EX-2.3 3 ea024083701ex2-3_micropolis.htm DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

Exhibit 2.3

 

DESCRIPTION OF MICROPOLIS HOLDING COMPANY’S SECURITIES

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED

 

The following description of the securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, of Micropolis Holding Company (“Micropolis,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”) is a summary of the rights of our issued share capital and certain provisions of our memorandum and articles of association. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as to the applicable provisions of the corporate law of the Cayman Islands. Defined terms used but not defined herein have the meaning given to them in our Annual Report on Form 20-F to which this description is an exhibit.

 

We are an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended from time to time, the Companies Act, and the common law by the Cayman Islands.

 

Our authorized Share capital consists of 200,000,000 shares of par value of US$0.0001 per share, all of which are designated as ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each (the “Shares”).

 

As of the date hereof, we had 34,888,447 Shares issued and outstanding. All of our Shares issued and outstanding are fully paid.

 

Warrants

 

On March 10, 2025, the Company issued warrants to Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc., the Underwriter to the Company’s IPO, which are exercisable during the period commencing from March 10, 2025, and expiring five years from the commencement of sales of the Ordinary Shares in the IPO, entitling the holders of the warrants to purchase an aggregate of 232,500 Ordinary Shares at a per share price of $5 (the “Underwriter’s Warrants”). The Underwriter’s Warrants and the Ordinary Shares underlying the Underwriter’s Warrants may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days beginning on the date of commencement of sales of the IPO (in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110), except that they may be assigned, in whole or in part, to any member participating in the offering and the officers or partners thereof, and that all securities so transferred remain subject to the lock-up restriction for the remainder of the time period. The Underwriter’s Warrants may be exercised as to all or a lesser number of Ordinary Shares and will provide for cashless exercise. The Underwriter’s Warrants contain a provision for one demand registration, at the expense of the Company, and one additional demand right at the expense of the holder of the Underwriter’s Warrants, in compliance with FINRA rule 5110(g)(8)(B). The demand registration rights may be exercised at any time following issuance of the warrants but no later than five years following the commencement of sales of the IPO in compliance with FINRA rule 5110(g)(8)(C). The Underwriter’s Warrants also contain unlimited “piggyback” registration rights at our expense. The piggyback registration rights may be exercised at any time following issuance of the warrants but no later than five years following commencement of sales of the IPO in compliance with FINRA rule 5110(g)(8)(D).

 

 

 

 

Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association

 

Our Shareholders adopted an amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which became effective and replaced our current memorandum and articles of association in its entirety upon and with effect from March 6, 2025. The following are summaries of material provisions of the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles and of the Companies Act, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our shares.

 

Objects of Our Company.    Under our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, 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.    All of our issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares are fully paid and non-assessable. Our Ordinary Shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our register of members. Unless the Board of Directors determine otherwise, each holder of our Ordinary Shares will not receive a certificate in respect of such Ordinary Shares. We may not issue shares to bearer. Our Shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their shares. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act and our articles regarding redemption and purchase of the shares, the directors have general and unconditional authority to allot (with or without confirming rights of renunciation), grant options over or otherwise deal with any unissued shares to such persons, at such times and on such terms and conditions as they may decide. The directors may deal with unissued shares either at a premium or at par, or with or without preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise. No share may be issued at a discount except in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act. 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.

 

Dividends.    Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act and any rights attaching to any class or classes of shares under and in accordance with the articles: (i) the Directors may declare dividends or distributions out of our funds which are lawfully available for that purpose; and (ii) our Shareholders may, by ordinary resolution, declare dividends but no such dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors. Subject to the requirements of the Companies Act regarding the application of a company’s share premium account and with the sanction of an ordinary resolution, dividends may also be declared and paid out of any share premium account. The Directors when paying dividends to Shareholders may make such payment either in cash or in specie. Unless provided by the rights attached to a share, no dividend shall bear interest.

 

Voting Rights.    Subject to any rights or restrictions as to voting attached to any shares, unless any share carries special voting rights, on a show of hands every Shareholder who is present in person and every person representing a Shareholder by proxy shall have one vote per Ordinary Share. On a poll, every Shareholder who is present in person and every person representing a Shareholder by proxy shall have one vote for each share of which he or the person represented by proxy is the holder. In addition, all Shareholders holding shares of a particular class are entitled to vote at a meeting of the holders of that class of shares. Votes may be given either personally or by proxy.

