute those rights to ADS holders or (iii) sell those rights and distribute the net proceeds to ADS holders, in each case after deduction or upon payment of its fees and expenses. To the extent the depositary does not do any of those things, it will allow the rights to lapse. In that case, you will receive no value for them. The depositary will exercise or distribute rights only if we ask it to and provide satisfactory assurances to the depositary that it is legal to do so. If the depositary will exercise rights, it will purchase the securities to which the rights relate and distribute those securities or, in the case of shares, new ADSs representing the new shares, to subscribing ADS holders, but only if ADS holders have paid the exercise price to the depositary. United States securities laws may restrict the ability of the depositary to distribute rights or ADSs or other securities issued on exercise of rights to all or certain ADS holders, and the securities distributed may be subject to restrictions on transfer.

 

Other Distributions.   The depositary will send to ADS holders anything else we distribute on deposited securities by any means it thinks is legal, fair and practical. If it cannot make the distribution in that way, the depositary has a choice. It may decide to sell what we distributed and distribute the net proceeds, in the same way as it does with cash. Or, it may decide to hold what we distributed, in which case ADSs will also represent the newly distributed property. However, the depositary is not required to distribute any securities (other than ADSs) to ADS holders unless it receives satisfactory evidence from us that it is legal to make that distribution. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed securities or property sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in connection with that distribution. United States securities laws may restrict the ability of the depositary to distribute securities to all or certain ADS holders, and the securities distributed may be subject to restrictions on transfer.

 

The depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any ADS holders. We have no obligation to register ADSs, shares, rights or other securities under the Securities Act. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, shares, rights or anything else to ADS holders. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you.

 

 

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Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation

 

How are ADSs issued?

 

The depositary will deliver ADSs if you or your broker deposits shares or evidence of rights to receive shares with the custodian. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will register the appropriate number of ADSs in the names you request and will deliver the ADSs to or upon the order of the person or persons that made the deposit.

 

How can ADS holders withdraw the deposited securities?

 

You may surrender your ADSs to the depositary for the purpose of withdrawal. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will deliver the shares and any other deposited securities underlying the ADSs to the ADS holder or a person the ADS holder designates at the office of the custodian. Or, at your request, risk and expense, the depositary will deliver the deposited securities at its office, if feasible. However, the depositary is not required to accept surrender of ADSs to the extent it would require delivery of a fraction of a deposited share or other security. The depositary may charge you a fee and its expenses for instructing the custodian regarding delivery of deposited securities.

 

How do ADS holders interchange between certificated ADSs and uncertificated ADSs?

 

You may surrender your ADR to the depositary for the purpose of exchanging your ADR for uncertificated ADSs. The depositary will cancel that ADR and will send to the ADS holder a statement confirming that the ADS holder is the registered holder of uncertificated ADSs. Upon receipt by the depositary of a proper instruction from a registered holder of uncertificated ADSs requesting the exchange of uncertificated ADSs for certificated ADSs, the depositary will execute and deliver to the ADS holder an ADR evidencing those ADSs.

 

Voting Rights

 

How do you vote?

 

ADS holders may instruct the depositary how to vote the number of deposited shares their ADSs represent. If we request the depositary to solicit your voting instructions (and we are not required to do so), the depositary will notify you of a shareholders’ meeting and send or make voting materials available to you. Those materials will describe the matters to be voted on and explain how ADS holders may instruct the depositary how to vote. For instructions to be valid, they must reach the depositary by a date set by the depositary. The depositary will try, as far as practical, subject to the laws of the State of Israel and the provisions of our articles of association or similar documents, to vote or to have its agents vote the shares or other deposited securities as instructed by ADS holders. If we do not request the depositary to solicit your voting instructions, you can still send voting instructions, and, in that case, the depositary may try to vote as you instruct, but it is not required to do so.

Except by instructing the depositary as described above, you won’t be able to exercise voting rights unless you surrender your ADSs and withdraw the shares. However, you may not know about the meeting enough in advance to withdraw the shares. In any event, the depositary will not exercise any discretion in voting deposited securities and it will only vote or attempt to vote as instructed or as described in the following sentence. If  (i) we asked the depositary to solicit your instructions at least 30 days before the meeting date, (ii) the depositary does not receive voting instructions from you by the specified date and (iii) we confirm to the depositary that:

 

·we wish to receive a proxy to vote uninstructed shares;

 

·we reasonably do not know of any substantial shareholder opposition to a particular question; and

 

·the particular question is not materially adverse to the interests of shareholders.

