EX-2.1 2 ea023830801ex2-1_spring.htm DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

Exhibit 2.1

 

Description of Rights of Securities

Registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Amended (the “Exchange Act”)

 

Ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), of Springview Holdings Ltd. (“we,” “our,” “our company,” or “us”) are listed and traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and in connection with this listing (but not for trading), its Ordinary Shares are registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act. This exhibit contains a description of the rights of the holders of Ordinary Shares.

 

Description of Ordinary Shares

 

The following are summaries of the material provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the Companies Act, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our Ordinary Shares. They do not purport to be complete. Reference is made to our memorandum and articles of association, a copy of which is filed as an exhibit to the annual report (the “Memorandum and Articles of Association”).

 

Preemptive Rights (Item 9.A.3 of Form 20-F)

 

There are no pre-emptive rights applicable to the issue by us of new Ordinary Shares under either the Companies Act or our Memorandum and Articles of Association.

 

Limitations or Qualifications (Item 9.A.6 of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

Rights of Other Types of Securities (Item 9.A.7 of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

Rights of Ordinary Shares (Item 10.B.3 of Form 20-F)

 

In respect of matters requiring a shareholder vote, each holder of Ordinary Shares is entitled to one vote per one ordinary share. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association do not permit a director to decide what compensation he or she will receive. All decisions about the compensation of directors will be recommended by the compensation committee, upon its formation, and approved by the Board of Directors as a whole, both acting only when a quorum of members is present.

 

The following are summaries of the material provisions of our Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Companies Act, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our Ordinary Shares. As a convenience to potential investors, we provide the below description of Cayman law and our Memorandum and Articles of Association together with a comparison to similar features under Delaware law.

  

Transfer Agent and Registrar. The transfer agent and registrar for the Ordinary Shares is VStock Transfer LLC. Its address is 18 Lafayette Pl, Woodmere, NY 11598. 

 

Dividends and Distribution. Subject to the Companies Act, our company may by ordinary resolution declare dividends in accordance with the respective rights of the shareholders but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the directors. No dividend may be declared or paid, and no other distribution (whether in cash or otherwise) of our company’s assets (including any distribution of assets to shareholders on a winding up) may be made to a holder of a Class B Share. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that dividends may be declared and paid out of the funds of our company lawfully available therefor. Under the laws of the Cayman Islands, our company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account; provided that ordinary resolution is obtained regarding the declaration and payment of dividend out of share premium account and in no circumstances may a dividend be paid out of our share premium if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business.

 

Subject to our company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, if our company is wound up the shareholders may, pass a special resolution allowing the liquidator to do either or both of the following:

 

(a)to divide in specie among the holders of the Class A Shares the whole or any part of the assets of our company and, for that purpose, to value any assets and to determine how the division shall be carried out as among the holders of the Class A Shares; and/or

 

 

 

 

(b)to vest the whole or any part of the assets in trustees for the benefit of the holders of the Class A Shares and those liable to contribute to the winding up.

 

No distribution (whether in cash or otherwise) of our company’s assets on a winding up may be made to a holder of a Class B Ordinary Share in accordance with our company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association.

 

Voting Rights. The holder of an Ordinary Share shall have the right to receive notice of, attend at and vote as a shareholder at any general meeting of our company. Voting at any meeting of shareholders is by way of a poll. Subject to our Memorandum and Articles of Association, each holder of Class A Share is, on a poll, entitled to exercise one vote for each Class A Share he or she holds on any and all matters to be voted thereon in a general meeting, and each holder of Class B Share is, on a poll, entitled to exercise 20 votes for each Class B Share he or she holders on any and all matters to be voted thereon in a general meeting.

 

An ordinary resolution means a resolution passed at a duly constituted general meeting of the shareholders passed by a simple majority of shareholders who (being entitled to do so) vote in person or by proxy at that meeting. A special resolution means a resolution passed at a duly constituted general meeting of the shareholders passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the shareholders who (being entitled to do so) vote in person or by proxy at that meeting. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name, making changes to our Memorandum and Articles of Association, a reduction of our share capital and the winding up of our company. Our shareholders may, among other things, consolidate or sub-divide their shares by ordinary resolution.

 

General Meetings of Shareholders. As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Act to call shareholders’ annual general meetings; accordingly, we may, but shall not be obliged to, in each year hold a general meeting as an 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 one-third of all votes attaching to the total issued and paid up share capital of our company in accordance with the notice provisions in the Memorandum and Articles of Association. The requisition must specify the purpose of the meeting and be signed by or on behalf of each of the shareholders making the requisition. The directors should convene an extraordinary general meeting within two months after the deposit of such requisition. If the directors do not convene such meeting within 21 days’ from the date of deposit of the written requisition, those shareholders who requested the meeting may convene the general meeting themselves in the same manner 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 seven clear days’ notice of an extraordinary general meeting and 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 persons entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a shareholder.

