AtlasClear Holdings, Inc S-3, filed Jun 8, 2026
AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. (ATCH)
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 8, 2026
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
ATLASCLEAR HOLDINGS, INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 92-2303797 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer | |
| incorporation or organization) | Identification Number) |
4350 West Cypress Street, Suite 270
Tampa, FL 33607
(727) 446-6660
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
John Schaible
Executive Chairman
AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.
4350 West Cypress Street, Suite 270
Tampa, FL 33607
(727) 446-6660
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copy to:
Jason Simon, Esq.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
1750 Tysons Blvd., Suite 1000
McLean, Virginia 22102
(703) 749-1300
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this registration statement becomes effective.
If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒
If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, please check the following box. ☐
If this form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ |
| Emerging growth company | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
This registration statement shall hereafter become effective in accordance with the provisions of Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933.
EXPLANATION OF THE FILING
This registration statement contains two prospectuses:
| ● | a base prospectus which covers the potential offering, issuance, and sale from time to time of our common stock, preferred stock, warrants, debt securities, and units in one or more offerings with a total value of up to $100,000,000; and | |
| ● | a resale prospectus covering the resale by selling stockholders of up to 39,000,000 shares of common stock. |
The base prospectus immediately follows this explanatory note. The resale prospectus immediately follows the base prospectus. The cover pages and such additional information contained in the sales agreement prospectus are set forth in the pages following the base prospectus included herein.
The base prospectus included in this shelf registration statement will provide our company with the flexibility to issue and sell securities if and when deemed appropriate and in the best interest of our stockholders. The specific terms of any securities to be offered pursuant to the base prospectus will be specified in a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus. We may or may not issue and sell any securities under this registration statement. Filing this registration statement merely gives us flexibility to issue registered securities if and when we deem doing so is appropriate and in the best interest of our stockholders, without any unnecessary delays. This registration statement helps us maintain an optimal state of readiness at all times.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 8, 2026
PROSPECTUS
$100,000,000
ATLASCLEAR HOLDINGS, INC.
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Debt Securities
Units
We may, from time to time, offer to sell to the public, in one or more offerings, up to $100,000,000 of any combination of any of the following securities:
| ● | shares of our common stock; | |
| ● | shares of our preferred stock; | |
| ● | warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock, and/or debt securities; | |
| ● | debt securities consisting of debentures, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness; or | |
| ● | units consisting of any combination of the foregoing securities. |
We may offer and sell any combination of the securities in amounts, at prices, and on terms that we will determine at the time of any particular offering, to or through one or more agents, dealers or underwriters, or directly to purchasers, including through subscription rights offerings, on a continuous or delayed basis. If agents, underwriters, or dealers are used to sell the securities, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement. In addition, selling security holders to be named in a prospectus supplement may offer and sell our securities from time to time in one or more transactions in amounts, at prices, and on terms that will be determined at the time of an offering.
This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which these securities will be offered. We will provide the specific terms of these securities in supplements to this prospectus. The prospectus supplements will also describe the specific manner in which these securities will be offered and may also supplement, update, or amend information contained in this document. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement before you invest.
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American LLC (the “NYSE”) and trades under the symbol “ATCH.” On June 5, 2026, the last reported sale price for our Common Stock as reported on the NYSE was $0.22 per share.
As of June 5, 2026, our public float, which is equal to the aggregate market value of our outstanding voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates, was approximately $32.5 million, based on 150,337,774 shares of outstanding common stock, of which approximately 2,437,406 shares were held by non-affiliates, and a closing sale price of our common stock of $0.22 on that date. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities in a public primary offering with a value exceeding more than one-third of our public float in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75.0 million.
You should read carefully and consider the “Risk Factors” referenced on page S-5 of this prospectus, as well as those contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and in the documents that are incorporated by reference herein or the applicable prospectus supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2026.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), using a “shelf” registration process for the delayed offering and sale of securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Under the shelf process, we may, from time to time, sell any of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings and selling security holders may offer such securities owned by them from time to time.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we or selling security holders sell securities, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update, or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
We have not authorized anyone to provide you with any additional information. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in the accompanying prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference, and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may have changed materially since those dates.
As used in this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” mean, collectively, AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
SOURCES OF INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA
Where information has been sourced from a third party, the source of such information has been identified. Unless otherwise indicated, the information contained in this prospectus on the market environment, market developments, growth rates, market trends and competition in the markets in which we operate is taken from publicly available sources, including third-party sources, or reflects our estimates that are principally based on information from publicly available sources.
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The following is a summary of selected information contained elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. It does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our securities. You should read this entire prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully, especially the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained herein and therein and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the consolidated financial statements and the notes to the consolidated financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference.
Overview
We are building a cutting-edge technology enabled financial services firm that would create a more efficient platform for trading, clearing, settlement and banking, with evolving and innovative financial products that focus on financial services firms. We are a fintech driven business-to-business platform that seeks to power innovation in fintech, investing, underwriting and trading. We believe we are positioned to provide a modern, mission-critical suite of solutions to our clients, enabling them to reduce their transactions costs and compete more effectively in their businesses.
Our target client base for our prime banking and prime brokerage services includes financial services firms, generally with annual revenues up to $1 billion, including brokerage firms, hedge funds, pension plans, and family offices that are not adequately served by today’s larger correspondent clearing firms and banks.
On February 9, 2024 (the “Closing Date”), the Company consummated the previously announced transactions pursuant to that certain Business Combination Agreement dated November 16, 2022 (as amended, the “Business Combination Agreement”), among the Company, Quantum Fintech Acquisition Corp., Atlas FinTech Holdings Corp. (“Atlas FinTech”) and certain other parties. The transactions consummated as a result of the Business Combination Agreement are hereinafter referred to as the “Business Combination.” In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination (the “Closing”), the Company changed its name from “Calculator New Pubco, Inc.” to “AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.” As a result, the operation history of Quantum survived the merger. Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, AtlasClear received certain assets from Atlas FinTech and Atlas Financial Technologies Corp., a Delaware corporation, and completed the acquisition of broker-dealer Wilson-Davis & Co., Inc. (“Wilson-Davis”).
Through the acquisition of Wilson-Davis, a correspondent clearing company, and the anticipated acquisition of Commercial Bancorp, we expect to acquire the capabilities to provide specialized clearing and banking services to financial services firms, with an emphasis on global markets currently underserviced by larger vendors. Once properly integrated, anticipated synergies between Commercial Bancorp, if acquired, and Wilson-Davis are expected to allow for lower cost of capital, higher net interest margins, expanded product development and greater credit extension.
On February 16, 2024, AtlasClear and Pacsquare Technologies, LLC (“Pacsquare”) entered into a Source Code Purchase and Master Services Agreement (the “Pacsquare Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which AtlasClear purchased a proprietary trading platform with clearing and settlement capabilities that will be developed by Pacsquare, including certain software and source code (the “AtlasClear Platform”). On June 10, 2025, the Company and Pacsquare entered into a Software Development and License Agreement which supersedes and amends the terms under the Purchase Agreement. Under the Software Development and License Agreement, Pacsquare agreed to develop and provide services for a period of 36 months, commencing on the date of execution of the Software Development and License Agreement.
We believe that our proprietary trading platform with clearing and settlement capabilities along with the software products and intellectual property assets, are cutting-edge, flexible and scalable.
You can find more information about us in our filings with the SEC referenced in the sections in this document titled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.”
Commercial Bancorp Share Purchase Agreement
On February 5, 2026, the Company entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Commercial Bancorp of Wyoming (“Commercial Bancorp”), and each of the shareholders of Commercial Bancorp (collectively, the “Sellers”). The Purchase Agreement provides for the Company to acquire (the “Acquisition”) from the Sellers all of the outstanding shares (the “Shares”) of common stock of Commercial Bancorp, which is the owner of all of the outstanding stock of Farmers State Bank, a Wyoming state-chartered member bank (the “Bank”), subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement. As previously disclosed, the Company had previously entered into an agreement and plan of merger, as amended, to acquire Commercial Bancorp, which agreement has expired in accordance with its terms.
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Pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to purchase the Shares from the Sellers for consideration consisting of a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, with the total amount of consideration to be determined based on (i) each Seller’s election to receive cash, shares of Common Stock, or a combination thereof, (ii) the adjusted book value of the operational portion of the equity capital of Commercial Bancorp as of the closing of the Acquisition (the “CB Closing”), determined in accordance with the provisions of the Purchase Agreement (the “ABV”), (iii) the value of the existing building and land comprising the physical location of the Bank (the “Premises”), and (iv) Commercial Bancorp’s net operating loss as reflected on its most recent tax return prior to the CB Closing, multiplied by the maximum corporate federal income tax rate in effect as of the date of the CB Closing (the “NOL Tax Benefit”). Each Seller may elect (the “Election”) to receive an amount equal to any of the following three options: (i) three times such Seller’s pro rata portion of the ABV, plus such Seller’s pro rata portion of the value of the Premises and the NOL Tax Benefit, payable one-third in cash and two-thirds in shares of Common Stock; (ii) two times such Seller’s pro rata portion of the ABV, plus such Seller’s pro rata portion of the value of the Premises and the NOL Tax Benefit, payable entirely in cash; or (iii) three times such Seller’s pro rata portion of the ABV, plus such Seller’s pro rata portion of the value of the Premises and the NOL Tax Benefit, payable entirely in shares of Common Stock. The Company has made an earnest money deposit payment in the amount of $100,000 to Commercial Bancorp, which deposit will be applied to the cash portion of the consideration payable at the CB Closing or, if the CB Closing does not occur under certain circumstances, retained by Commercial Bancorp.
The shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement will be valued based on either the closing price of the Common Stock on the date of execution of the Purchase Agreement ($0.23), or on the business day immediately preceding the date of the CB Closing, at each Seller’s option; in each case, as appropriately adjusted for any stock split, reverse stock split, recapitalization or similar event occurring after the date of the Purchase Agreement and prior to the CB Closing. The Company has agreed to file with the Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a resale registration statement with respect to the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the Purchase Agreement (the “Resale Registration Statement”).
The obligations of each of the Sellers and the Company under the Purchase Agreement are subject to specified conditions, including, among other matters: (i) the receipt of all required regulatory approvals, (ii) the Resale Registration Statement having been declared effective by the SEC, such that all shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement shall be registered for resale and freely tradeable, (iii) the receipt of certain specified third-party consents, and (iv) the absence of any injunctions being entered into or law being adopted that would make the Transaction illegal.
The Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties of Commercial Bancorp and the Bank, the Sellers and the Company. It also contains customary covenants, including (i) covenants providing for each of the parties to use reasonable best efforts to cause the Acquisition to be consummated and to receive all required regulatory approvals, including from the Federal Reserve Board and the Wyoming Division of Banking, (ii) covenants providing for Commercial Bancorp and the Bank to carry on their respective businesses in the ordinary course of business, and to refrain from taking certain actions, during the period between the execution of the Purchase Agreement and the CB Closing, and (iii) granting the Company observation rights with respect to meetings of the boards of directors of Commercial Bancorp and the Bank during the period between the execution of the Purchase Agreement and the CB Closing. Commercial Bancorp, the Bank and the Sellers have also agreed not to initiate, solicit, encourage or otherwise facilitate the making of any proposal or offer relating to alternate transactions, or engage in any discussions or negotiations with respect to alternate transactions.
The Purchase Agreement contains termination rights for each of the Sellers and the Company, including, without limitation, in the event that (i) any governmental entity issues a non-appealable final order denying approval of the Acquisition; (ii) the Transaction is not consummated within two years of the execution of the Purchase, subject to extension under certain circumstances; or (iii) the other party breaches its representations, warranties or covenants under the Purchase Agreement which would give rise to the failure of a closing condition and such breach is not cured within 30 days of receipt of written notice of such breach.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 4350 West Cypress Street, Suite 270, Tampa, FL 33607, and our telephone number at that location is (727) 446-6660. Our website address is https://www.atlasclear.com. Information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus, and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only.
| S-3 |
Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards). The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with certain other public companies difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the Quantum IPO, which occurred on February 9, 2021, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common equity that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our common equity held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the last business day of the most recently completed second fiscal quarter or (ii) the market value of our common equity held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of the most recently completed second fiscal quarter and our annual revenue in the most recent fiscal year completed before the last business day of such second fiscal quarter exceeded $100 million. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before purchasing our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors relating to our company that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, as well as the risks, uncertainties, and additional information set forth in our SEC reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K and in the other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. For a description of these reports and documents, and information about where you can find them, see “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.” Additional risks not presently known or that we presently consider to be immaterial could subsequently materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, business, and prospects.
CAUTIONARY NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein, and other written and oral statements we make from time to time contain certain “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). You can identify these forward-looking statements by the fact they use words such as “could,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “target,” “may,” “project,” “guidance,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “future,” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance.
Forward-looking statements in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus are based on information available as of the date of this prospectus, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date, and we undertake no obligations to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, our actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include:
| ● | our ability to realize the benefits expected from the Business Combination; | |
| ● | our ability to complete the acquisitions of Commercial Bancorp or Ark Financial Services, Inc. (“Ark”); | |
| ● | our ability to successfully integrate our recent and proposed acquisitions, including the proposed acquisitions of Commercial Bancorp and Ark, and to realize the synergies and benefits of such acquisitions; | |
| ● | our ability to successfully implement the AtlasClear Platform; | |
| ● | our significant indebtedness and our ability to service such indebtedness; | |
| ● | the volatility of the price of our common stock and the possibility that stockholders could incur substantial losses; | |
| ● | potential dilution of our stockholder interests resulting from our issuance of equity securities; | |
| ● | the ability to maintain the listing of our common stock on the NYSE, and the potential liquidity and trading of such securities; | |
| ● | our ability to grow and manage growth profitably; | |
| ● | our ability to raise financing in the future, if and when needed; | |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or adapting to changes in, our officers, key employees or directors; | |
| ● | our ability to attract and retain our senior management and other highly qualified personnel; | |
| ● | our ability to achieve or maintain profitability; | |
| ● | the period over which we anticipate our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements; | |
| ● | our ability to successfully protect against cybersecurity attacks or breaches, ransomware attacks, and other disruptions to our information technology structure; | |
| ● | our ability to successfully compete against other companies; | |
| ● | our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, and needs for additional financing; and | |
| ● | the effect of economic downturns and political and market conditions beyond our control. |
Forward-looking statements in this prospectus also include, without limitation, statements regarding (i) the impact of our outstanding amended and restated secured convertible note issued to Funicular Funds, LP, including potential adjustments to the conversion price thereof and the dilution that may result from conversions thereunder; (ii) the regulatory capital contributions that will be required at our broker-dealer and bank subsidiaries in connection with the consummation and integration of our pending acquisitions; and (iii) the timing and effects of any potential reverse stock split or other capital structure adjustments.
The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statements included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including the information under the heading “Risk Factors” above. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what we anticipate.