 

 

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the depositary will consider you to have authorized and directed it to give, and it will give, a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us to vote the number of deposited securities represented by your ADSs as to that question.

 

We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise voting rights and there may be nothing you can do if your shares are not voted as you requested.

In order to give you a reasonable opportunity to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to Deposited Securities, if we request the Depositary to act, we agree to give the depositary notice of any such meeting and details concerning the matters to be voted upon at least 30 days in advance of the meeting date.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

See in Item 12.D of the Annual Report under “American Depositary Shares — Fees and Expenses” for additional information.

 

Payment of Taxes

 

See in Item 12.D of the Annual Report under “American Depositary Shares — Payment of Taxes” for additional information.

 

Tender and Exchange Offers; Redemption, Replacement or Cancellation of Deposited Securities

 

The depositary will not tender deposited securities in any voluntary tender or exchange offer unless instructed to do so by an ADS holder surrendering ADSs and subject to any conditions or procedures the depositary may establish.

 

If deposited securities are redeemed for cash in a transaction that is mandatory for the depositary as a holder of deposited securities, the depositary will call for surrender of a corresponding number of ADSs and distribute the net redemption money to the holders of called ADSs upon surrender of those ADSs.

 

If there is any change in the deposited securities such as a sub-division, combination or other reclassification, or any merger, consolidation, recapitalization or reorganization affecting the issuer of deposited securities in which the depositary receives new securities in exchange for or in lieu of the old deposited securities, the depositary will hold those replacement securities as deposited securities under the deposit agreement. However, if the depositary decides it would not be lawful or practical to hold the replacement securities because those securities could not be distributed to ADS holders or for any other reason, the depositary may instead sell the replacement securities and distribute the net proceeds upon surrender of the ADSs.

 

If there is a replacement of the deposited securities and the depositary will continue to hold the replacement securities, the depositary may distribute new ADSs representing the new deposited securities or ask you to surrender your outstanding ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new deposited securities.

 

If there are no deposited securities underlying ADSs, including if the deposited securities are cancelled, or if the deposited securities underlying ADSs have become apparently worthless, the depositary may call for surrender of those ADSs or cancel those ADSs upon notice to the ADS holders.

 

Amendment and Termination

 

How may the deposit agreement be amended?

 

We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the ADRs without your consent for any reason. If an amendment adds or increases fees or charges, except for taxes and other governmental charges or expenses of the depositary for registration fees, facsimile costs, delivery charges or similar items, or prejudices a substantial right of ADS holders, it will not become effective for outstanding ADSs until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, you are considered, by continuing to hold your ADSs, to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the deposit agreement as amended.

 

 

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How may the deposit agreement be terminated?

 

The depositary will initiate termination of the deposit agreement if we instruct it to do so. The depositary may initiate termination of the deposit agreement if:

 

·90 days have passed since the depositary told us it wants to resign but a successor depositary has not been appointed and accepted its appointment;

​ 

·we delist the ADSs from an exchange on which they were listed and do not list the ADSs on another exchange;

 

·we appear to be insolvent or enter insolvency proceedings;

 

·all or substantially all the value of the deposited securities has been distributed either in cash or in the form of securities;

 

·there are no deposited securities underlying the ADSs or the underlying deposited securities have become apparently worthless; or

 

·there has been a replacement of deposited securities.

 

If the deposit agreement will terminate, the depositary will notify ADS holders at least 90 days before the termination date. At any time after the termination date, the depositary may sell the deposited securities. After that, the depositary will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the deposit agreement, unsegregated and without liability for interest, for the pro  rata benefit of the ADS holders that have not surrendered their ADSs. Normally, the depositary will sell as soon as practicable after the termination date.

 

After the termination date and before the depositary sells, ADS holders can still surrender their ADSs and receive delivery of deposited securities, except that the depositary may refuse to accept a surrender for the purpose of withdrawing deposited securities or reverse previously accepted surrenders of that kind that have not settled if it would interfere with the selling process. The depositary may refuse to accept a surrender for the purpose of withdrawing sale proceeds until all the deposited securities have been sold. The depositary will continue to collect distributions on deposited securities, but, after the termination date, the depositary is not required to register any transfer of ADSs or distribute any dividends or other distributions on deposited securities to the ADSs holder (until they surrender their ADSs) or give any notices or perform any other duties under the deposit agreement except as described in this paragraph.