 

Subject to the Companies Act and with the consent of the shareholders who, individually or collectively, hold at least 90% 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.

 

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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 hence, or to such other time or place as is determined by the directors.

 

The chairman may at any time adjourn a meeting with the consent of the shareholders constituting a quorum. When a meeting is adjourned for more than seven clear days, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association.

 

In the case of an equality of votes, on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which the poll is demanded shall not be entitled to a second or casting vote.

 

Transfer of Shares. Subject to any applicable requirements set forth in the Memorandum and Articles of Association and provided that a transfer of shares complies with applicable rules of Nasdaq, a shareholder may transfer his or her Shares to another person by completing an instrument of transfer in a common form or in a form prescribed by Nasdaq or in any other form approved by the directors, executed:

 

  where the Shares are fully paid, by or on behalf of that shareholder; and

 

  where the Shares are partly paid, by or on behalf of that shareholder and the transferee.

 

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

 

Where the Shares in question are not listed on or subject to the rules of Nasdaq, our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any Share which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any Share unless:

 

  the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the 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 Share transferred is fully paid up 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 relevant stock exchange may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as our directors may from time to time require is paid to us in respect thereof.

 

If our directors refuse to register a transfer of shares not listed on the stock exchange, they shall, within one month after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.

 

The registration of transfers may, 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 as our board may determine.

 

Liquidation. If we are wound up, the shareholders may, subject to the Memorandum and Articles of Association and any other sanction required by the Companies Act, pass a special resolution allowing the liquidator to do either or both of the following:

 

  to divide in specie among the holders of the Class A Shares the whole or any part of our assets and, for that purpose, to value any assets and to determine how the division shall be carried out as among the holders of the Class A Shares; and

 

  to vest the whole or any part of the assets in trustees for the benefit of holders of the Class A Shares and those liable to contribute to the winding up.

 

No distribution (whether in cash or otherwise) of our company’s assets on a winding up may be made to a holder of the Class B Share.

 

The directors have the authority to present a petition for our winding up to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on our behalf without the sanction of a resolution passed at a general meeting.

 

Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares. Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 clear days prior to the specified time and place of payment. The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.

 

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Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares. We may issue shares on terms that such shares are subject to redemption, at our option or at the option of the holders of these shares, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined by our board of directors. Our Company may also repurchase any of our shares on such terms and in such manner as have been approved by our board of directors. Under the Companies Act, the redemption or repurchase of any share may be paid out of our company’s profits, share premium account or out of the proceeds of a new issue of shares made for the purpose of such redemption or repurchase, or out of capital if our company can, immediately following such payment, pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Act no such share may be redeemed or repurchased (a) unless it is fully paid up, (b) if such redemption or repurchase would result in there being no shares outstanding (other than treasury shares) or (c) if the company has commenced liquidation. In addition, our company may accept the surrender of any fully paid share for no consideration.

 

Variations of Rights of Shares. Whenever the capital of our company is divided into different classes the rights attached to any such class may, unless the terms on which a class of shares was issued state otherwise, only be varied with (i) the written consent by the shareholders holding not less than 50% of the issued shares of that class or (ii) the sanction of a resolution passed by a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast at a separate meeting of the holders of the 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 shall not be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with such existing class of shares.

 

Issuance of Additional Shares. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association authorize our board of directors to issue additional Shares from time to time and on such terms and conditions as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares. The directors may so deal with the unissued shares (a) either at a premium or at par; or (b) with or without preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise.

 

Inspection of Books and Records. Holders of our Class A Shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records (other than copies of our memorandum and articles, the register of mortgages or charges, and any special resolutions passed by our shareholders).

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions. Some provisions of our Memorandum and Articles of Association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:

 

  authorize our board of directors to issue additional shares and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders; and

 

  limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders.

 

However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our Memorandum and Articles of Association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

 

Exempted Company. We are an exempted company with limited liability (meaning our public shareholders have no liability, as shareholders of our company, for liabilities of our company over and above the amount paid for their shares) under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:

 

  annual reporting requirements are minimal and consist mainly of a statement that the company has conducted its operations mainly outside of the Cayman Islands and has complied with the provisions of the Companies Act;

 

  an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection;

 

  an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;

 

  an exempted company may not issue negotiable or bearer shares, but may issue shares with no par value;

 

  an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);

 

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

 

  an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and

 

  an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.

 

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“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on that shareholder’s 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).