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We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities from offerings under this prospectus for general corporate purposes and working capital unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise. As a result, we will retain broad discretion over the allocation of net proceeds. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in investment-grade, interest-bearing securities until they are used for their stated purpose. We would not receive proceeds from sales by our security holders.
Selling security holders are persons or entities that, directly or indirectly, have acquired or will from time to time acquire from us, our securities in various private transactions. Such selling security holders may be parties to registration rights agreements with us, or we otherwise may have agreed or will agree to register their securities for sale. The initial purchasers of our securities, as well as their transferees, pledgees, donees, or successors, all of whom we refer to as “selling security holders,” may from time to time offer and sell the securities pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement.
The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the name of each selling security holder and the number of and type of securities beneficially owned by such selling security holder that are covered by such prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will also disclose whether any of the selling security holders have held any position or office with, have been employed by, or otherwise have had a material relationship with us during the three years prior to the date of the prospectus supplement.
The descriptions of the securities contained in this prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplements, summarize the material terms and provisions of the various types of securities that we may offer. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any securities the particular terms of the securities offered by that prospectus supplement. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, the terms of the securities may differ from the terms we have summarized below. We will also include in the prospectus supplement information, where applicable, about material U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the securities, and the securities exchange, if any, on which the securities will be listed.
We may sell from time to time common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants to purchase any such securities, or any combination of the foregoing.
In this prospectus, we refer to the common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, and warrants to be sold by us collectively as “securities.”
If we issue debt securities at a discount from their original stated principal amount, then we will use the issue price, and not the principal amount, of such debt securities for purposes of calculating the total dollar amount of all securities issued under this prospectus.
This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
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We are authorized to issue up to 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, with 150,337,774 shares issued and outstanding as of June 5, 2026. In this section entitled “Description of Common Stock,” references to “we,” “us,” “our,” and “our company” refer only to AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. and not to its consolidated subsidiaries.
The following descriptions of our capital stock does not purport to be complete and is qualified in all respects by reference to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended (the “Certificate of Incorporation” or “Charter”), our amended and restated bylaws, as amended (the “Bylaws”), and the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”).
General
Each share of our common stock has the same relative rights and is identical in all respects with each other share of common stock.
Voting Power
Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote in respect of each share of stock held of record by such holder on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Except as otherwise required by law, holders of common stock are not entitled to vote on any amendment to the Charter (including any certificate of designation relating to any series of preferred stock) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of preferred stock of the Company if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together as a class with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote on such amendment pursuant to the Charter (including any certificate of designation relating to any series of preferred stock).
Dividends
Subject to applicable law and the rights and preferences, if any, of any holders of any outstanding series of preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled to receive dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors, payable either in cash, in property or in shares of capital stock.
Liquidation, Dissolution and Winding Up
Upon the Company’s liquidation, dissolution or winding up and after payment in full of all amounts required to be paid to creditors and to any holders of preferred stock having liquidation preferences, if any, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive pro rata the Company’s remaining assets available for distribution.
Preemptive or Other Rights
Holders of common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights, and common stock is not subject to conversion, redemption or sinking fund provisions.
Election of Directors
Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast at each annual meeting of stockholders. Each director will hold office until the next succeeding annual meeting and until his or her successor is elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal. The Charter does not provide for cumulative voting for the election of directors.
Listing
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “ATCH.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for the common stock is Dynamic Stock Transfer, Inc.
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Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws and Delaware Law
Certain provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws, and laws of the State of Delaware could make it more difficult to acquire the Company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise, or to remove incumbent officers and directors. These provisions, summarized below, are intended to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of the Company to first negotiate with the Board. the Company believes that the benefits of these provisions outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging certain takeover or acquisition proposals because, among other things, negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms and enhance the ability of the Board to maximize stockholder value. However, these provisions may delay, deter or prevent a merger or acquisition of the Company that a stockholder might consider is in their best interest or in the Company’s best interests, including transactions that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price of Common Stock.
Authorized but Unissued Shares
The authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock and preferred stock are available for future issuance without stockholder approval, subject to any limitations imposed by the listing standards of the NYSE. These additional shares may be used for a variety of corporate finance transactions, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved Common Stock and preferred stock could make more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of the Company by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Stockholder Action; Special Meetings of Stockholders
The Certificate of Incorporation provides that, subject to the rights of any series of preferred stock, stockholders may not take action by written consent, but may only take action at annual or special meetings of stockholders. As a result, a holder controlling a majority of Common Stock would not be able to amend the Bylaws or remove directors without holding a meeting of stockholders called in accordance with the Bylaws. Further, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that only the Chairperson of the Board, the chief executive officer of the Company, the Lead Independent Director or the Board acting pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Whole Board (as defined below in the section titled “Comparison of Stockholders’ Rights”) may call special meetings of stockholders, thus prohibiting a holder of Common Stock from calling a special meeting. These provisions might delay the ability of stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or for stockholders controlling a majority of Atlas to take any action, including the removal of directors.
Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations
The Bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at its annual meeting of stockholders, must provide timely notice. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be delivered to the Secretary of the Company at its principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the one-year anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting. In the event that no annual meeting was held during the preceding year or the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be so delivered no earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or, if later, the 10th day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting was first made by the Company. The Bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ notice. These provisions may preclude stockholders from bringing matters before its annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at its annual meeting of stockholders.
Supermajority Requirements for the Amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
The Bylaws may be amended or repealed by the Board or by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of the capital stock of the Company entitled to vote in the election of directors, voting as one class. In addition, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the voting power of the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, will be required to amend certain provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation, including provisions relating to the classified board, the size of the board, removal of directors, special meetings, actions by written consent, and designation of preferred stock.
Board Vacancies
The Certificate of Incorporation provides that, subject to the special rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock to elect directors, any vacancy on the Board may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director, and not by the stockholders, unless (a) the Board determines by resolution that any such vacancies or newly created directorships shall be filled by the stockholders or (b) as otherwise provided by law. Any director chosen to fill a vacancy will hold office until the expiration of the term of the class for which he or she was elected and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, or until his or her earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal. In addition, the number of directors constituting the Whole Board is permitted to be set only by a resolution adopted by a majority of the Whole Board. These provisions prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of the Board and then gaining control of the board by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees. This makes it more difficult to change the composition of the Board, but promotes continuity of management.
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Exclusive Forum Selection
The Certificate of Incorporation requires, unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum and to the fullest extent permitted by law, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware lacks subject matter jurisdiction, any state court located within the State of Delaware or, if and only if all such state courts lack subject matter jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) will be the sole and exclusive forum for the following types of actions or proceedings under Delaware statutory or common law: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company; (ii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by or any wrongdoing by any current or former director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or any stockholder to the Company or AtlasClear Stockholders; (iii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim against the Company or any current or former director, officer or other employee of the Company or any stockholder in such stockholder’s capacity as such arising out of or pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws (as each may be amended from time to time); (iv) any action or proceeding to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws (including any right, obligation or remedy thereunder); (v) any action or proceeding as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction to the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware; and (vi) any action or proceeding asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in all cases to the fullest extent permitted by law and subject to the court’s having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants. However, such forum selection provisions will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts of the United States have exclusive jurisdiction. The Certificate of Incorporation will also provide that, unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act.
Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims. As noted above, the Certificate of Incorporation will provide that the federal district courts of the United States will have exclusive jurisdiction over any action asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision. AtlasClear Stockholders will not be deemed to have waived the Company’s compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As noted above, the Certificate of Incorporation will provide that the choice of forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. Accordingly, actions by AtlasClear Stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder must be brought in federal court. AtlasClear Stockholders will not be deemed to have waived the Company’s compliance with the federal securities laws and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of the Company’s capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum selection provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation.
The choice of forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers, or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against the Company and its directors, officers, and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provisions contained in the Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, the Company may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm its business, results of operations, and financial condition.
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Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
The Company is subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL. In general, Section 203 prohibits a Delaware corporation that is listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 stockholders from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that such stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner as summarized below. A “business combination” includes, among other things, certain mergers, asset or stock sales or other transactions together resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or did own within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock. Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:
| ● | before the stockholder became an interested stockholder, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; | |
| ● | upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding those shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances; or | |
| ● | at or after the time the stockholder became an interested stockholder, the business combination was approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least 662∕3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Under certain circumstances, Section 203 of the DGCL will make it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period. This provision may encourage companies interested in acquiring the Company to negotiate in advance with the Board because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if the Board approves either the business combination or the transaction which results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. Section 203 of the DGCL also may have the effect of preventing changes in the Board and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions which stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
The Bylaws provide that the Company’s directors and officers will be indemnified and advanced expenses by the Company to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by the DGCL as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Company’s directors will not be personally liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
The Bylaws also permit the Company to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any officer, director, employee or agent of the Company for any liability arising out of his or her status as such, regardless of whether the DGCL would permit indemnification.
These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against the Company directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit the Company and its stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent the Company pays the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to the Company directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK
This section describes the general terms and provisions of the preferred stock that we may offer by this prospectus. The prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of the series of the preferred stock offered through that prospectus supplement. Those terms may differ from the terms discussed below. Any series of preferred stock that we issue will be governed by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, including the certificate of designations relating to such series of preferred stock, and our by-laws. In this section entitled “Description of Preferred Stock,” references to “we,” “us,” “our,” and “our company” refer only to AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. and not to its consolidated subsidiaries.
We are authorized to issue up to 25,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, none of which are issued or outstanding as of June 5, 2026.
The following description of our capital stock does not purport to be complete and is qualified in all respects by reference to our Charter, our Bylaws and the DGCL.
The Certificate of Incorporation provides that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The board of directors will be authorized to establish the number of shares to be included in each such series, to fix the designation, vesting, powers (including voting powers), preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights (and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof) of the shares of each such series and to increase (but not above the total number of authorized shares of the class) or decrease (but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding) the number of shares of any such series, in each case without further vote or action by the stockholders. The board is able to, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of the board to issue preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of the Company or the removal of existing management.
If we designate any additional shares of preferred stock, we will fix the rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of the preferred stock of each series in the certificate of designations relating to that series. We will incorporate by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus the form of any certificate of designations that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock we are offering before the issuance of the related series of preferred stock. This description will include the following, to the extent applicable:
| ● | the title and stated value; | |
| ● | the number of shares we are offering; | |
| ● | the liquidation preference per share; | |
| ● | the purchase price; | |
| ● | the dividend rate, period and payment date, and method of calculation for dividends, if any; | |
| ● | whether any dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends will accumulate; | |
| ● | the provisions for a sinking fund, if any; | |
| ● | the provisions for redemption or repurchase, if applicable, and any restrictions on our ability to exercise those redemption and repurchase rights; | |
| ● | any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange or market; | |
| ● | whether the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock and, if applicable, the conversion price, or how it will be calculated, and the conversion period; | |
| ● | whether the preferred stock will be exchangeable into debt securities and, if applicable, the exchange price, or how it will be calculated, and the exchange period; | |
| ● | voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock; | |
| ● | preemptive rights, if any; | |
| ● | restrictions on transfer, sale, or other assignment, if any; | |
| ● | whether interests in the preferred stock will be represented by depositary shares; | |
| ● | a discussion of any material or special U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock; | |
| ● | the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve, or wind up our affairs; any limitations on issuance of any class or series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the series of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve, or wind up our affairs; and | |
| ● | any other specific terms, preferences, rights, or limitations of, or restrictions on, the preferred stock. |
When we issue shares of preferred stock under this prospectus, the shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the applicable agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable and will not have, or be subject to, any preemptive or similar rights.
Section 242 of DGCL provides that the holders of each class or series of stock will have the right to vote separately as a class on certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, that would affect the class or series of preferred stock, as applicable. This right is in addition to any voting rights that may be provided for in the applicable certificate of designation.
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As of June 5, 2026, there were outstanding 10,062,500 public warrants (exercisable for an aggregate of 167,708 shares of our common stock), 5,562,500 private warrants (exercisable for an aggregate of 92,708 shares of our common stock), 16,666,668 warrants issued in a financing in October 2025 and 1,000,000 warrants issued to a placement agent and its designees in October 2025.
We may issue additional warrants or other rights. We may issue these securities in such amounts or in as many distinct series as we wish. This section summarizes the terms of these securities that apply generally. We will describe the financial and other specific terms of any such series of securities in the prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus. Those terms may vary from the terms described here.
When we refer to a series of securities in this section, we mean all securities issued as part of the same series under any applicable indenture, agreement, or other instrument. When we refer to the prospectus supplement, we mean the applicable prospectus supplement describing the specific terms of the security you purchase. The terms used in the prospectus supplement will have the meanings described in this prospectus, unless otherwise specified.
In this section entitled “Description of Warrants,” references to “we,” “us,” “our,” and “our company” refer only to AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. and not to its consolidated subsidiaries. Also, in this section, references to “holders” mean those who own warrants or other rights registered in their own names, on the books that we or any applicable trustee or warrant or rights agent maintain for this purpose, and not those who own beneficial interests in warrants registered in street name or in warrants issued in book-entry form through one or more depositaries.
Warrants
The following description of warrants does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the description of a particular series of warrants contained in an applicable prospectus supplement. For information relating to our capital stock, see “Description of Capital Stock,” “Description of Common Stock,” and “Description of Preferred Stock.”
We may offer by means of this prospectus warrants for the purchase of our common stock or preferred stock. We may issue warrants separately or together with any other securities offered by means of this prospectus, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from such securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a warrant agent specified therein. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants of such series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants.
Agreements
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any warrants we issue pursuant to this prospectus. Each series of warrants may be evidenced by certificates and may be issued under a separate indenture, agreement, or other instrument to be entered into between us and a bank that we select as agent with respect to such series. The agent, if any, will have its principal office in the United States and have a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. Warrants in book-entry form will be represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary, which will be the holder of all the securities represented by the global security. Those who own beneficial interests in a global security will do so through participants in the depositary’s system, and the rights of these indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of the depositary and its participants.
General Terms of Warrants
The prospectus supplement relating to a series of warrants will identify the name and address of the warrant agent, if any. The prospectus supplement will describe the following terms, where applicable, of the warrants in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered:
| ● | the title and issuer of the warrants; | |
| ● | the aggregate number of warrants; | |
| ● | the price or prices at which the warrants will be issued; | |
| ● | the currencies in which the price or prices of the warrants may be payable; | |
| ● | the designation, amount, and terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants; |
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| ● | the designation and terms of the other securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of security; | |
| ● | if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and any related securities will be separately transferable; | |
| ● | any securities exchange or quotation system on which the warrants or any securities deliverable upon exercise of such securities may be listed; | |
| ● | the price or prices at which and currency or currencies in which the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants may be purchased; | |
| ● | the date on which the right to exercise the warrants shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire; | |
| ● | the minimum or maximum amount of warrants that may be exercised at any one time; | |
| ● | whether the warrants will be issued in fully registered for or bearer form, in global or non-global form, or in any combination of these forms; | |
| ● | information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; | |
| ● | a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations; and | |
| ● | any other material terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants. |
Exercise of Warrants
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any warrants we issue pursuant to this prospectus. If any warrant is exercisable for other securities or other property, the following provisions will apply. Each such warrant may be exercised at any time up to any expiration date and time mentioned in the prospectus supplement relating to those warrants. After the close of business on any applicable expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.