 

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General Meetings of Shareholders.    As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Act to call shareholders’ annual general meetings. We may (but are not obliged to) in each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting. Any annual general meeting held shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by our Board of Directors. All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings. The directors may convene general meetings whenever they think fit. General meetings shall also be convened on the written requisition of one or more of the Shareholders entitled to attend and vote at our general meetings who (together) hold not less than ten percent of the rights to vote at such general meeting in accordance with the notice provisions in the articles, specifying the purpose of the meeting and signed by each of the Shareholders making the requisition. If the directors do not convene such meeting within 21 clear days’ from the date of receipt of the written requisition, those Shareholders who requested the meeting or any of them may convene the general meeting themselves within three months after the end of such period of 21 clear days in which case reasonable expenses incurred by them as a result of the directors failing to convene a meeting shall be reimbursed by us.

 

At least 7 clear days’ notice of an extraordinary general meeting and 21 clear days’ notice of an annual general meeting shall be given to Shareholders entitled to attend and vote at such meeting. The notice shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of that business. In addition, if a resolution is proposed as a special resolution, the text of that resolution shall be given to all Shareholders. Notice of every general meeting shall also be given to the directors and our auditors.

 

Subject to the Companies Act and with the consent of the Shareholders who, individually or collectively, hold at least 90 percent of the voting rights of all those who have a right to vote at a general meeting, a general meeting may be convened on shorter notice.

 

A quorum shall consist of the presence (whether in person or represented by proxy) of one or more Shareholders holding shares that represent not less than one-third of the outstanding shares carrying the right to vote at such general meeting.

 

If, within 15 minutes from the time appointed for the general meeting, or at any time during the meeting, a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of Shareholders, shall be cancelled. In any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same time and place seven days or to such other time or place as is determined by the directors.

 

The chairman may, with the consent of a meeting at which a quorum is present, adjourn the meeting. When a meeting is adjourned for more than seven clear days, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with the articles.

 

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 by at least two Shareholders having the right to vote on the resolutions or one or more Shareholders present who together hold not less than ten percent of the voting rights of all those who are entitled to vote on the resolution. Unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the chairman as to the result of a resolution and an entry to that effect in the minutes of the meeting, shall be conclusive evidence of the outcome of a show of hands, without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of, or against, that resolution.

 

If a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the chairman directs and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

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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 not be entitled to a second or casting vote.

 

Directors.    We may by ordinary resolution, from time to time, fix the maximum and minimum number of directors to be appointed. Under the articles, we are required to have a minimum of one director and the maximum number of Directors shall be unlimited. For as long as the Company’s shares are listed on a stock exchange, our Board of Directors shall include at least such number of independent directors as applicable law, rules or regulations or the relevant stock exchange require as determined by the Board.

 

A director may be appointed by ordinary resolution or by the directors. Any appointment may be to fill a vacancy or as an additional director.

 

Unless the remuneration of the directors is determined by the Shareholders by ordinary resolution, the directors shall be entitled to such remuneration as the directors may determine.

 

The shareholding qualification for directors may be fixed by our Shareholders by ordinary resolution and unless and until so fixed no share qualification shall be required.

 

A director may be removed by ordinary resolution. 

 

Transfer of Ordinary Shares. Subject to the restrictions set forth in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, any of our Shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her shares by completing an instrument of transfer in a common form or in a form prescribed by NYSE American or any other form approved by our board of directors, executed:

 

where the ordinary shares are fully paid, by or on behalf of that Shareholder; and

 

where the ordinary shares are partly paid, by or on behalf of that Shareholder and the transferee.

 

The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of an Ordinary Share until the name of the transferee is entered into our register of members.

 

Where the ordinary shares in question are not listed on or subject to the rules of the NYSE American, our Board of Directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share that has not been 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;

 

the Ordinary Share transferred is fully paid and free of any lien in favour of us;

 

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

 

a fee of such maximum sum as the NYSE American 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.

 

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The registration of transfers may, on 14 days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers or by electronic means, 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.

 

Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares.    Subject to the terms of allotment, the directors may make calls on the Shareholders in respect of any monies unpaid on their shares including any premium and each Shareholder shall (subject to receiving at least 14 clear days’ notice specifying when and where payment is to be made), pay to us the amount called on his shares. Shareholders registered as the joint holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect of the share. If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the person from whom it is due and payable shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid at the rate fixed by the terms of allotment of the share or in the notice of the call or if no rate is fixed, at the rate of ten percent per annum. The directors may waive payment of the interest wholly or in part. We have a first and paramount lien on all shares (whether fully paid up or not) registered in the name of a Shareholder (whether solely or jointly with others). The lien is for all monies payable to us by the Shareholder or the Shareholder’s estate: (i) either alone or jointly with any other person, whether or not that other person is a Shareholder; and (ii) whether or not those monies are presently payable. At any time, the directors may declare any share to be wholly or partly exempt from the lien on shares provisions of the articles. We may sell, in such manner as the directors may determine, any share on which the sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable, if due notice that such sum is payable has been given (as prescribed by the articles) and, within 14 clear days of the date on which the notice is deemed to be given under the articles, such notice has not been complied with.