 

Requirements to Change the Rights of Holders of Ordinary Shares (Item 10.B.4 of Form 20-F)

  

To the fullest extent permitted by the Law, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution do any of the following and amend its Memorandum for that purpose:

 

(a) increase its share capital by new Shares of the amount fixed by that Ordinary Resolution and with the attached rights, priorities and privileges set out in that Ordinary Resolution;

 

(b) consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares;

 

(c) convert all or any of its Paid Up Shares into stock, and reconvert that stock into Paid Up Shares of any denomination;

 

(d) sub-divide its Shares or any of them into Shares of an amount smaller than that fixed by the Memorandum, so, however, that in the sub-division, the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share is derived; and

 

(e) cancel Shares which, at the date of the passing of that Ordinary Resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person, and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled or, in the case of Shares without nominal par value, diminish the number of Shares into which its capital is divided. 

 

Limitations on the Rights to Own Ordinary Shares (Item 10.B.6 of Form 20-F)

 

There are no limitations imposed by our Memorandum and Articles of Association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our Memorandum and Articles of Association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed. 

 

Provisions Affecting Any Change of Control (Item 10.B.7 of Form 20-F)

 

Some provisions of our Memorandum and Articles of Association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:

 

  authorize our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders; and
     
  limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders.

 

However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our Memorandum and Articles of Association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

 

Ownership Threshold (Item 10.B.8 of Form 20-F)

 

There are no provisions under the Companies Act or under the Memorandum and Articles of Association that govern the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.

 

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Differences Between the Law of Different Jurisdictions (Item 10.B.9 of Form 20-F)

 

The Companies Act is derived, to a large extent, from the older Companies Acts of England but does not follow recent English statutory enactments and accordingly there are significant differences between the Companies Act and the current Companies Act of England. 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 State of Delaware 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. For these purposes, (a) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company, and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent 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 members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.

 

A merger between a Cayman parent company and its Cayman subsidiary or subsidiaries does not require authorization by a resolution of shareholders of that Cayman subsidiary if a copy of the plan of merger is given to every member of that Cayman subsidiary to be merged unless that member agrees otherwise. For this purpose, a company is a “parent” of a subsidiary if it holds issued shares that together represent at least ninety percent (90%) of the votes at a general meeting of the subsidiary.

 

The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest over a constituent company is required unless this requirement is waived by a court in the Cayman Islands.

 

Save in certain limited circumstances, a shareholder of a Cayman constituent company who dissents from the merger or consolidation is entitled to payment of the fair value of his shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) upon dissenting to the merger or consolidation, provided the dissenting shareholder complies strictly with the procedures set out in the Companies Act. The exercise of dissenter rights will preclude the exercise by the dissenting shareholder of any other rights to which he or she might otherwise be entitled by virtue of holding shares, save for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful.

 

Separate from the statutory provisions relating to mergers and consolidations, the Companies Act also contains statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies by way of schemes of arrangement, provided that the arrangement is approved by seventy-five per cent in value of the members or class of members, as the case may be, with whom the arrangement is to be made and a majority in number of each class of creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent seventy-five per cent in value of each such class of 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;

 

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  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 man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and
     
  the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act.

 

The Companies Act also contains a statutory power of compulsory acquisition which may facilitate the “squeeze out” of a dissentient minority shareholder upon a tender offer. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares to the offeror on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands 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 by way of scheme of arrangement is thus approved and sanctioned, or if a tender offer is made and accepted, in accordance with the foregoing statutory procedures, a dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, save that objectors to a takeover offer may apply to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for various orders that the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands has a broad discretion to make, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.

 

The Companies Act also contains statutory provisions which provide that a company may present a petition to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for the appointment of a restructuring officer on the grounds that the company (a) is or is likely to become unable to pay its debts within the meaning of section 93 of the Companies Act; and (b) intends to present a compromise or arrangement to its creditors (or classes thereof) either, pursuant to the Companies Act, the law of a foreign country or by way of a consensual restructuring. The petition may be presented by a company acting by its directors, without a resolution of its members or an express power in its articles of association. On hearing such a petition, the Cayman Islands court may, among other things, make an order appointing a restructuring officer or make any other order as the court thinks fit.

 

Shareholders’ Suits. In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) so that a non-controlling shareholder may be permitted to commence a class action against or derivative actions in the name of the company to challenge actions where:

 

  a company acts or proposes to act illegally or ultra vires;
     
  the act complained of, although not ultra vires, could only be effected duly if authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; and
     
  those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”

 

A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed. Our Articles of Association contain a provision by virtue of which our shareholders waive any claim or right of action that they have, both individually and on our behalf, against any director in relation to any action or failure to take action by such director in the performance of his or her duties with or for our company, except in respect of any fraud, willful default or dishonesty of such director.