Warrants may be exercised by delivery of the certificate representing the securities to be exercised, or in the case of global securities by delivery of an exercise notice for those warrants, together with certain information, and payment to any agent in immediately available funds, as provided in the prospectus supplement, of the required purchase amount, if any. Upon receipt of payment and the certificate or exercise notice properly executed at the office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, in the time period the relevant agreement provides, issue and deliver the securities or other property purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by such certificates are exercised, a new certificate will be issued for the remaining amount of warrants.
If mentioned in the prospectus supplement, securities may be surrendered as all or part of the exercise price for warrants.
Antidilution Provisions
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any warrants we issue pursuant to this prospectus. In the case of warrants to purchase common stock, the exercise price payable and the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon warrant exercise may be adjusted in certain events, including:
| ● | the issuance of a stock dividend to common stockholders or a combination, subdivision, or reclassification of common stock; | |
| ● | the issuance of rights, warrants, or options to all common and preferred stockholders entitling them to purchase common stock for an aggregate consideration per share less than the current market price per share of common stock; | |
| ● | any distribution to our common stockholders of evidences of our indebtedness of assets, excluding cash dividends or distributions referred to above; and | |
| ● | any other events mentioned in the prospectus supplement. |
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The prospectus supplement will describe which, if any, of these provisions shall apply to a particular series of warrants. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, no adjustment in the number of shares purchasable upon warrant exercise will be required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% of such number and no fractional shares will be issued upon warrant exercise, but we will pay the cash value of any fractional shares otherwise issuable.
Modification
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any warrants we issue pursuant to this prospectus. We and any agent for any series of warrants may amend any warrant or rights agreement and the terms of the related warrants by executing a supplemental agreement, without any such warrantholders’ consent, for the purpose of:
| ● | curing any ambiguity, any defective or inconsistent provision contained in the agreement, or making any other corrections to the agreement that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the warrant certificates; | |
| ● | evidencing the succession of another corporation to us and its assumption of our covenants contained in the agreement and the securities; | |
| ● | appointing a successor depository, if the securities are issued in the form of global securities; | |
| ● | evidencing a successor agent’s acceptance of appointment with respect to any securities; | |
| ● | adding to our covenants for the benefit of securityholders or surrendering any right or power we have under the agreement; | |
| ● | issuing warrants in definitive form, if such securities are initially issued in the form of global securities; or | |
| ● | amending the agreement and the warrants as we deem necessary or desirable and that will not adversely affect the interests of the applicable warrantholders in any material respect. |
We and any agent for any series of warrants may also amend any agreement and the related warrants by a supplemental agreement with the consent of the holders of a majority of the warrants of any series affected by such amendment, for the purpose of adding, modifying, or eliminating any of the agreement’s provisions or of modifying the rights of the holders of warrants. However, no such amendment that:
| ● | reduces the number or amount of securities receivable upon any exercise of any such security; | |
| ● | shortens the time period during which any such security may be exercised; | |
| ● | otherwise adversely affects the exercise rights of warrantholders in any material respect; or | |
| ● | reduces the number of securities the consent of holders of which is required for amending the agreement or the related warrants; |
may be made without the consent of each holder affected by that amendment.
Consolidation, Merger, and Sale of Assets
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any warrants we issue pursuant to this prospectus. Any agreement with respect to warrants will provide that we are generally permitted to merge or consolidate with another corporation or other entity. Any such agreement will also provide that we are permitted to sell our assets substantially as an entirety to another corporation or other entity or to have another entity sell its assets substantially as an entirety to us. With regard to any series of warrants, however, we may not take any of these actions unless all of the following conditions are met:
| ● | if we are not the successor entity, the person formed by the consolidation or into or with which we merge or the person to which our properties and assets are conveyed, transferred, or leased must be an entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any state, or the District of Columbia and must expressly assume the performance of our covenants under any relevant indenture, agreement, or other instrument; and | |
| ● | we or that successor corporation must not immediately be in default under that agreement. |
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Enforcement by Holders of Warrants
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any warrants we issue pursuant to this prospectus. Any agent for any series of warrants will act solely as our agent under the relevant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for any securityholder. A single bank or trust company may act as agent for more than one issue of securities. Any such agent will have no duty or responsibility in case we default in performing our obligations under the relevant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any legal proceedings or to make any demand upon us. Any securityholder may, without the agent’s consent or consent of any other securityholder, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise any warrant exercisable for any property.
Replacement of Certificates
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any warrants we issue pursuant to this prospectus. We will replace any destroyed, lost, stolen, or mutilated warrant or rights certificate upon delivery to us and any applicable agent of satisfactory evidence of the ownership of that certificate and of its destruction, loss, theft or mutilation, and (in the case of mutilation) surrender of that certificate to us or any applicable agent, unless we have, or the agent has, received notice that the certificate has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser. That securityholder will also be required to provide indemnity satisfactory to us and the relevant agent before a replacement certificate will be issued.
Title
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any warrants we issue pursuant to this prospectus. We, any agents for any series of warrants, and any of their agents may treat the registered holder of any certificate as the absolute owner of the securities evidenced by that certificate for any purpose and as the person entitled to exercise the rights attaching to the warrants so requested, despite any notice to the contrary.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
Any debt securities we may issue, offered by this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, may be issued under an indenture to be entered into between our company and the trustee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of the debt securities may include those stated in the indenture and those made part of the indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as in effect on the date of the indenture. We have filed a copy of the form of indenture as an exhibit to the registration statement in which this prospectus is included. The indenture, if any, will be subject to and governed by the terms of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will represent direct, unsecured obligations of our company and will rank equally with all of our other unsecured indebtedness.
The following statements relating to the debt securities and the indenture are summaries, qualified in their entirety to the detailed provisions of the indenture or other instrument(s) governing the debt securities.
General
We may issue the debt securities in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. We will describe the particular terms of each series of debt securities in a prospectus supplement relating to that series, which we will file with the SEC.
The prospectus supplement will set forth, to the extent required, the following terms of the debt securities in respect of which the prospectus supplement is delivered:
| ● | the title of the series; | |
| ● | the aggregate principal amount; | |
| ● | the issue price or prices, expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities; | |
| ● | any limit on the aggregate principal amount; | |
| ● | the date or dates on which principal is payable; | |
| ● | the interest rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates; | |
| ● | the date or dates from which interest, if any, will be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable; | |
| ● | the place or places where principal and, if applicable, premium and interest, is payable; | |
| ● | the terms and conditions upon which we may, or the holders may require us to, redeem or repurchase the debt securities; | |
| ● | the denominations in which such debt securities may be issuable, if other than denominations of $1,000, or any integral multiple of that number; | |
| ● | whether the debt securities are to be issuable in the form of certificated debt securities (as described below) or global debt securities (as described below); | |
| ● | the portion of principal amount that will be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date if other than the principal amount of the debt securities; | |
| ● | the currency of denomination; | |
| ● | the designation of the currency, currencies, or currency units in which payment of principal and, if applicable, premium and interest, will be made; | |
| ● | if payments of principal and, if applicable, premium or interest, on the debt securities are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than the currency of denomination, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined; |
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| ● | if amounts of principal and, if applicable, premium and interest may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies, or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index, or financial index, then the manner in which such amounts will be determined; | |
| ● | the provisions, if any, relating to any collateral provided for such debt securities; | |
| ● | any addition to or change in the covenants and/or the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture; | |
| ● | any events of default, if not otherwise described below under “Events of Default”; | |
| ● | the terms and conditions, if any, for conversion into or exchange for shares of common stock or preferred stock; | |
| ● | any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents, or other agents; and | |
| ● | the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the debt securities shall be subordinated in right of payment to other indebtedness of our company. |
We may issue discount debt securities that provide for an amount less than the stated principal amount to be due and payable upon acceleration of the maturity of such debt securities in accordance with the terms of the indenture. We may also issue debt securities in bearer form, with or without coupons. If we issue discount debt securities or debt securities in bearer form, we will describe material U.S. federal income tax considerations and other material special considerations which apply to these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.
We may issue debt securities denominated in or payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units. If we do, we will describe the restrictions, elections, and general tax considerations relating to the debt securities and the foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Exchange and/or Conversion Rights
We may issue debt securities that can be exchanged for or converted into shares of common stock or preferred stock. If we do, we will describe the terms of exchange or conversion in the prospectus supplement relating to these debt securities.
Transfer and Exchange
We may issue debt securities that will be represented by either:
| ● | “book-entry securities,” which means that there will be one or more global securities registered in the name of a depositary or a nominee of a depositary; or | |
| ● | “certificated securities,” which means that they will be represented by a certificate issued in definitive registered form. |
We will specify in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular offering whether the debt securities offered will be book-entry or certificated securities.
Certificated Debt Securities
Those who hold certificated debt securities may transfer or exchange such debt securities at the trustee’s office or at the paying agent’s office or agency in accordance with the terms of the indenture. There will be no service charge for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but there may be a requirement to pay an amount sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with such transfer or exchange.
Those who hold certificated debt securities may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and of the right to receive the principal of, premium, and/or interest, if any, on the certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing the certificated debt securities and having us or the trustee issue a new certificate to the new holder.
| S-17 |
Global Securities
If we decide to issue debt securities in the form of one or more global securities, then we will register the global securities in the name of the depositary for the global securities or the nominee of the depositary, and the global securities will be delivered by the trustee to the depositary for credit to the accounts of the holders of beneficial interests in the debt securities.
The prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of the depositary arrangement for debt securities of a series that are issued in global form. None of us, the trustee, any payment agent, or the security registrar will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in a global debt security or for maintaining, supervising, or reviewing any records relating to these beneficial ownership interests.
No Protection in the Event of Change of Control
The indenture does not have any covenants or other provisions providing for a put or increased interest or otherwise that would afford holders of debt securities additional protection in the event of a recapitalization transaction, a change of control of our company, or a highly leveraged transaction. If we offer any covenants or provisions of this type with respect to any debt securities covered by this prospectus, we will describe them in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Covenants
Unless otherwise indicated in this prospectus or a prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not have the benefit of any covenants that limit or restrict our business or operations, the pledging of our assets, or the incurrence by us of indebtedness. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any material covenants in respect of a series of debt securities.
Consolidation, Merger, and Sale of Assets
We have agreed in the indenture that we will not consolidate with or merge into any other person, or convey, transfer, sell, or lease our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any person, unless:
| ● | the person formed by the consolidation or into or with which we are merged or the person to which our properties and assets are conveyed, transferred, sold, or leased, is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any state, or the District of Columbia, or a corporation or comparable legal entity organized under the laws of a foreign jurisdiction and, if we are not the surviving person, the surviving person has expressly assumed all of our obligations, including the payment of the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on the debt securities and the performance of the other covenants under the indenture; and | |
| ● | immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no event of default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an event of default, has occurred and is continuing under the indenture. |
Events of Default
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following events will be events of default under the indenture or other applicable instrument(s) with respect to debt securities of any series:
| ● | we fail to pay any principal or premium, if any, when it becomes due; | |
| ● | we fail to pay any interest within 30 days after it becomes due; | |
| ● | we fail to comply with any other covenant in the debt securities or the indenture for 60 days after written notice specifying the failure from the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series; and | |
| ● | certain events involving bankruptcy, insolvency, or reorganization of our company or any of our significant subsidiaries. |
The trustee may withhold notice to the holders of the debt securities of any series of any default, except in payment of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities of a series, if the trustee considers it to be in the best interest of the holders of the debt securities of that series to do so.
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If an event of default (other than an event of default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency, or reorganization) occurs, and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may accelerate the maturity of the debt securities. If this happens, the entire principal amount, plus the premium, if any, of all the outstanding debt securities of the affected series plus accrued interest to the date of acceleration will be immediately due and payable. At any time after the acceleration, but before a judgment or decree based on such acceleration is obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of outstanding debt securities of such series may rescind and annul such acceleration if:
| ● | all events of default (other than nonpayment of accelerated principal, premium, or interest) have been cured or waived; | |
| ● | all lawful interest on overdue interest and overdue principal has been paid; and | |
| ● | the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree. |
In addition, if the acceleration occurs at any time when we have outstanding indebtedness which is senior to the debt securities, the payment of the principal amount of outstanding debt securities may be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment of any amounts due under the senior indebtedness, in which case the holders of debt securities will be entitled to payment under the terms prescribed in the instruments evidencing the senior indebtedness and the indenture.
If an event of default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency, or reorganization occurs, the principal, premium, and interest amount with respect to all of the debt securities of any series will be due and payable immediately without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or the holders of the debt securities of that series.
The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series will have the right to waive any existing default or compliance with any provision of the indenture or the debt securities of that series and to direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, subject to certain limitations specified in the indenture.
No holder of any debt security of a series will have any right to institute any proceeding with respect to the indenture or for any remedy under the indenture or other applicable instrument(s), unless:
| ● | the holder gives to the trustee written notice of a continuing event of default; | |
| ● | the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series make a written request and offer reasonable indemnity to the trustee to institute a proceeding as trustee; | |
| ● | the trustee fails to institute a proceeding within 60 days after such request; and | |
| ● | the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series do not give the trustee a direction inconsistent with such request during such 60-day period. |
These limitations do not, however, apply to a suit instituted for payment on debt securities of any series on or after the due dates expressed in the debt securities.