 

Redemption, Repurchase, and Surrender of Shares.    Subject to the Companies Act and any rights for the time being conferred on the Shareholders holding a particular class of shares, we may by action of our directors: (i) issue shares that are to be redeemed or liable to be redeemed, at our option or the Shareholder holding those redeemable shares, on the terms and in the manner our directors determine before the issue of those shares; (ii) with the consent by special resolution of the Shareholders holding shares of a particular class, vary the rights attaching to that class of shares so as to provide that those shares are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at our option on the terms and in the manner which the directors determine at the time of such variation; and (iii) purchase all or any of our own shares of any class including any redeemable shares on the terms and in the manner which the directors determine at the time of such purchase. We may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own shares in any manner authorized by the Companies Act, including out of any combination of capital, our profits, and the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares. When making a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of shares, the directors may make the payment in cash or in specie (or partly in one and partly in the other) if so authorized by the terms of the allotment of those shares or by the terms applying to those shares, or otherwise by agreement with the Shareholder holding those shares.

 

Variations of Rights of Shares.    If at any time our share capital is divided into different classes, the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class or series), may be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the issued shares of that class a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the holders of shares of the class present in person or by proxy at a separate general meeting of the holders of shares of that class. Unless the terms on which a class of shares was issued state otherwise, the rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued shall not, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with such existing class of shares.

 

Inspection of Books and Records.    Holders of our shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our corporate records (except for the memorandum and articles of association of our company, 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.”

 

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Anti-Takeover Provisions.    Some provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association may discourage, delay, or prevent a change of control of our company or management that Shareholders may consider favourable, including provisions that limit the ability of Shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of Shareholders.

 

Exempted Company.    We are incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, or the “Companies Act,” on February 23, 2023. A Cayman Islands exempted company:

 

is a company that conducts its business mainly outside the Cayman Islands;

 

is not required to make its register of members open to inspection by Shareholders of that company;

 

does not have to hold an annual general meeting;

 

is prohibited from trading in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the exempted company carried on outside the Cayman Islands (and for this purpose can effect and conclude contracts in the Cayman Islands and exercise in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands);

 

may not issue negotiable or bearer shares but may issue shares with no par value;

 

may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation;

 

may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;

 

may register as an exempted 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 Corporate Law

 

The Companies Act is derived, to a large extent, after the older Companies Acts of England and Wales but does not follow recent United Kingdom statutory enactments and, accordingly, there are significant differences between the Companies Act and the current Companies Act of UK. In addition, the Companies Act differs from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.

 

Mergers and Similar Arrangements.    The Companies Act permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies provided that the laws of the foreign jurisdiction permit such merger or consolidation. For these purposes, (i) “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 (ii) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a new 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 company’s articles of association. The plan must be filed with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of 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 shareholders 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 that is affected 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. For this purpose, a subsidiary is a company of which at least 90% of the issued shares entitled to vote are owned by the parent company.

 

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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.

 

Except in certain limited circumstances, a dissenting shareholder of a Cayman Islands constituent company is entitled to payment of the fair value of his or her shares upon dissenting from a merger or consolidation. The exercise of such 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, except for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful.

 

In addition, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies, provided that the arrangement is approved by seventy-five percent (75%) in value of the shareholders or 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. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:

 

the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met;

 

the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class;

 

the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest person of that class acting in respect of his or her interest; and

 

the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act.

 

When a takeover 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 on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, or collusion.

 

If an arrangement and reconstruction is thus approved, or if a takeover offer is made and accepted, a dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, 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 to sue 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 law 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:

 

an act which is illegally or ultra vires with respect to the company and is therefore incapable of ratification by the shareholders;

 

an act which, although not ultra vires, requires authorization by a qualified (or special) majority (that is, more than a simple majority) that has not been obtained; and

 

an act which constitutes a “fraud on the minority” where the wrongdoers are themselves in control of the company.