 

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Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability. Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association provides that every director, alternate director or officer shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability incurred by him as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out his functions other than such liability (if any) that he may incur by his own actual fraud or wilful default. 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 secretary or any of our officers in respect of any matter identified in above on condition that the secretary or officer must repay the amount paid by us to the extent that it is ultimately found not liable to indemnify the secretary or that officer for those legal costs. The Underwriting Agreement, the form of which has been filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, will also provide for indemnification of us and our officers and directors. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

Directors’ Fiduciary Duties. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, directors of a Cayman Islands company owe fiduciary duties to the company and separately a duty of care, diligence and skill to the company. Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties: (i) a duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole; (ii) a duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose; (iii) directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion; (iv) a duty to exercise powers fairly as between different classes of shareholders; (v) a duty to exercise independent judgment; and (vi) a duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests. In fulfilling their duty of care to our company, our directors must ensure compliance with our Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended and restated from time to time. Our company may have the right to seek damages if a duty owed by our directors is breached.

 

Our board of directors has all the powers necessary for managing, and for directing and supervising, our business affairs. The functions and powers of our board of directors include, among others:

 

  convening shareholders’ annual and extraordinary general meetings and reporting its work to shareholders at such meetings;

 

  declaring dividends and distributions;

 

  appointing officers and determining the term of office of the officers;

 

  exercising the borrowing powers of our company and mortgaging the property of our company; and

 

  approving the transfer of shares in our company, including the registration of such transfer in our register of members.

 

Shareholder Action by Written Consent. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. Cayman Islands law permits us to eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent and our Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that any action required or permitted to be taken at any general meetings may be taken upon the vote of shareholders at a general meeting duly noticed and convened in accordance with our Memorandum and Articles of Association and may not be taken by written consent of the shareholders without a meeting.

 

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. The Delaware General Corporation Law does not provide shareholders an express right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, but in keeping with common law, Delaware corporations generally afford shareholders an opportunity to make proposals and nominations provided that they comply with the notice provisions in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws. 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.

 

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The Cayman Islands Companies Act provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our articles provide that general meetings may also be convened by any one or more of our directors on the written request of shareholders entitled to exercise 10% or more of the voting rights in respect of the matter for which the meeting is requisitioned. Such written request must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the shareholders requisitioning the meeting. The written request must be lodged at our registered office in the Cayman Islands and may be delivered in counterpart. If the directors do not proceed to convene a general meeting within 21 days of the written request to requisition a meeting being lodged the requisitionists, or any of them together holding at least half of the voting rights of all of them, may convene the general meeting in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which a general meeting may be convened by a director. Where the requisitionists fail to convene the general meeting within three months of their right to convene the meeting arising, the right to convene the general meeting shall lapse. As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obligated by law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings.

 

Cumulative Voting. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for appointment 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 on a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to appointing such director. As permitted under the Cayman Islands Companies Act, our 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. Subject to the provisions of our articles (which include the removal of a director by ordinary resolution), the office of a director may be vacated if: (a) he gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns the office of director; or (b) he absents himself (without being represented by an alternate director appointed by him) from three consecutive meetings of the board of directors without special leave of absence from the directors, and they pass a resolution that he has by reason of such absence vacated office; or; (c) dies, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; (d) he is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; or; (e) the other directors (being not less than two in number) resolve that he should be removed as a director.

 

Transactions with Interested Shareholders. The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware public corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation or bylaws that is approved by its shareholders, 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 stock or who or which is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and owned 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors.

 

The Cayman Islands Companies Act 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 the Cayman Islands Companies Act does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, under Cayman Islands law such transactions must be entered into bona fide in the best interests of the company and for a proper corporate purpose and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.

 

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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 of directors.

 

Under the Cayman Islands Companies Act and our articles, the Company may be wound up by a special resolution of our shareholders, or if the winding up is initiated by our board of directors, by either a special resolution of our members or, if our company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of our members. In addition, a company may be wound up by an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands. 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.

 

Variation of Rights of Shares. If at any time our share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may be varied either with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a special 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 otherwise expressly provided by the terms, of issue of any class, the rights conferred on the holders of shares of that class shall not be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with that class.

 

Amendment of Governing Documents. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may be amended only if adopted and declared advisable by the board of directors and approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, and the bylaws may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote and may, if so provided in the certificate of incorporation, also be amended by the board of directors. Under the Cayman Islands Companies Act, our articles may only be amended by special resolution of our shareholders.

 

Rights of Non-resident or Foreign Shareholders. There are no limitations imposed by our Memorandum and Articles of Association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our Memorandum and Articles of Association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.

 

Changes in Capital (Item 10.B.10 of Form 20-F)

 

Subject to the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Companies Act, we may amend its Memorandum or Articles by a resolution of shareholders or by a resolution of directors, to change our number of authorized shares.

 

Debt Securities (Item 12.A of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

Warrants and Rights (Item 12.B of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

Other Securities (Item 12.C of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

Description of American Depositary Shares (Items 12.D.1 and 12.D.2 of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

 

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