Modification and Waiver
From time to time, we and the trustee may, without the consent of holders of the debt securities of one or more series, amend the indenture or the debt securities of one or more series, or supplement the indenture or other instrument(s), for certain specified purposes, including:
| ● | to provide that the surviving entity following a change of control of our company permitted under the indenture will assume all of our obligations under the indenture and debt securities; | |
| ● | to provide for certificated debt securities in addition to uncertificated debt securities; | |
| ● | to comply with any requirements of the SEC under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939; | |
| ● | to cure any ambiguity, defect, or inconsistency, or make any other change that does not materially and adversely affect the rights of any holder; and | |
| ● | to appoint a successor trustee under the indenture with respect to one or more series. |
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From time to time, we and the trustee may, with the consent of holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities, or waive compliance in a particular instance by us with any provision of the indenture or the debt securities. We may not, however, without the consent of each holder affected by such action, modify or supplement the indenture or the debt securities, or waive compliance with any provision of the indenture or the debt securities in order to:
| ● | reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement, or waiver to the indenture or such debt security; | |
| ● | reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of interest; | |
| ● | reduce the principal of or change the stated maturity of the debt securities; | |
| ● | make any debt security payable in money other than that stated in the debt security; | |
| ● | change the amount or time of any payment required, or reduce the premium payable upon any redemption, or change the time before which no such redemption may be made; | |
| ● | waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities or a redemption payment; or | |
| ● | take any other action otherwise prohibited by the indenture to be taken without the consent of each holder affected by the action. |
Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances
The indenture permits us, at any time, to elect to discharge our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities by following certain procedures described in the indenture. These procedures will allow us either:
| ● | to defease and be discharged from any and all of our obligations with respect to any debt securities except for the following obligations (which discharge is referred to as “legal defeasance”): |
| (1) | to register the transfer or exchange of such debt securities; | |
| (2) | to replace temporary or mutilated, destroyed, lost, or stolen debt securities; | |
| (3) | to compensate and indemnify the trustee; or | |
| (4) | to maintain an office or agency in respect of the debt securities and to hold monies for payment in trust; or |
| ● | to be released from our obligations with respect to the debt securities under certain covenants contained in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be contained in the applicable supplemental indenture (which release is referred to as “covenant defeasance”). |
In order to exercise either defeasance option, we must deposit with the trustee or other qualifying trustee, in trust for that purpose:
| ● | money; | |
| ● | U.S. Government Obligations (as described below) or Foreign Government Obligations (as described below), which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in accordance with their terms will provide money; or | |
| ● | a combination of money and/or U.S. Government Obligations and/or Foreign Government Obligations sufficient in the written opinion of a nationally-recognized firm of independent accountants to provide money; |
which in each case specified above, provides a sufficient amount to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the debt securities of the series, on the scheduled due dates, or on a selected date of redemption in accordance with the terms of the indenture.
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In addition, defeasance may be effected only if, among other things:
| ● | in the case of either legal or covenant defeasance, we deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel, as specified in the indenture, stating that as a result of the defeasance neither the trust nor the trustee will be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940; | |
| ● | in the case of legal defeasance, we deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling to the effect that, or there has been a change in any applicable federal income tax law with the effect that (and the opinion shall confirm that), the holders of outstanding debt securities will not recognize income, gain, or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes solely as a result of such legal defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner, including as a result of prepayment, and at the same times as would have been the case if legal defeasance had not occurred; | |
| ● | in the case of covenant defeasance, we deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the outstanding debt securities will not recognize income, gain, or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of covenant defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner, and at the same times as would have been the case if covenant defeasance had not occurred; and | |
| ● | certain other conditions described in the indenture are satisfied. |
If we fail to comply with our remaining obligations under the indenture and applicable supplemental indenture after a covenant defeasance of the indenture and applicable supplemental indenture, and the debt securities are declared due and payable because of the occurrence of any undefeased event of default, the amount of money and/or U.S. Government Obligations and/or Foreign Government Obligations on deposit with the trustee could be insufficient to pay amounts due under the debt securities of the affected series at the time of acceleration. We will, however, remain liable in respect of these payments.
The term “U.S. Government Obligations” as used in the above discussion means securities that are direct obligations of or non-callable obligations guaranteed by the United States of America for the payment of which obligation or guarantee the full faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged.
The term “Foreign Government Obligations” as used in the above discussion means, with respect to debt securities of any series that are denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars (1) direct obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged or (2) obligations of a person controlled or supervised by or acting as an agent or instrumentality of such government the timely payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by that government, which in either case under clauses (1) or (2), are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer.
Regarding the Trustee
We will identify the trustee with respect to any series of debt securities in the prospectus supplement relating to the applicable debt securities. You should note that if the trustee becomes a creditor of our company, the indenture and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 limit the rights of the trustee to obtain payment of claims in certain cases, or to realize on certain property received in respect of any such claim, as security or otherwise. The trustee and its affiliates may engage in, and will be permitted to continue to engage in, other transactions with us and our affiliates. If, however, the trustee acquires any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, it must eliminate such conflict or resign.
The holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of any series may direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the trustee. If an event of default occurs and is continuing, the trustee, in the exercise of its rights and powers, must use the degree of care and skill of a prudent person in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to that provision, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any of the holders of the debt securities, unless they have offered to the trustee reasonable indemnity or security.
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This section outlines some of the provisions of the units and the unit agreements that we may enter into. This information may not be complete in all respects and is qualified entirely by reference to the unit agreement with respect to the units of any particular series. The specific terms of any series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If so described in a particular supplement, the specific terms of any series of units may differ from the general description of terms presented below.
In this section entitled “Description of Units,” references to “we,” “us,” “our,” and “our company” refer only to AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. and not to its consolidated subsidiaries. Also, in this section, references to “holders” mean those who own units registered in their own names, on the books that we or our agent maintain for this purpose, and not those who own beneficial interests in units registered in street name or in units issued in book-entry form through one or more depositaries.
We may issue units comprised of one or more debt securities, shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, and warrants in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.
The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:
| ● | the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately; | |
| ● | any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below; and | |
| ● | any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer, or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units. |
The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under “Description of Common Stock,” “Description of Preferred Stock,” “Description of Warrants,” and “Description of Debt Securities” will apply to the securities included in each unit, to the extent relevant.
Issuance in Series
We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section summarizes terms of the units that apply generally to all series. Most of the financial and other specific terms of your series will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Unit Agreements
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any units we issue pursuant to this prospectus. We will issue the units under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or other financial institution, as unit agent. We may add, replace, or terminate unit agents from time to time. We will identify the unit agreement under which each series of units will be issued and the unit agent under that agreement in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The following provisions will generally apply to all unit agreements unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Enforcement of Rights
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any units we issue pursuant to this prospectus. The unit agent under a unit agreement will act solely as our agent in connection with the units issued under that agreement. The unit agent will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders of those units or of the securities comprising those units. The unit agent will not be obligated to take any action on behalf of those holders to enforce or protect their rights under the units or the included securities.
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Except as indicated in the next paragraph, a holder of a unit may, without the consent of the unit agent or any other holder, enforce its rights as holder under any security included in the unit, in accordance with the terms of that security and the indenture, warrant agreement, rights agreement or other instrument under which that security is issued. Those terms are described elsewhere in this prospectus under the sections relating to debt securities, preferred stock, common stock, or warrants, as relevant.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a unit agreement may limit or otherwise affect the ability of a holder of units issued under that agreement to enforce its rights, including any right to bring a legal action, with respect to those units or any securities, other than debt securities, that are included in those units. Limitations of this kind will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Modification without Consent of Holders
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any units we issue pursuant to this prospectus. We and the applicable unit agent may amend any unit or unit agreement without the consent of any holder:
| ● | to cure any ambiguity; | |
| ● | to correct or supplement any defective or inconsistent provision; or | |
| ● | to make any other change that we believe is necessary or desirable and will not adversely affect the interests of the affected holders in any material respect. |
We do not need any approval to make changes that affect only units to be issued after the changes take effect. We may also make changes that do not adversely affect a particular unit in any material respect, even if they adversely affect other units in a material respect. In those cases, we do not need to obtain the approval of the holder of the unaffected unit; we need only obtain any required approvals from the holders of the affected units.
Modification with Consent of Holders
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any units we issue pursuant to this prospectus. We may not amend any particular unit or a unit agreement with respect to any particular unit unless we obtain the consent of the holder of that unit, if the amendment would:
| ● | impair any right of the holder to exercise or enforce any right under a security included in the unit if the terms of that security require the consent of the holder to any changes that would impair the exercise or enforcement of that right; or | |
| ● | reduce the percentage of outstanding units or any series or class the consent of whose holders is required to amend that series or class, or the applicable unit agreement with respect to that series or class, as described below. |
Any other change to a particular unit agreement and the units issued under that agreement would require the following approval:
| ● | if the change affects only the units of a particular series issued under that agreement, the change must be approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding units of that series; or | |
| ● | if the change affects the units of more than one series issued under that agreement, it must be approved by the holders of a majority of all outstanding units of all series affected by the change, with the units of all the affected series voting together as one class for this purpose. |
These provisions regarding changes with majority approval also apply to changes affecting any securities issued under a unit agreement, as the governing document.
In each case, the required approval must be given by written consent.
Unit Agreements Will Not Be Qualified Under Trust Indenture Act
No unit agreement will be qualified as an indenture, and no unit agent will be required to qualify as a trustee, under the Trust Indenture Act. Therefore, holders of units issued under unit agreements will not have the protections of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to their units.
Mergers and Similar Transactions Permitted; No Restrictive Covenants or Events of Default
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any units we issue pursuant to this prospectus. The unit agreements will not restrict our ability to merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets to, another corporation or other entity or to engage in any other transactions. If at any time we merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets substantially as an entirety to, another corporation or other entity, the successor entity will succeed to and assume our obligations under the unit agreements. We will then be relieved of any further obligation under these agreements.
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The unit agreements will not include any restrictions on our ability to put liens on our assets, including our interests in our subsidiaries, nor will they restrict our ability to sell our assets. The unit agreements also will not provide for any events of default or remedies upon the occurrence of any events of default.
Governing Law
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any units we issue pursuant to this prospectus. The unit agreements and the units will be governed by New York law.
Form, Exchange, and Transfer
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to any units we issue pursuant to this prospectus. We will issue each unit in global—that is, book-entry—form only. Units in book-entry form will be represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary, which will be the holder of all the units represented by the global security. Those who own beneficial interests in a unit will do so through participants in the depositary’s system, and the rights of these indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of the depositary and its participants.
In addition, we will issue each unit in registered form, unless we say otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement. Bearer securities would be subject to special provisions, as we describe below under “Securities Issued in Bearer Form.”
Each unit and all securities comprising the unit will be issued in the same form.
If we issue any units in registered, non-global form, the following will apply to them.
The units will be issued in the denominations stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Holders may exchange their units for units of smaller denominations or combined into fewer units of larger denominations, as long as the total amount is not changed.
| ● | Holders may exchange or transfer their units at the office of the unit agent. Holders may also replace lost, stolen, destroyed, or mutilated units at that office. We may appoint another entity to perform these functions or perform them ourselves. |
| ● | Holders will not be required to pay a service charge to transfer or exchange their units, but they may be required to pay for any tax or other governmental charge associated with the transfer or exchange. The transfer or exchange, and any replacement, will be made only if our transfer agent is satisfied with the holder’s proof of legal ownership. The transfer agent may also require an indemnity before replacing any units. |
| ● | If we have the right to redeem, accelerate, or settle any units before their maturity, and we exercise our right as to less than all those units or other securities, we may block the exchange or transfer of those units during the period beginning 15 days before the day we mail the notice of exercise and ending on the day of that mailing, in order to freeze the list of holders to prepare the mailing. We may also refuse to register transfers of or exchange any unit selected for early settlement, except that we will continue to permit transfers and exchanges of the unsettled portion of any unit being partially settled. We may also block the transfer or exchange of any unit in this manner if the unit includes securities that are or may be selected for early settlement. |
Only the depositary will be entitled to transfer or exchange a unit in global form, since it will be the sole holder of the unit.
Payments and Notices
In making payments and giving notices with respect to our units, we will follow the procedures we plan to use with respect to our debt securities, where applicable.
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We and any selling security holders may sell the securities covered by this prospectus directly to purchasers or through underwriters, broker-dealers, or agents, who may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions, or commissions from us. These discounts, concessions, or commissions as to any particular underwriter, broker-dealer, or agent may be in excess of those customary in the types of transactions involved. In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders.
The securities may be sold in one or more transactions at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. These sales may be effected in transactions which may involve crosses or block transactions.
If underwriters are used in an offering of securities, such offered securities may be resold in one or more transactions:
| ● | on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which the common stock or the preferred stock may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, including, as of the date of this prospectus, the Nasdaq Global Select Market in the case of the common stock; |
| ● | in the over-the-counter market; |
| ● | in transactions otherwise than on these exchanges or services or in the over-the-counter market; or |
| ● | through the writing of options, whether the options are listed on an options exchange or otherwise. |
Each prospectus supplement will state the terms of the offering, including, but not limited to:
| ● | the names of any underwriters, dealers, or agents; |
| ● | the public offering or purchase price of the securities and the net proceeds that we will receive from the sale; |
| ● | any underwriting discounts and commissions or other items constituting underwriters’ compensation; |
| ● | any discounts, commissions, or fees allowed or paid to dealers or agents; and |
| ● | any securities exchange on which the offered securities may be listed. |
If we sell securities to underwriters, we will execute an underwriting agreement with them at the time of the sale and will name them in the applicable prospectus supplement. In connection with these sales, the underwriters may be deemed to have received compensation in the form of underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriters also may receive commissions from purchasers of securities for whom they may act as agent. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriters will not be obligated to purchase the securities unless the conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement are satisfied, and if the underwriters purchase any of the securities offered by such prospectus supplement, they will be required to purchase all of such offered securities. The underwriters may acquire the securities for their own account and may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or varying prices determined at the time of sale. The underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive discounts, concessions, or commissions from the underwriters as well as from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.
We may designate agents who agree to use their reasonable efforts to solicit purchasers for the period of their appointment or to sell securities on a continuing basis. We may also sell securities directly to one or more purchasers without using underwriters or agents.
Under agreements entered into with us, underwriters and agents may be entitled to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution for payments the underwriters or agents may be required to make. The underwriters, agents, and their affiliates may engage in financial or other business transactions with us and our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business.
| S-25 |
The aggregate proceeds to us from the sale of the securities will be the purchase price of the securities less discounts and commissions, if any.
In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, any securities covered by this prospectus must be sold in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.
In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions, or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.
The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than three scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the third business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than three scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.
The securities may be new issues of securities and may have no established trading market. The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence of trading markets for any of the securities.
In order to comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus must be sold in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states the shares of common stock may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.
To the extent required, this prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time to describe a specific plan of distribution.
| S-26 |
The validity of the securities that may be offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Greenberg Traurig, LLP, McLean, Virginia. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers, or agents by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The consolidated financial statements of AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. as of June 30, 2025 and 2024 and for the year ended June 30, 2025 and the six months ended June 30, 2024, incorporated in this prospectus by reference, have been so included in reliance on the report of Haynie, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and file annual, quarterly, and special reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to you on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Documents we have filed with the SEC are also available on our website through the investors section of our website at www.atlasclear.com. Information contained on our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference herein.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” in this prospectus the information we file with the SEC. This helps us disclose certain important information to you by referring you to the documents we file. The information we incorporate by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Because we are incorporating by reference future filings with the SEC, this prospectus is continually updated and those future filings may modify or supersede some of the information included or incorporated in this prospectus. This means that you must look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any document previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded. We incorporate by reference each of the documents listed below.
| ● | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2025; |
| ● | our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 30, 2026, as amended; |
| ● | our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended September 30, 2025, December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2026; |
| ● | our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on August 8, 2025, September 17, 2025, September 25, 2025, September 30, 2025, October 14, 2025, October 27, 2025, November 14, 2025, December 1, 2025, February 10, 2026, February 13, 2026, May 12, 2026, May 13, 2026, May 29, 2026 and June 1, 2026; and |
| ● | the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed under the Exchange Act on February 9, 2024, including any amendment or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
All filings by our company pursuant to the Exchange Act subsequent to the date hereof and prior to effectiveness of this registration statement are incorporated in this registration statement and deemed to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents or reports. In addition, all documents and reports filed by our company subsequent to the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents or reports. Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements.