 

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Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability.    The Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s 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, or against the indemnified person’s own fraud or dishonesty. Our Amended and Restated Articles provide to the extent permitted by Cayman Islands law, we shall indemnify each existing or former secretary, director (including alternate director), and any of our other officers (including an investment adviser or an administrator or liquidator) and their personal representatives against: (a) all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by the existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary or officer in or about the conduct of our business or affairs or in the execution or discharge of the existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary’s or officer’s duties, powers, authorities or discretions; and (b) without limitation to paragraph (a) above, all costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by the existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings (whether threatened, pending or completed) concerning us or our affairs in any court or tribunal, whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. No such existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary or officer, however, shall be indemnified in respect of any matter arising out of his own dishonesty. To the extent permitted by law, we may make a payment, or agree to make a payment, whether by way of advance, loan or otherwise, for any legal costs incurred by an existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary or any of our officers in respect of any matter identified in above on condition that the director (including alternate director), secretary or officer must repay the amount paid by us to the extent that it is ultimately found not liable to indemnify the director (including alternate director), the secretary or that officer for those legal costs. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation.

 

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 or herself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director acts in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He or she must not use his or her 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 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.

 

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As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director owes three types of duties to the company: (i) statutory duties, (ii) fiduciary duties, and (iii) common law duties. The Companies Act imposes a number of statutory duties on a director. A Cayman Islands director’s fiduciary duties are not codified, however the courts of the Cayman Islands have held that a director owes the following fiduciary duties (a) a duty to act in what the director bona fide considers to be in the best interests of the company, (b) a duty to exercise their powers for the purposes they were conferred, (c) a duty to avoid fettering his or her discretion in the future and (d) a duty to avoid conflicts of interest and of duty. The common law duties owed by a director are those to act with skill, care and diligence that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and, also, to act with the skill, care and diligence in keeping with a standard of care commensurate with any particular skill they have which enables them to meet a higher standard than a director without those skills. In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our amended articles of association, as amended, and restated from time to time. We have the right to seek damages where certain duties owed by any of our directors are breached.

 

Shareholder Action by Written Resolution.    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. The Companies Act allows a special resolution to be passed in writing if signed by all the voting shareholders (if authorized by the memorandum and articles of association).

 

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 provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and it does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association.

 

Cumulative Voting.    Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s 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 for a single director, which increases the shareholder’s 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 Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles 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 Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, directors may be removed with or without cause, by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. In addition, a director’s office shall be vacated automatically if the director (i) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (ii) is found to be or becomes of unsound mind or dies; (iii) resigns his or her office by notice in writing to the company; (iv) without special leave of absence from our board, is absent from meetings of our board for a continuous period of six months, or (v) is removed from office pursuant to any other provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles.

 

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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 target’s 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 that 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 target’s 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, it does provide that such transactions must be entered into bona fide in the best interests of the company and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.

 

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 corporation’s 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 the Companies Act, a company may be wound up by an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands, 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 and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, 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 the Companies Act and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, if our share capital is divided into more than one class of shares, we may vary the rights attached to any class with the written consent of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the holders of shares of the class present in person or by proxy at a separate general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.

 

Amendment of Governing Documents.    Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s 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. Under the Companies Act and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, our memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution of our shareholders.

 

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Rights of Non-resident or Foreign Shareholders.    There are no limitations imposed by our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles 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 Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.

 

Anti-money Laundering — Cayman Islands

 

In order to comply with legislation or regulations aimed at the prevention of money laundering, we are required to adopt and maintain anti-money laundering procedures and may require subscribers to provide evidence to verify their identity and source of funds. Where permitted, and subject to certain conditions, we may also delegate the maintenance of our anti-money laundering procedures (including the acquisition of due diligence information) to a suitable person.

 

We reserve the right to request such information as is necessary to verify the identity of a subscriber. In some cases, the directors may be satisfied that no further information is required since an exemption applies under the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, as amended and revised from time to time (the “Regulations”). Depending on the circumstances of each application, a detailed verification of identity might not be required where:

 

the subscriber makes the payment for their investment from an account held in the subscriber’s name at a recognized financial institution; or

 

the subscriber is regulated by a recognized regulatory authority and is based or incorporated in, or formed under the law of, a recognized jurisdiction; or

 

the application is made through an intermediary which is regulated by a recognized regulatory authority and is based in or incorporated in, or formed under the law of a recognized jurisdiction and an assurance is provided in relation to the procedures undertaken on the underlying investors.

 

For the purposes of these exceptions, recognition of a financial institution, regulatory authority, or jurisdiction will be determined in accordance with the Regulations by reference to those jurisdictions recognized by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority as having equivalent anti-money laundering regulations.