 

Limitations on Obligations and Liability

 

Limits on our Obligations and the Obligations of the Depositary; Limits on Liability to Holders of ADSs

 

The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary. We and the depositary:

 

·are only obligated to take the actions specifically set forth in the deposit agreement without negligence or bad faith, and the depositary will not be a fiduciary or have any fiduciary duty to holders of ADSs;

 

·are not liable if we are or it is prevented or delayed by law or by events or circumstances beyond our or its ability to prevent or counteract with reasonable care or effort from performing our or its obligations under the deposit agreement;

 

·are not liable if we or it exercises discretion permitted under the deposit agreement;

 

 

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·are not liable for the inability of any holder of ADSs to benefit from any distribution on deposited securities that is not made available to holders of ADSs under the terms of the deposit agreement, or for any special, consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the deposit agreement;

 

·have no obligation to become involved in a lawsuit or other proceeding related to the ADSs or the deposit agreement on your behalf or on behalf of any other person;

 

·may rely upon any documents we believe or it believes in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person;

 

·are not liable for the acts or omissions of any securities depository, clearing agency or settlement system; and

 

·the depositary has no duty to make any determination or provide any information as to our tax status, or any liability for any tax consequences that may be incurred by ADS holders as a result of owning or holding ADSs or be liable for the inability or failure of an ADS holder to obtain the benefit of a foreign tax credit, reduced rate of withholding or refund of amounts withheld in respect of tax or any other tax benefit.

 

In the deposit agreement, we and the depositary agree to indemnify each other under certain circumstances.

 

Requirements for Depositary Actions

 

Before the depositary will deliver or register a transfer of ADSs, make a distribution on ADSs, or permit withdrawal of shares, the depositary may require:

 

·payment of stock transfer or other taxes or other governmental charges and transfer or registration fees charged by third parties for the transfer of any shares or other deposited securities;

 

·satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness of any signature or other information it deems necessary; and

 

·compliance with regulations it may establish, from time to time, consistent with the deposit agreement, including presentation of transfer documents.

 

The depositary may refuse to deliver ADSs or register transfers of ADSs when the transfer books of the depositary or our transfer books are closed or at any time if the depositary or we think it advisable to do so.

 

Your Right to Receive the Shares Underlying your ADSs

 

ADS holders have the right to cancel their ADSs and withdraw the underlying shares at any time except:

 

·when temporary delays arise because: (i) the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books; (ii) the transfer of shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders’ meeting; or (iii) we are paying a dividend on our shares;

 

·when you owe money to pay fees, taxes and similar charges; or

 

·when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of shares or other deposited securities.

 

This right of withdrawal may not be limited by any other provision of the deposit agreement.

 

 

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Direct Registration System

 

In the deposit agreement, all parties to the deposit agreement acknowledge that the Direct Registration System, also referred to as DRS, and Profile Modification System, also referred to as Profile, will apply to the ADSs. DRS is a system administered by DTC that facilitates interchange between registered holding of uncertificated ADSs and holding of security entitlements in ADSs through DTC and a DTC participant. Profile is a feature of DRS that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of a registered holder of uncertificated ADSs, to direct the depositary to register a transfer of those ADSs to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those ADSs to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the depositary of prior authorization from the ADS holder to register that transfer.

 

In connection with and in accordance with the arrangements and procedures relating to DRS/Profile, the parties to the deposit agreement understand that the depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an ADS holder in requesting registration of transfer and delivery as described in the paragraph above has the actual authority to act on behalf of the ADS holder (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). In the deposit agreement, the parties agree that the depositary’s reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the depositary through the DRS/Profile system and in accordance with the deposit agreement will not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the depositary.

 

Shareholder communications; inspection of register of holders of ADSs

 

The depositary will make available for your inspection at its office all communications that it receives from us as a holder of deposited securities that we make generally available to holders of deposited securities. The depositary will send you copies of those communications or otherwise make those communications available to you if we ask it to. You have a right to inspect the register of holders of ADSs, but not for the purpose of contacting those holders about a matter unrelated to our business or the ADSs.

 

Jury Trial Waiver

 

The deposit agreement provides that, to the extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the United States 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 in the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with applicable case law.

 

You will not, by agreeing to the terms of the deposit agreement, be deemed to have waived our or the depositary’s compliance with United States federal securities laws or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.