We will provide each person to whom this prospectus is delivered a copy of all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus. You may obtain copies of these filings, at no cost, through the “Investors” section of our website (https://www.investors.atlasclear.com), and you may request copies of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at:
AtlasClear
Holdings, Inc.
Attention: Corporate Secretary
4350 West Cypress Street, Suite 270
Tampa, FL 33607
Telephone: (813) 257-9366
The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.
| S-27 |
ATLASCLEAR HOLDINGS, INC.
$100,000,000
Common
Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Debt Securities
Units
PROSPECTUS
, 2026
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 8, 2026
Prospectus
AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.
39,000,000 Shares of Common Stock
This prospectus relates to the resale by the selling stockholders of up to an aggregate of 39,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. (“AtlasClear,” “we,” “us” or the “Company”). The number of shares of Common Stock offered for sale by such selling stockholders represents the maximum number of shares of Common Stock issuable to the shareholders (the “Sellers”) of Commercial Bancorp (“Commercial Bancorp”) pursuant to the share purchase agreement, dated February 5, 2026 (the “Purchase Agreement”), among the Company, Commercial Bancorp and the Sellers.
We are registering these shares on behalf of the selling stockholders, to be offered and sold by them from time to time, to satisfy certain registration rights that we have granted to the selling stockholders pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. The selling stockholders identified in this prospectus, or their respective transferees, pledgees or donees, or their respective successors, may offer the shares from time to time through public or private transactions at prevailing market prices, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at privately negotiated prices. The selling stockholders may resell the shares of common stock directly or through one or more underwriters, broker-dealers or agents. For additional information on the methods of sale that may be used by the selling stockholders, see the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” on page 9. For a list of the selling stockholders, see the section entitled “Selling Stockholders” on page 8.
Our registration of the shares of Common Stock covered by this prospectus does not mean that the selling stockholders will offer or sell any of the shares. No underwriter or other person has been engaged to facilitate the sale of the shares in this offering. The selling stockholders will pay or assume discounts, commissions, fees of underwriters, selling brokers or dealer managers and similar expenses, if any, incurred for the sale of shares of our Common Stock.
We may amend or supplement this prospectus from time to time by filing amendments or supplements as required. You should read the entire prospectus and any amendments or supplements carefully before you make your investment decision.
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American LLC (the “NYSE”) and trades under the symbol “ATCH.” On June 5, 2026, the last reported sale price for our Common Stock as reported on the NYSE was $0.22 per share.
You should read carefully and consider the “Risk Factors” referenced on page S-5 of this prospectus, as well as those contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and in the documents that are incorporated by reference herein or the applicable prospectus supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2026.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. Neither we nor the selling stockholders have authorized any other person to provide you with information different from or in addition to that contained in this prospectus. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. The selling stockholders are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where an offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any document that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and in any document that is incorporated by reference herein were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.
In this prospectus, we rely on and refer to information and statistics regarding our industry. We obtained this statistical, market and other industry data and forecasts from publicly available information. While we believe that the statistical data, market data and other industry data and forecasts are reliable, we have not independently verified the data.
As used in this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” mean, collectively, AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
| i |
CAUTIONARY NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein, and other written and oral statements we make from time to time contain certain “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). You can identify these forward-looking statements by the fact they use words such as “could,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “target,” “may,” “project,” “guidance,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “future,” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance.
Forward-looking statements in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus are based on information available as of the date of this prospectus, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date, and we undertake no obligations to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, our actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include:
| ● | our ability to realize the benefits expected from the Business Combination; |
| ● | our ability to complete the acquisitions of Commercial Bancorp or Ark Financial Services, Inc. (“Ark”); |
| ● | our ability to successfully integrate our recent and proposed acquisitions, including the proposed acquisitions of Commercial Bancorp and Ark, and to realize the synergies and benefits of such acquisitions; |
| ● | our ability to successfully implement the AtlasClear Platform; |
| ● | our significant indebtedness and our ability to service such indebtedness; |
| ● | the volatility of the price of our common stock and the possibility that stockholders could incur substantial losses; |
| ● | potential dilution of our stockholder interests resulting from our issuance of equity securities; |
| ● | the ability to maintain the listing of our common stock on the NYSE, and the potential liquidity and trading of such securities; |
| ● | our ability to grow and manage growth profitably; |
| ● | our ability to raise financing in the future, if and when needed; |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or adapting to changes in, our officers, key employees or directors; |
| ● | our ability to attract and retain our senior management and other highly qualified personnel; |
| ● | our ability to achieve or maintain profitability; |
| ● | the period over which we anticipate our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements; |
| ● | our ability to successfully protect against cybersecurity attacks or breaches, ransomware attacks, and other disruptions to our information technology structure; |
| ● | our ability to successfully compete against other companies; |
| ● | our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, and needs for additional financing; and |
| ● | the effect of economic downturns and political and market conditions beyond our control. |
Forward-looking statements in this prospectus also include, without limitation, statements regarding (i) the impact of our outstanding amended and restated secured convertible note issued to Funicular Funds, LP, including potential adjustments to the conversion price thereof and the dilution that may result from conversions thereunder; (ii) the regulatory capital contributions that will be required at our broker-dealer and bank subsidiaries in connection with the consummation and integration of our pending acquisitions; and (iii) the timing and effects of any potential reverse stock split or other capital structure adjustments.
The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statements included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including the information under the heading “Risk Factors” above. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what we anticipate.
| 1 |
This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all the information that you should consider before investing in our Company. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, including all documents incorporated by reference herein. In particular, attention should be directed to our “Risk Factors,” “Information With Respect to the Company,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the financial statements and related notes thereto contained herein or otherwise incorporated by reference hereto, before making an investment decision.
Overview
We are building a cutting-edge technology enabled financial services firm that would create a more efficient platform for trading, clearing, settlement and banking, with evolving and innovative financial products that focus on financial services firms. We are a fintech driven business-to-business platform that seeks to power innovation in fintech, investing, underwriting and trading. We believe we are positioned to provide a modern, mission-critical suite of solutions to our clients, enabling them to reduce their transactions costs and compete more effectively in their businesses.
Our target client base for our prime banking and prime brokerage services includes financial services firms, generally with annual revenues up to $1 billion, including brokerage firms, hedge funds, pension plans, and family offices that are not adequately served by today’s larger correspondent clearing firms and banks.
On February 9, 2024 (the “Closing Date”), the Company consummated the previously announced transactions pursuant to that certain Business Combination Agreement dated November 16, 2022 (as amended, the “Business Combination Agreement”), among the Company, Quantum Fintech Acquisition Corp., Atlas FinTech Holdings Corp. (“Atlas FinTech”) and certain other parties. The transactions consummated as a result of the Business Combination Agreement are hereinafter referred to as the “Business Combination.” In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination (the “Closing”), the Company changed its name from “Calculator New Pubco, Inc.” to “AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.” As a result, the operation history of Quantum survived the merger. Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, AtlasClear received certain assets from Atlas FinTech and Atlas Financial Technologies Corp., a Delaware corporation, and completed the acquisition of broker-dealer Wilson-Davis & Co., Inc. (“Wilson-Davis”).
Through the acquisition of Wilson-Davis, a correspondent clearing company, and the anticipated acquisition of Commercial Bancorp, we expect to acquire the capabilities to provide specialized clearing and banking services to financial services firms, with an emphasis on global markets currently underserviced by larger vendors. Once properly integrated, anticipated synergies between Commercial Bancorp, if acquired, and Wilson-Davis are expected to allow for lower cost of capital, higher net interest margins, expanded product development and greater credit extension.
On February 16, 2024, AtlasClear and Pacsquare Technologies, LLC (“Pacsquare”) entered into a Source Code Purchase and Master Services Agreement (the “Pacsquare Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which AtlasClear purchased a proprietary trading platform with clearing and settlement capabilities that will be developed by Pacsquare, including certain software and source code (the “AtlasClear Platform”). On June 10, 2025, the Company and Pacsquare entered into a Software Development and License Agreement which supersedes and amends the terms under the Purchase Agreement. Under the Software Development and License Agreement, Pacsquare agreed to develop and provide services for a period of 36 months, commencing on the date of execution of the Software Development and License Agreement.
We believe that our proprietary trading platform with clearing and settlement capabilities along with the software products and intellectual property assets, are cutting-edge, flexible and scalable.
You can find more information about us in our filings with the SEC referenced in the sections in this document titled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.”
Commercial Bancorp Share Purchase Agreement
On February 5, 2026, the Company entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Commercial Bancorp of Wyoming (“Commercial Bancorp”), and each of the shareholders of Commercial Bancorp (collectively, the “Sellers”). The Purchase Agreement provides for the Company to acquire (the “Acquisition”) from the Sellers all of the outstanding shares (the “Shares”) of common stock of Commercial Bancorp, which is the owner of all of the outstanding stock of Farmers State Bank, a Wyoming state-chartered member bank (the “Bank”), subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement. As previously disclosed, the Company had previously entered into an agreement and plan of merger, as amended, to acquire Commercial Bancorp, which agreement has expired in accordance with its terms.
| 2 |
Pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to purchase the Shares from the Sellers for consideration consisting of a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, with the total amount of consideration to be determined based on (i) each Seller’s election to receive cash, shares of Common Stock, or a combination thereof, (ii) the adjusted book value of the operational portion of the equity capital of Commercial Bancorp as of the closing of the Acquisition (the “CB Closing”), determined in accordance with the provisions of the Purchase Agreement (the “ABV”), (iii) the value of the existing building and land comprising the physical location of the Bank (the “Premises”), and (iv) Commercial Bancorp’s net operating loss as reflected on its most recent tax return prior to the CB Closing, multiplied by the maximum corporate federal income tax rate in effect as of the date of the CB Closing (the “NOL Tax Benefit”). Each Seller may elect (the “Election”) to receive an amount equal to any of the following three options: (i) three times such Seller’s pro rata portion of the ABV, plus such Seller’s pro rata portion of the value of the Premises and the NOL Tax Benefit, payable one-third in cash and two-thirds in shares of Common Stock; (ii) two times such Seller’s pro rata portion of the ABV, plus such Seller’s pro rata portion of the value of the Premises and the NOL Tax Benefit, payable entirely in cash; or (iii) three times such Seller’s pro rata portion of the ABV, plus such Seller’s pro rata portion of the value of the Premises and the NOL Tax Benefit, payable entirely in shares of Common Stock. The Company has made an earnest money deposit payment in the amount of $100,000 to Commercial Bancorp, which deposit will be applied to the cash portion of the consideration payable at the CB Closing or, if the CB Closing does not occur under certain circumstances, retained by Commercial Bancorp.
The shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement will be valued based on either the closing price of the Common Stock on the date of execution of the Purchase Agreement ($0.23), or on the business day immediately preceding the date of the CB Closing, at each Seller’s option; in each case, as appropriately adjusted for any stock split, reverse stock split, recapitalization or similar event occurring after the date of the Purchase Agreement and prior to the CB Closing. The Company has agreed to file with the Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) the resale registration statement with respect to the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the Purchase Agreement (the “Resale Registration Statement”) of which this prospectus forms a part.
The obligations of each of the Sellers and the Company under the Purchase Agreement are subject to specified conditions, including, among other matters: (i) the receipt of all required regulatory approvals, (ii) the Resale Registration Statement having been declared effective by the SEC, such that all shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement shall be registered for resale and freely tradeable, (iii) the receipt of certain specified third-party consents, and (iv) the absence of any injunctions being entered into or law being adopted that would make the Transaction illegal.
The Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties of Commercial Bancorp and the Bank, the Sellers and the Company. It also contains customary covenants, including (i) covenants providing for each of the parties to use reasonable best efforts to cause the Acquisition to be consummated and to receive all required regulatory approvals, including from the Federal Reserve Board and the Wyoming Division of Banking, (ii) covenants providing for Commercial Bancorp and the Bank to carry on their respective businesses in the ordinary course of business, and to refrain from taking certain actions, during the period between the execution of the Purchase Agreement and the CB Closing, and (iii) granting the Company observation rights with respect to meetings of the boards of directors of Commercial Bancorp and the Bank during the period between the execution of the Purchase Agreement and the CB Closing. Commercial Bancorp, the Bank and the Sellers have also agreed not to initiate, solicit, encourage or otherwise facilitate the making of any proposal or offer relating to alternate transactions, or engage in any discussions or negotiations with respect to alternate transactions.
The Purchase Agreement contains termination rights for each of the Sellers and the Company, including, without limitation, in the event that (i) any governmental entity issues a non-appealable final order denying approval of the Acquisition; (ii) the Transaction is not consummated within two years of the execution of the Purchase, subject to extension under certain circumstances; or (iii) the other party breaches its representations, warranties or covenants under the Purchase Agreement which would give rise to the failure of a closing condition and such breach is not cured within 30 days of receipt of written notice of such breach.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 4350 West Cypress Street, Suite 270, Tampa, FL 33607, and our telephone number at that location is (727) 446-6660. Our website address is https://www.atlasclear.com. Information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus, and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only.
Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
| 3 |
Further, Section 102(b) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards). The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with certain other public companies difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the Quantum IPO, which occurred on February 9, 2021, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common equity that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our common equity held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the last business day of the most recently completed second fiscal quarter or (ii) the market value of our common equity held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of the most recently completed second fiscal quarter and our annual revenue in the most recent fiscal year completed before the last business day of such second fiscal quarter exceeded $100 million. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
The Offering
The selling stockholders named in this prospectus may offer and sell up to an aggregate of 39,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company, representing the maximum number of shares that may be issued to the Sellers upon the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement.
Our Common Stock is currently listed on NYSE under the symbol “ATCH.” We will not receive any of the proceeds of sales by the selling stockholders of any of the shares covered by this prospectus.
When we refer to the “selling stockholders” in this prospectus, we are referring to the purchasers of the foregoing securities, and their permitted transferees or other successors-in-interest that may be identified in a supplement to this prospectus or, if required, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
| 4 |
Common stock offered by the selling stockholders herein:
|
Up to 39,000,000 shares
|
| Common stock outstanding: | 150,337,774 shares |
| Use of Proceeds: | We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the common stock by the selling stockholders.
|
| The Offering Price: | The selling stockholders may sell all or a portion of their shares through public or private transactions at prevailing market prices or at privately negotiated prices.
|
| NYSE Symbol: | ATCH |
| Risk Factors: | An investment in our company is highly speculative and involves a significant degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock. |
| 5 |
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the common stock by the selling stockholders.
| 6 |
DETERMINATION OF OFFERING PRICE
The selling stockholders will offer common stock at the prevailing market prices or a privately negotiated price as it may determine from time to time.