 

In the event of delay or failure on the part of the subscriber in producing any information required for verification purposes, we may refuse to accept the application, in which case any funds received will be returned without interest to the account from which they were originally debited.

 

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We also reserve the right to refuse to make any redemption payment to a shareholder if our directors or officers suspect or are advised that the payment of redemption proceeds to such Shareholder might result in a breach of applicable anti-money laundering or other laws or regulations by any person in any relevant jurisdiction, or if such refusal is considered necessary or appropriate to ensure our compliance with any such laws or regulations in any applicable jurisdiction.

 

If any person resident in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects or has reason for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or is involved with terrorism or terrorist property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of their business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) a nominated officer (appointed in accordance with the Proceeds of Crime Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands) or the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (Revised), if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering or (ii) to a police constable or a nominated officer (pursuant to the Terrorism Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands) or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (Revised), if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and terrorist property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.

 

Data Protection in the Cayman Islands — Privacy Notice

 

This privacy notice explains the manner in which we collect, process, and maintain personal data about our investors pursuant to the Data Protection Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, as amended from time to time and any regulations, codes of practice, or orders promulgated pursuant thereto (the “DPA”).

 

We are committed to processing personal data in accordance with the DPA. In our use of personal data, we will be characterized under the DPA as a “data controller,” whilst certain of our service providers, affiliates, and delegates may act as “data processors” under the DPA. These service providers may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.

 

By virtue of your investment in our Company, we and certain of our service providers may collect, record, store, transfer, and otherwise process personal data by which individuals may be directly or indirectly identified.

 

Your personal data will be processed fairly and for lawful purposes, including (a) where the processing is necessary for us to perform a contract to which you are a party or for taking pre-contractual steps at your request, (b) where the processing is necessary for compliance with any legal, tax, or regulatory obligation to which we are subject, or (c) where the processing is for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by us or by a service provider to whom the data are disclosed. As a data controller, we will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will contact you.

 

We anticipate that we will share your personal data with our service providers for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. We may also share relevant personal data where it is lawful to do so and necessary to comply with our contractual obligations or your instructions or where it is necessary or desirable to do so in connection with any regulatory reporting obligations. In exceptional circumstances, we will share your personal data with regulatory, prosecuting, and other governmental agencies or departments, and parties to litigation (whether pending or threatened), in any country or territory including to any other person where we have a public or legal duty to do so (e.g. to assist with detecting and preventing fraud, tax evasion, and financial crime or compliance with a court order).

 

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Your personal data shall not be held by our Company for longer than necessary with regard to the purposes of the data processing.

 

We will not sell your personal data. Any transfer of personal data outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA. Where necessary, we will ensure that separate and appropriate legal agreements are put in place with the recipient of that data.

 

We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction, or damage to the personal data.

 

If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation to your investment into our Company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should inform such individuals of the content.

 

You have certain rights under the DPA, including (a) the right to be informed as to how we collect and use your personal data (and this privacy notice fulfils our obligation in this respect), (b) the right to obtain a copy of your personal data, (c) the right to require us to stop direct marketing, (d) the right to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected, (e) the right to withdraw your consent and require us to stop processing or restrict the processing, or not begin the processing of your personal data, (f) the right to be notified of a data breach (unless the breach is unlikely to be prejudicial), (g) the right to obtain information as to any countries or territories outside the Cayman Islands to which we, whether directly or indirectly, transfer, intend to transfer, or wish to transfer your personal data, general measures we take to ensure the security of personal data, and any information available to us as to the source of your personal data, (h) the right to complain to the Office of the Ombudsman of the Cayman Islands, and (i) the right to require us to delete your personal data in some limited circumstances.

 

If you consider that your personal data has not been handled correctly, or you are not satisfied with our responses to any requests you have made regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Cayman Islands’ Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can be contacted by calling +1 (345) 946-6283 or by email at info@ombudsman.ky.

 

Legislation of the Cayman Islands

 

The Cayman Islands, together with several other non-European Union jurisdictions, have recently introduced legislation aimed at addressing concerns raised by the Council of the European Union as to offshore structures engaged in certain activities which attract profits without real economic activity. With effect from January 1, 2019, the International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act (Revised) came into force in the Cayman Islands introducing certain economic substance requirements for in-scope Cayman Islands entities which are engaged in certain “relevant activities,” which in the case of exempted companies incorporated before January 1, 2019, applies in respect of financial years commencing July 1, 2019, onwards. However, it is anticipated that our Company may remain out of scope of the legislation or else be subject to more limited substance requirements.

 

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