The offering price of our common stock to be sold by the selling stockholders does not necessarily bear any relationship to our book value, assets, past operating results, financial condition or any other established criteria of value. The facts considered in determining the offering price were our financial condition and prospects, our limited operating history and the general condition of the securities market.
In addition, there is no assurance that our common stock will trade at market prices in excess of the offering price as prices for common stock in any public market will be determined in the marketplace and may be influenced by many factors, including the depth and liquidity.
| 7 |
The following table sets forth certain information as of June 5, 2026 regarding the selling stockholders and the shares of common stock currently owned by them and offered by them in this prospectus. Except as indicated in the footnotes to the following table, the selling stockholders named in the table have, based on written representations from the selling stockholders, sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares set forth opposite their name. The percentage of ownership of the selling stockholders in the following table is based upon 150,337,774 shares of common stock outstanding as of June 5, 2026. Information with respect to shares beneficially owned prior to the offering includes all shares being offered pursuant to this prospectus.
Other than as described in the footnotes below, none of the selling stockholders or their affiliates has held a position as an officer or director of the Company, nor do the selling stockholders or any of their affiliates have any material relationship of any kind with us or any of our affiliates. All information with respect to share ownership has been furnished by the selling stockholders. The common stock being offered is being registered to permit secondary trading of the shares and the selling stockholders may offer all or part of the common stock owned for resale from time to time. Other than as described in the footnotes below, the selling stockholders do not have any family relationships with our officers, directors or controlling stockholders. Furthermore, none of the selling stockholders is, to our knowledge, a registered broker-dealer or an affiliate of a registered broker-dealer.
Because the number of shares to be issued at the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement may be adjusted, based on the valuation provisions contained in the Purchase Agreement, the number of shares of Common Stock that will actually be issued to the Sellers may be less than the number of shares of Common Stock being offered by this prospectus. The selling stockholders can offer all, some or none of their shares of Common Stock, thus we have no way of determining the number of shares of Common Stock they will hold after this offering. Therefore, the last two columns assume that the selling stockholders will sell all shares of Common Stock covered by this prospectus. See “Plan of Distribution.”
The term “selling stockholder” also includes any transferees, pledges, donees, or other successors in interest to the selling stockholders named in the table below. To our knowledge, subject to applicable community property laws, each person named in the table has sole voting and investment power with respect to the common stock set forth opposite such person’s name. We will file a supplement to this prospectus (or a post-effective amendment hereto, if necessary) to name successors to any named selling stockholder who is able to use this prospectus to resell the securities registered hereby.
| Name of Selling Stockholder | Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to the Offering | Number of Shares of Common Stock Being Offered | Number of Shares Owned After the Offering | Percentage of Shares Owned After the Offering | ||||||||||||
| Gail and Paul Doherty | - | 1,611,055 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Clayton Gross | - | 274,788 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Georgia Gross | - | 2,568,934 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| John Gross | - | 9,989,868 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Patrick Gross | - | 6,465,390 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Paula Gross | - | 3,589,337 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Scott Gross | - | 412,223 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Wynema Gross | - | 269,512 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Gregory Gross | - | 9,699,054 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Andrea Lamons | - | 4,119,839 | - | - | ||||||||||||
* Less than 1%
| 8 |
The common stock held by the selling stockholders may be sold, distributed, transferred or otherwise disposed of from time to time by the selling stockholders directly to one or more purchasers or through brokers, dealers, or underwriters who may act solely as agents at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market prices, at negotiated prices, or at fixed prices, which may be sold on any stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the shares are traded or in private transactions. The sale of the selling stockholders’ common stock offered by this prospectus may be effected in one or more of the following methods:
| ● | ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers; | |
| ● | transactions involving cross or block trades; | |
| ● | purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account; | |
| ● | an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange; | |
| ● | in privately negotiated transactions; | |
| ● | short sales after the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, becomes effective; | |
| ● | broker-dealers may agree with the selling stockholder to sell a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share; | |
| ● | through the writing of options on the shares; | |
| ● | a combination of any such methods of sale; and | |
| ● | any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. |
In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the shares of the selling stockholders may be sold in the states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states, such shares may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and complied with.
The selling stockholders may also sell shares of common stock under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, if available, rather than under this prospectus. In addition, the selling stockholders may transfer the shares of common stock by other means not described in this prospectus.
In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock or interests in shares of common stock, the selling stockholders may enter into hedging transactions, provided that to the extent such hedging transactions involve short sales to be covered by the Shares, such transactions occur only after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the common stock in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The selling stockholders may also sell shares of common stock short after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and deliver these securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the common stock to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The selling stockholders may also enter into option or other transactions after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or the creation of one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of shares offered by this prospectus, which shares such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).
The selling stockholders may also sell the shares directly to market makers acting as principals and/or broker-dealers acting as agents for themselves or their customers. Such broker-dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the selling stockholder and/or the purchasers of shares for whom such broker-dealers may act as agents or to whom they sell as principal or both, which compensation as to a particular broker-dealer might be in excess of customary commissions. Market makers and block purchasers purchasing the shares will do so for their own account and at their own risk. It is possible that the selling stockholders will attempt to sell shares of common stock in block transactions to market makers or other purchasers at a price per share which may be below the then market price. The selling stockholders cannot assure that all or any of the shares offered in this prospectus will be issued to, or sold by, the selling stockholder.
| 9 |
Brokers, dealers, underwriters, or agents participating in the distribution of the shares held by the selling stockholders as agents may receive compensation in the form of commissions, discounts, or concessions from the selling stockholders and/or purchasers of the common stock for whom the broker-dealers may act as agent. The selling stockholders may agree to indemnify any agent, dealer or broker-dealer that participates in transactions involving sales of the shares if liabilities are imposed on that person under the Securities Act.
The selling stockholders acquired the securities offered hereby in the ordinary course of business and have advised us that they have not entered into any agreements, understandings or arrangements with any underwriters or broker-dealers regarding the sale of their shares of common stock, nor is there an underwriter or coordinating broker acting in connection with a proposed sale of shares of common stock by the selling stockholders. If we are notified by the selling stockholder that any material arrangement has been entered into with a broker-dealer for the sale of shares of common stock, if required, we will file a supplement to this prospectus.
With regard only to the shares it sells for its own behalf, each selling stockholder may be deemed an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act. This offering as it relates to each selling stockholder will terminate on the date that all shares issued to and issuable to such selling stockholder that are offered by this prospectus have been sold by the selling stockholder.
We may suspend the sale of shares by the selling stockholders pursuant to this prospectus for certain periods of time for certain reasons, including if the prospectus is required to be supplemented or amended to include additional material information.
If the selling stockholders use this prospectus for any sale of the shares of common stock, the selling stockholders will be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act.
We have agreed to indemnify the selling stockholders against certain liabilities, including under the Securities Act and state securities laws, relating to the registration of the shares offered by this prospectus
Regulation M
The anti-manipulation rules of Regulation M under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) may apply to sales of our common stock and activities of the selling stockholders.
We have advised the selling stockholders that while they are engaged in a distribution of the shares included in this prospectus it is required to comply with Regulation M promulgated under the Exchange Act. With certain exceptions, Regulation M precludes the selling stockholders, any affiliated purchasers, and any broker-dealer or other person who participates in the distribution from bidding for or purchasing, or attempting to induce any person to bid for or purchase any security which is the subject of the distribution until the entire distribution is complete. Regulation M also prohibits any bids or purchases made in order to stabilize the price of a security in connection with the distribution of that security. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the shares offered hereby this prospectus.
| 10 |
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES TO BE REGISTERED
General
The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock which the Company has authority to issue is 525,000,000, of which 500,000,000 shares are Common Stock and 25,000,000 shares are preferred stock, the par value $0.0001 per share.
Common Stock
Each share of our common stock has the same relative rights and is identical in all respects with each other share of common stock.
Voting Power
Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote in respect of each share of stock held of record by such holder on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Except as otherwise required by law, holders of common stock are not entitled to vote on any amendment to the Charter (including any certificate of designation relating to any series of preferred stock) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of preferred stock of the Company if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together as a class with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote on such amendment pursuant to the Charter (including any certificate of designation relating to any series of preferred stock).
Dividends
Subject to applicable law and the rights and preferences, if any, of any holders of any outstanding series of preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled to receive dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors, payable either in cash, in property or in shares of capital stock.
Liquidation, Dissolution and Winding Up
Upon the Company’s liquidation, dissolution or winding up and after payment in full of all amounts required to be paid to creditors and to any holders of preferred stock having liquidation preferences, if any, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive pro rata the Company’s remaining assets available for distribution.
Preemptive or Other Rights
Holders of common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights, and common stock is not subject to conversion, redemption or sinking fund provisions.
Election of Directors
Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast at each annual meeting of stockholders. Each director will hold office until the next succeeding annual meeting and until his or her successor is elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal. The Charter does not provide for cumulative voting for the election of directors.
Preferred Stock
The Company currently has no outstanding preferred stock.
Warrants
As of June 5, 2026, there were outstanding 10,062,500 public warrants (exercisable for an aggregate of 167,708 shares of our common stock), 5,562,500 private warrants (exercisable for an aggregate of 92,708 shares of our common stock), 16,666,668 warrants issued in a financing in October 2025 and 1,000,000 warrants issued to a placement agent and its designees in October 2025.
Transfer Agent and Registrar for Common Stock
The transfer agent and registrar for the common stock is Dynamic Stock Transfer, Inc.
Listing
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “ATCH.”
| 11 |
INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES
The Bylaws provide that the Company’s directors and officers will be indemnified and advanced expenses by the Company to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by the DGCL as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Company’s directors will not be personally liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
The Bylaws also permit the Company to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any officer, director, employee or agent of the Company for any liability arising out of his or her status as such, regardless of whether the DGCL would permit indemnification.
These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against the Company directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit the Company and its stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent the Company pays the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to the Company directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
| 12 |
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus were passed upon for us by Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
The consolidated financial statements of AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. as of June 30, 2025 and 2024 and for the year ended June 30, 2025 and the six months ended June 30, 2024, incorporated in this prospectus by reference, have been so included in reliance on the report of Haynie, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and file annual, quarterly, and special reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to you on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Documents we have filed with the SEC are also available on our website through the investors section of our website at www.atlasclear.com. Information contained on our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference herein.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” in this prospectus the information we file with the SEC. This helps us disclose certain important information to you by referring you to the documents we file. The information we incorporate by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Because we are incorporating by reference future filings with the SEC, this prospectus is continually updated and those future filings may modify or supersede some of the information included or incorporated in this prospectus. This means that you must look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any document previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded. We incorporate by reference each of the documents listed below.
| ● | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2025; |
| ● | our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 30, 2026, as amended; |
| ● | our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended September 30, 2025, December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2026; |
| ● | our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on August 8, 2025, September 17, 2025, September 25, 2025, September 30, 2025, October 14, 2025, October 27, 2025, November 14, 2025, December 1, 2025, February 10, 2026, February 13, 2026, May 12, 2026, May 13, 2026, and June 1, 2026; and |
| ● | the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed under the Exchange Act on February 9, 2024, including any amendment or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
All filings by our company pursuant to the Exchange Act subsequent to the date hereof and prior to effectiveness of this registration statement are incorporated in this registration statement and deemed to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents or reports. In addition, all documents and reports filed by our company subsequent to the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents or reports. Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements.
We will provide each person to whom this prospectus is delivered a copy of all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus. You may obtain copies of these filings, at no cost, through the “Investors” section of our website (https://www.investors.atlasclear.com), and you may request copies of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at:
AtlasClear
Holdings, Inc.
Attention: Corporate Secretary
4350 West Cypress Street, Suite 270
Tampa, FL 33607
Telephone: (813) 257-9366
The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.
| 13 |
ATLASCLEAR HOLDINGS, INC.
39,000,000 Shares of Common Stock
PROSPECTUS
, 2026
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
| Item 14. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution |
The following table sets forth the various expenses in connection with the registration of the securities offered hereby. We will bear all of these expenses. All amounts are estimated except for the SEC registration fee:
| Item | Amount | |||
| SEC registration fee | $ | 14,995 | ||
| FINRA filing fee | * | |||
| Legal fees and expenses | * | |||
| Accounting fees and expenses | * | |||
| Printing and related expenses | * | |||
| Miscellaneous | * | |||
| Total | $ | 14,995 | ||
| * | The amount of securities and number of offerings are indeterminable and the expenses cannot be estimated at this time. |
| Item 15. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers |
Subsection (a) of Section 145 of the DGCL empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or who is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful.
Subsection (b) of Section 145 empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person acted in any of the capacities set forth above, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
Section 145 further provides that to the extent a director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 145, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith; that indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the indemnified party may be entitled; and the indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of such person’s heirs, executors and administrators. Section 145 also empowers the corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liabilities under Section 145.
| II-1 |
Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL provides that a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such provision shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.
Additionally, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, limits the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, and our Bylaws provide that we will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by such law. We have entered into and expect to continue to enter into agreements to indemnify our directors, executive officers and other employees as determined by our Board. Under the terms of such indemnification agreements, we are required to indemnify each of our directors and officers, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the state of Delaware, if the basis of the indemnitee’s involvement was by reason of the fact that the indemnitee is or was our director or officer or was serving at our request in an official capacity for another entity. We must indemnify our officers and directors under the circumstances and to the extent provided for therein, from and against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened, pending or completed claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal, and including appeals, in which he or she may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, to the fullest extent permitted under the DGCL and the Bylaws. The indemnification agreements also require us, if so requested, to advance all reasonable fees, expenses, charges and other costs that such director or officer incurred, provided that such person will return any such advance if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification by us. Any claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.
| Item 16. | Exhibits |
The following Exhibits are filed herewith or incorporated herein by reference:
| II-2 |
| 4.9* | Form of Unit Agreement |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Greenberg Traurig, LLP (Primary Offering) |
5. |
|
| 23.1 | Consent of Greenberg Traurig, LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1) |
| 23.2 | Consent of Greenberg Traurig, LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2) |
| 23.3 | Consent of Haynie & Company, an independent registered public accounting firm |
| 24.1 | Power of Attorney (included in the signature page to this Registration Statement) |
| 25.1** | Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee under Indenture for Senior Debt Securities under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended |
| 25.2** | Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee under Indenture for Subordinated Debt Securities under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended |
| 107 | Filing Fee Table |
| * | To be filed, if necessary, by post-effective amendment to this registration statement or as an exhibit to a current report of the registrant on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference. |
| ** | To be incorporated herein by reference from a subsequent filing in accordance with Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. |
| II-3 |
| Item 17. | Undertakings |
| (a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; |
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in this registration statement; |
Provided, however, That Paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form F-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser: |
| (i) | If the registrant is relying on Rule 430B: |
| (A) | Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and |
| (B) | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415 (a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| II-4 |
Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
| (5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: |
The undersigned registrant undertakes that in an offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
| (b) | The undersigned registrant hereby further undertakes that, for the purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (h) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
| (j) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act (“Act”) in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under section 305(b)(2) of the Act. |
| II-5 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Tampa, Florida, on this 8th day of June, 2026.
ATLASCLEAR HOLDINGS, INC.
| By: | /s/ John Schaible | |
| John Schaible | ||
| Executive Chairman |
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each individual whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints John Schaible and Sandip Patel, jointly and severally, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full powers of substitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all supplements amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below on the dates indicated by the following persons in the capacities indicated.
| SIGNATURE | TITLE | DATE | ||
| /s/ John Schaible | Executive Chairman | June 8, 2026 | ||
| John Schaible | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ Sandip Patel | General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer and Director |
June 8, 2026 | ||
| Sandip Patel | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |||
| /s/ Craig Ridenhour | President and Director | June 8, 2026 | ||
| Craig Ridenhour | ||||
| /s/ Thomas J. Hammond | Director | June 8, 2026 | ||
| Thomas J. Hammond | ||||
| /s/ Robert D. Keyser | Director | June 8, 2026 | ||
| Robert D. Keyser | ||||
| /s/ Steven Carlson | Director | June 8, 2026 | ||
| Steven Carlson |
| II-6 |
Exhibit 4.1
ATLASCLEAR HOLDINGS, INC.
and
[ ], as Trustee
INDENTURE
Dated as of [ ], [ ]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Article I. DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE | 1 | |
| 1.1 DEFINITIONS. | 1 | |
| 1.2 OTHER DEFINITIONS. | 4 | |
| 1.3 INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF TRUST INDENTURE ACT. | 4 | |
| 1.4 RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. | 5 | |
| Article II. THE SECURITIES | 5 | |
| 2.1 ISSUABLE IN SERIES. | 5 | |
| 2.2 ESTABLISHMENT OF TERMS OF SERIES OF SECURITIES. | 5 | |
| 2.3 EXECUTION AND AUTHENTICATION. | 7 | |
| 2.4 REGISTRAR AND PAYING AGENT. | 8 | |
| 2.5 PAYING AGENT TO HOLD ASSETS IN TRUST. | 8 | |
| 2.6 SECURITYHOLDER LISTS. | 9 | |
| 2.7 TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE. | 9 | |
| 2.8 REPLACEMENT SECURITIES. | 9 | |
| 2.9 OUTSTANDING SECURITIES. | 10 | |
| 2.10 WHEN TREASURY SECURITIES DISREGARDED; DETERMINATION OF HOLDERS’ ACTION. | 10 | |
| 2.11 TEMPORARY SECURITIES. | 10 | |
| 2.12 CANCELLATION. | 10 | |
| 2.13 PAYMENT OF INTEREST; DEFAULTED INTEREST; COMPUTATION OF INTEREST. | 11 | |
| 2.14 CUSIP NUMBER. | 11 | |
| 2.15 PROVISIONS FOR GLOBAL SECURITIES. | 11 | |
| 2.16 PERSONS DEEMED OWNERS. | 12 | |
| Article III. REDEMPTION | 12 | |
| 3.1 NOTICES TO TRUSTEE. | 12 | |
| 3.2 SELECTION BY TRUSTEE OF SECURITIES TO BE REDEEMED. | 12 | |
| 3.3 NOTICE OF REDEMPTION. | 13 | |
| 3.4 EFFECT OF NOTICE OF REDEMPTION. | 13 | |
| 3.5 DEPOSIT OF REDEMPTION PRICE. | 14 | |
| 3.6 SECURITIES REDEEMED IN PART. | 14 | |
| Article IV. COVENANTS | 14 | |
| 4.1 PAYMENT OF SECURITIES. | 14 | |
| 4.2 SEC REPORTS. | 14 | |
| 4.3 WAIVER OF STAY, EXTENSION OR USURY LAWS. | 14 | |
| 4.4 COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE. | 15 | |
| 4.5 CORPORATE EXISTENCE. | 15 | |
| i |
| Article V. SUCCESSOR CORPORATION | 15 | |
| 5.1 LIMITATION ON CONSOLIDATION, MERGER AND SALE OF ASSETS. | 15 | |
| 5.2 SUCCESSOR PERSON SUBSTITUTED. | 16 | |
| Article VI. DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES | 16 | |
| 6.1 EVENTS OF DEFAULT. | 16 | |
| 6.2 ACCELERATION. | 17 | |
| 6.3 REMEDIES. | 17 | |
| 6.4 WAIVER OF PAST DEFAULTS AND EVENTS OF DEFAULT. | 18 | |
| 6.5 CONTROL BY MAJORITY. | 18 | |
| 6.6 LIMITATION ON SUITS. | 18 | |
| 6.7 RIGHTS OF HOLDERS TO RECEIVE PAYMENT. | 18 | |
| 6.8 COLLECTION SUIT BY TRUSTEE. | 19 | |
| 6.9 TRUSTEE MAY FILE PROOFS OF CLAIM. | 19 | |
| 6.10 PRIORITIES. | 19 | |
| 6.11 UNDERTAKING FOR COSTS. | 19 | |
| Article VII. TRUSTEE | 20 | |
| 7.1 DUTIES OF TRUSTEE. | 20 | |
| 7.2 RIGHTS OF TRUSTEE. | 20 | |
| 7.3 INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS OF TRUSTEE. | 21 | |
| 7.4 TRUSTEE’S DISCLAIMER. | 21 | |
| 7.5 NOTICE OF DEFAULT. | 21 | |
| 7.6 REPORTS BY TRUSTEE TO HOLDERS. | 22 | |
| 7.7 COMPENSATION AND INDEMNITY. | 22 | |
| 7.8 REPLACEMENT OF TRUSTEE. | 22 | |
| 7.9 SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE BY CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR CONVERSION. | 23 | |
| 7.10 ELIGIBILITY; DISQUALIFICATION. | 23 | |
| 7.11 PREFERENTIAL COLLECTION OF CLAIMS AGAINST COMPANY. | 23 | |
| 7.12 PAYING AGENTS. | 23 | |
| Article VIII. AMENDMENTS, SUPPLEMENTS AND WAIVERS | 24 | |
| 8.1 WITHOUT CONSENT OF HOLDERS. | 24 | |
| 8.2 WITH CONSENT OF HOLDERS. | 24 | |
| 8.3 COMPLIANCE WITH TRUST INDENTURE ACT. | 25 | |
| 8.4 REVOCATION AND EFFECT OF CONSENTS. | 25 | |
| 8.5 NOTATION ON OR EXCHANGE OF SECURITIES. | 26 | |
| 8.6 TRUSTEE TO SIGN AMENDMENTS, ETC. | 26 | |
| Article IX. DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE; DEFEASANCE | 26 | |
| 9.1 DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE. | 26 | |
| 9.2 LEGAL DEFEASANCE. | 27 | |
| 9.3 COVENANT DEFEASANCE. | 27 | |
| 9.4 CONDITIONS TO LEGAL DEFEASANCE OR COVENANT DEFEASANCE. | 27 | |
| ii |
| 9.5 DEPOSITED MONEY AND U.S. AND FOREIGN GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS TO BE HELD IN TRUST; OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. | 28 | |
| 9.6 REINSTATEMENT. | 29 | |
| 9.7 MONEYS HELD BY PAYING AGENT. | 29 | |
| 9.8 MONEYS HELD BY TRUSTEE. | 29 | |
| Article X. MISCELLANEOUS | 30 | |
| 10.1 TRUST INDENTURE ACT CONTROLS. | 29 | |
| 10.2 NOTICES. | 29 | |
| 10.3 COMMUNICATIONS BY HOLDERS WITH OTHER HOLDERS. | 30 | |
| 10.4 CERTIFICATE AND OPINION AS TO CONDITIONS PRECEDENT. | 30 | |
| 10.5 STATEMENT REQUIRED IN CERTIFICATE AND OPINION. | 31 | |
| 10.6 RULES BY TRUSTEE AND AGENTS. | 31 | |
| 10.7 BUSINESS DAYS; LEGAL HOLIDAYS; PLACE OF PAYMENT. | 31 | |
| 10.8 GOVERNING LAW. | 31 | |
| 10.9 NO ADVERSE INTERPRETATION OF OTHER AGREEMENTS. | 31 | |
| 10.10 NO RECOURSE AGAINST OTHERS. | 31 | |
| 10.11 SUCCESSORS. | 32 | |
| 10.12 MULTIPLE COUNTERPARTS. | 32 | |
| 10.13 TABLE OF CONTENTS, HEADINGS, ETC. | 32 | |
| 10.14 SEVERABILITY. | 32 | |
| 10.15 SECURITIES IN A FOREIGN CURRENCY OR IN EUROS. | 32 | |
| 10.16 JUDGMENT CURRENCY. | 32 | |
| iii |
CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE
| TIA SECTION | INDENTURE SECTION | |
| 310(a)(1)(2)(5) | 7.10 | |
| 310(a)(3)(4) | Inapplicable | |
| 310(b) | 7.8; 7.10 | |
| 310(c) | Inapplicable | |
| 311(a)(b) | 7.11 | |
| 311(c) | Inapplicable | |
| 312(a) | 2.6 | |
| 312(b)(c) | 10.3 | |
| 313(a)(b) | 7.6 | |
| 313(c) | 7.6; 10.2 | |
| 313(d) | 7.6 | |
| 314(a) | 4.2; 4.4; 10.2 | |
| 314(b) | N/A | |
| 314(c)(1)(2) | 10.4; 10.5 | |
| 314(c)(3) | Inapplicable | |
| 314(d) | Inapplicable | |
| 314(e) | 10.5 | |
| 314(f) | Inapplicable | |
| 315(a) | 7.1, 7.2 | |
| 315(b) | 7.5; 10.2 | |
| 315(c) | 7.1 | |
| 315(d) | 7.1; 7.2 | |
| 315(e) | 6.11 | |
| 316(a)(last sentence) | 2.10 | |
| 316(a)(1)(A) | 6.5 | |
| 316(a)(1)(B) | 6.4 | |
| 316(a)(2) | 8.2 | |
| 316(b) | 6.7 | |
| 316(c) | 8.4 | |
| 317(a)(1) | 6.8 | |
| 317(a)(2) | 6.9 | |
| 317(b) | 2.5; 7.12 | |
| 318(a) | 10.1 |
Note: This Cross-Reference Table shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be a part of the Indenture.
| iv |
INDENTURE, dated as of [ ], [ ] by and between AtlasClear Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, as Issuer (the “Company”) and [ ], a [ ], organized under the laws of [ ], as Trustee (the “Trustee”).
RECITALS OF THE COMPANY
The Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance from time to time of its debentures, notes or other evidences of indebtedness to be issued in one or more series (the “Securities”), as herein provided, up to such principal amount as may from time to time be authorized in or pursuant to one or more resolutions of the Board of Directors or by supplemental indenture.
All things necessary to make this Indenture a valid agreement of the Company in accordance with its terms have been done, and the execution and delivery thereof have been in all respects duly authorized by the parties hereto.
NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH:
For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders thereof, it is mutually agreed, for the equal and proportionate benefit of all Holders of the Securities of a Series thereof, as follows:
Article
I.
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
1.1 DEFINITIONS.
“Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person which, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by or is under common control with, such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any Person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by agreement or otherwise.
“Agent” means any Registrar, Paying Agent, co-registrar or agent for service of notices and demands.
“Board of Directors” means the Board of Directors of the Company or any committee duly authorized to act therefor.
“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified pursuant to an Officers’ Certificate to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification which has been delivered to the Trustee.
“Capital Stock” means, with respect to any Person, any and all shares or other equivalents (however designated) of capital stock, partnership interests or any other participation, right or other interest in the nature of an equity interest in such Person or any option, warrant or other security convertible into any of the foregoing.
“Company” means the party named as such in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor replaces such party pursuant to ARTICLE 5 of this Indenture, and thereafter means the successor and any other primary obligor on the Securities.
“Company Order” means a written order signed in the name of the Company by two Officers, one of whom must be its Chief Executive Officer or its Chief Financial Officer.
“Company Request” means any written request signed in the name of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, its President or its Chief Financial Officer and attested to by its Secretary or any Assistant Secretary.
“Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be principally administered.
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“Default” means any event that is, or that with the passing of time or giving of notice or both would be, an Event of Default.
“Depository” means, with respect to the Securities of any Series issuable or issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, the Person designated as Depository for such Series by the Company, which Depository shall be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, until a successor Depository shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Depository” shall mean each Person who is then a Depository hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such Person, such Persons.
“Dollars” means the currency of the United States of America.
“Euro” means the single currency of participating member states of the economic and monetary union as contemplated in the Treaty on European Union.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Foreign Currency” means any currency or currency unit issued by a government other than the government of the United States of America.
“Foreign Government Obligations” means, with respect to Securities that are denominated in a Foreign Currency, (i) direct obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged or (ii) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by, or acting as an agency or instrumentality of, such government, the timely payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by such government, which, in either case under clauses (i) and (ii), are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied as in effect in the United States of America from time to time.
“Global Security” or “Global Securities” means a Security or Securities, as the case may be, in the form established pursuant to Section 2.2, evidencing all or part of a Series of Securities issued to the Depository for such Series or its nominee, and registered in the name of such Depository or nominee, and bearing the legend set forth in Section 2.15(c) (or such other legend(s) as may be applied to such Securities in accordance with Section 2.2(24)).
“Holder” or “Securityholder” means the Person in whose name a Security is registered on the Registrar’s books.
“Indebtedness” means (without duplication), with respect to any Person, any indebtedness at any time outstanding, secured or unsecured, contingent or otherwise, which is for borrowed money (whether or not the recourse of the lender is to the whole of the assets of such Person or only to a portion thereof), or evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments, or representing the balance deferred and unpaid of the purchase price of any property (excluding any balances that constitute accounts payable or trade payables, and other accrued liabilities arising in the ordinary course of business), if and to the extent any of the foregoing indebtedness would appear as a liability upon a balance sheet of such Person prepared in accordance with GAAP.
“Indenture” means this Indenture as amended, restated or supplemented from time to time.
“Interest Payment Date,” when used with respect to any Security, means the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Security.
“Lien” means, with respect to any property or assets of any Person, any mortgage or deed of trust, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, security interest, lien, charge, easement, encumbrance, preference, priority or other security agreement or preferential arrangement of any kind or nature whatsoever on or with respect to such property or assets (including, without limitation, any capitalized lease obligation, conditional sales or other title retention agreement having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).
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“Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security, or an installment of principal, becomes due and payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption, notice of option to elect payment or otherwise.
“Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer, the President, its Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, or the Secretary of the Company, or any other officer designated by the Board of Directors, as the case may be.
“Officers’ Certificate” means, with respect to any Person, a certificate signed by the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer or any Treasurer of such Person, that shall comply with applicable provisions of this Indenture.
“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion from legal counsel, which counsel is reasonably acceptable to the Trustee. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company.
“Person” means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government (including any agency or political subdivision thereof).
“Redemption Date,” when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, means the date fixed for such redemption pursuant to this Indenture.
“Responsible Officer,” when used with respect to the Trustee, means any officer within the corporate trust department or division of the Trustee (or any successor group of the Trustee) or any other officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers, and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of his knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission as constituted from time to time, or any successor performing substantially the same functions.
“Securities” means the securities that are issued under this Indenture, as amended or supplemented from time to time pursuant to this Indenture.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Series” or “Series of Securities” means each series of debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company created pursuant to Sections 2.1 and 2.2.
“Significant Subsidiary” means (i) any direct or indirect Subsidiary of the Company that would be a “significant subsidiary” as defined in ARTICLE 1, Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as such regulation is in effect on the date hereof, or (ii) any group of direct or indirect Subsidiaries of the Company that, taken together as a group, would be a “significant subsidiary” as defined in ARTICLE 1, Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as such regulation is in effect on the date hereof.
“Stated Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security or any installment of principal thereof or interest thereon, means the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security, or such installment of principal or interest, is due and payable, and when used with respect to any other Indebtedness, means the date specified in the instrument governing such Indebtedness as the fixed date on which the principal of such Indebtedness, or any installment of interest thereon, is due and payable.
“Subsidiary” of any specified Person means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, association or other business entity, whether now existing or hereafter organized or acquired, (i) in the case of a corporation, of which more than 50% of the total voting power of the Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors thereof is held, directly or indirectly, by such Person or any of its Subsidiaries; or (ii) in the case of a partnership, joint venture, association or other business entity, with respect to which such Person or any of its Subsidiaries has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such entity by contract or otherwise, or if in accordance with GAAP such entity is consolidated with such Person for financial statement purposes.
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“TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S. Code Section 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date of this Indenture (except as provided in Section 8.3).
“Trustee” means the party named as such in this Indenture until a successor replaces it pursuant to this Indenture, and thereafter means the successor, and if at any time there is more than one such Person, “Trustee” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Trustee with respect to Securities of that Series.
“U.S. Government Obligations” means direct non-callable obligations of, or non-callable obligations guaranteed by, the United States of America for the payment of which obligation or guarantee the full faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged.
1.2 OTHER DEFINITIONS.
The definitions of the following terms may be found in the sections indicated as follows:
| Term | Defined in Section | |
| “Bankruptcy Law” | 6.1 | |
| “Business Day” | 10.7 | |
| “Covenant Defeasance” | 9.3 | |
| “Custodian” | 6.1 | |
| “Event of Default” | 6.1 | |
| “Journal” | 10.15 | |
| “Judgment Currency” | 10.16 | |
| “Legal Defeasance” | 9.2 | |
| “Legal Holiday” | 10.7 | |
| “Market Exchange Rate” | 10.15 | |
| “New York Paying Agent” | 2.4 | |
| “Paying Agent” | 2.4 | |
| “Place of Payment” | 10.7 | |
| “Registrar” | 2.4 | |
| “Required Currency” | 10.16 | |
| “Service Agent” | 2.4 |
1.3 INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF TRUST INDENTURE ACT.
Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the portion of such provision required to be incorporated herein in order for this Indenture to be qualified under the TIA is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:
“Commission” means the SEC.
“indenture securities” means the Securities.
“indenture securityholder” means a Holder or Securityholder.
“indenture to be qualified” means this Indenture.
“indenture trustee” or “institutional trustee” means the Trustee.
“obligor on the indenture securities” means the Company.
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All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined in the TIA by reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule have the meanings therein assigned to them.
1.4 RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.
Unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) a term has the meaning assigned to it herein, whether defined expressly or by reference;
(2) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;
(3) “or” is not exclusive;
(4) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular;
(5) words used herein implying any gender shall apply to each gender; and
(6) the words “herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.
Article
II.
THE SECURITIES
2.1 ISSUABLE IN SERIES.
The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is $[ ]. The Securities may be issued in one or more Series. All Securities of a Series shall be identical except as may be set forth in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture or an Officers’ Certificate detailing the adoption of the terms thereof pursuant to the authority granted under a Board Resolution. In the case of Securities of a Series to be issued from time to time, the Board Resolution, Officers’ Certificate or supplemental indenture may provide for the method by which specified terms (such as interest rate, Stated Maturity, record date or date from which interest shall accrue) are to be determined. Securities may differ between Series in respect of any matters, PROVIDED, that all Series of Securities shall be equally and ratably entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.
2.2 ESTABLISHMENT OF TERMS OF SERIES OF SECURITIES.
At or prior to the issuance of any Securities within a Series, the following shall be established (as to the Series generally, in the case of Subsection 2.2(1) and either as to such Securities within the Series or as to the Series generally in the case of Subsections 2.2(2) through 2.2(24)) by a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture or an Officers’ Certificate, in each case, pursuant to authority granted under a Board Resolution:
(1) the title of the Series (which shall distinguish the Securities of that particular Series from the Securities of any other Series);
(2) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the Series which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of the Series pursuant to Section 2.7, 2.8, 2.11, 3.6 or 8.5);
(3) the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount thereof) at which the Securities of the Series will be issued;
(4) the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the Series is payable;
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(5) the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates (including, but not limited to, any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the Securities of the Series shall bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which such interest, if any, shall accrue, the date or dates on which such interest, if any, shall commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any Interest Payment Date;
(6) the place or places where the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, the Securities of the Series shall be payable, or the method of such payment, if by wire transfer, mail or other means;
(7) if applicable, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which the Securities of the Series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;
(8) the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase the Securities of the Series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a Holder thereof, and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the Series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
(9) the dates, if any, on which and the price or prices at which the Securities of the Series will be repurchased by the Company at the option of the Holders thereof, and other detailed terms and provisions of such repurchase obligations;
(10) if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the Series shall be issuable;
(11) the forms of the Securities of the Series in bearer (if to be issued outside of the United States of America) or fully registered form (and, if in fully registered form, whether the Securities will be issuable as Global Securities);
(12) if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of the Securities of the Series that shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2;
(13) the currency of denomination of the Securities of the Series, which may be Dollars or any Foreign Currency, including, but not limited to, the Euro, and, if such currency of denomination is a composite currency other than the Euro, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;
(14) the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, the Securities of the Series will be made;
(15) if payments of principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, the Securities of the Series are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which such Securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;
(16) the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, or interest and premium, if any, on, the Securities of the Series will be determined, if such amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;
(17) the provisions, if any, relating to any collateral provided for the Securities of the Series;
(18) any addition to or change in the covenants set forth in ARTICLE 4 or ARTICLE 5 that applies to Securities of the Series;
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(19) any addition to or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the Series, and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 6.2;
(20) the terms and conditions, if any, for conversion of the Securities into or exchange of the Securities for shares of common stock or preferred stock of the Company that apply to Securities of the Series;
(21) any depositories, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to Securities of such Series if other than those appointed herein;
(22) the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the Securities shall be subordinated in right of payment to other Indebtedness of the Company;
(23) if applicable, that the Securities of the Series, in whole or any specified part, shall be defeasible pursuant to Article 9; and
(24) any other terms of the Securities of the Series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, except as permitted by Section 8.1, but which may modify or delete any provision of this Indenture insofar as it applies to such Series).
(25) All Securities of any one Series need not be issued at the same time, and may be issued from time to time, consistent with the terms of this Indenture, if so provided by or pursuant to the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officers’ Certificate referred to above, however, the authorized principal amount of any Series may not be increased to provide for issuances of additional Securities of such Series, unless otherwise provided in such Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officers’ Certificate.
2.3 EXECUTION AND AUTHENTICATION.
The Securities shall be executed on behalf of the Company by two Officers of the Company or an Officer and an Assistant Secretary of the Company. Each such signature may be either manual or facsimile. The Company’s seal may be impressed, affixed, imprinted or reproduced on the Securities and may be in facsimile form.
If an Officer whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Security is authenticated, the Security shall nevertheless be valid.
A Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security has been authenticated under this Indenture. The Trustee shall at any time, and from time to time, authenticate Securities for original issue in the principal amount provided in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officers’ Certificate, upon receipt by the Trustee of a Company Order. Such Company Order may authorize authentication and delivery pursuant to oral or electronic instructions from the Company or its duly authorized agent or agents, which oral instructions shall be promptly confirmed in writing. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.
The aggregate principal amount of Securities of any Series outstanding at any time may not exceed any limit upon the maximum principal amount for such Series set forth in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officers’ Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2, except as provided in Section 2.8.
Prior to the issuance of Securities of any Series, the Trustee shall have received and (subject to Section 7.1) shall be fully protected in relying on: (a) the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officers’ Certificate establishing the form of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series and the terms of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series, (b) an Officers’ Certificate complying with Section 10.4, and (c) an Opinion of Counsel complying with Section 10.4.
The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver any Securities of any Series: (a) if the Trustee, being advised in writing by outside counsel, determines that such action may not lawfully be taken; or (b) if the Trustee in good faith by its board of directors or trustees, executive committee or a trust committee of directors and/or vice-presidents shall reasonably determine that such action would expose the Trustee to personal liability, or cause it to have a conflict of interest with respect to Holders of any then outstanding Series of Securities.
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The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Company to authenticate Securities. An authenticating agent may authenticate Securities whenever the Trustee may do so. Any appointment shall be evidenced by an instrument signed by an authorized officer of the Trustee, a copy of which shall be furnished to the Company. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company.
2.4 REGISTRAR AND PAYING AGENT.
The Company shall maintain in each Place of Payment for any Series of Securities (i) an office or agency where such Securities may be presented for registration of transfer or for exchange (“Registrar”), (ii) an office or agency where such Securities may be presented for payment (“Paying Agent”) (PROVIDED that the Company shall at all times maintain a Paying Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York, State of New York (the “New York Paying Agent”), and PROVIDED, FURTHER, that at the option of the Company payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the register for the Securities maintained by the Registrar), and (iii) an office or agency where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities and this Indenture may be served (“Service Agent”). The Registrar shall keep a register of the Securities and of their transfer and exchange. The Company may have one or more co-registrars and one or more additional paying agents. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office, or to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the address of the Trustee as set forth in Section 10.2. If the Company acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate the money held by it for the payment of principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, the Securities and hold it as a separate trust fund. The Company may change any Paying Agent, Registrar, co-registrar or any other Agent without notice to any Securityholder.
The Company may also from time to time designate one or more other offices or agencies where the Securities may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes, and may from time to time rescind such designations; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain an office or agency in each Place of Payment for Securities of any Series for such purposes. The Company hereby initially designates the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee as such office of the Company. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of such designation or rescission, and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency.
The Company shall enter into an appropriate agency agreement with any Registrar or Paying Agent not a party to this Indenture. The agreement shall implement the provisions of this Indenture that relate to such Agent. The Company shall notify the Trustee of the name and address of any such Agent. If the Company fails to maintain a Registrar or Paying Agent, or agent for service of notices and demands, or fails to give the foregoing notice, the Trustee shall act as such. The Company hereby appoints the Trustee as the initial Registrar, Paying Agent and Service Agent for each Series unless another Registrar, Paying Agent or Service Agent, as the case may be, is appointed prior to the time Securities of that Series are first issued. The Company designates [ ], as the New York Paying Agent, with offices at [ ].
2.5 PAYING AGENT TO HOLD ASSETS IN TRUST.
The Trustee as Paying Agent shall, and the Company shall require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that each Paying Agent shall, hold in trust for the benefit of the Holders of any Series of Securities or the Trustee all assets held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, such Series of Securities (whether such assets have been distributed to it by the Company or any other obligor on such Series of Securities), and the Company and the Paying Agent shall notify the Trustee in writing of any Default by the Company (or any other obligor on such Series of Securities) in making any such payment. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to distribute all assets held by it to the Trustee and account for any assets disbursed, and the Trustee may, at any time during the continuance of any payment default with respect to any Series of Securities, upon written request to a Paying Agent, require such Paying Agent to distribute all assets held by it to the Trustee and to account for any assets distributed. Upon distribution to the Trustee of all assets that shall have been delivered by the Company to the Paying Agent, the Paying Agent shall have no further liability for such assets.
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2.6 SECURITYHOLDER LISTS.
The Trustee shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities. If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee as of each regular record date for the payment of interest on the Securities of a Series and before each related Interest Payment Date, and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, a list in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities.
2.7 TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE.
When Securities of a Series are presented to the Registrar with a request to register the transfer thereof, the Registrar shall register the transfer as requested if the requirements of applicable law are met, and when such Securities of a Series are presented to the Registrar with a request to exchange them for an equal principal amount of other authorized denominations of Securities of the same Series, the Registrar shall make the exchange as requested. To permit transfers and exchanges, upon surrender of any Security for registration of transfer at the office or agency maintained pursuant to Section 2.4, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate Securities at the Registrar’s request.
If Securities are issued as Global Securities, the provisions of Section 2.15 shall apply.
All Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities shall be the valid obligations of the Company, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.
Every Security presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange shall (if so required by the Company or the Registrar or a co-registrar) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Registrar or a co-registrar, duly executed by the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing.
Any exchange or transfer shall be without charge, except that the Company may require payment by the Holder of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation to a transfer or exchange, but this provision shall not apply to any exchange pursuant to Section 2.11, 3.6 or 8.5. The Trustee shall not be required to register transfers of Securities of any Series, or to exchange Securities of any Series, for a period of 15 days before the record date for selection for redemption of such Securities. The Trustee shall not be required to exchange or register transfers of Securities of any Series called or being called for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of such Security being redeemed in part.
2.8 REPLACEMENT SECURITIES.
If a mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee, or if the Holder of a Security presents evidence to the satisfaction of the Company and the Trustee that the Security has been lost, destroyed or wrongfully taken, the Company shall issue and the Trustee shall authenticate a replacement Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding. An indemnity bond may be required by the Company or the Trustee that is sufficient in the reasonable judgment of the Company or the Trustee, as the case may be, to protect the Company, the Trustee or any Agent from any loss which any of them may suffer if a Security is replaced. The Company may charge such Holder for the Company’s out-of-pocket expenses in replacing a Security, including the fees and expenses of the Trustee. Every replacement Security shall constitute an original additional obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that Series duly issued hereunder.
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2.9 OUTSTANDING SECURITIES.
Securities outstanding at any time are all Securities authenticated by the Trustee, except for those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation and those described in this Section 2.9 as not outstanding.
If a Security is replaced pursuant to Section 2.8 (other than a mutilated Security surrendered for replacement), it ceases to be outstanding until the Company and the Trustee receive proof satisfactory to each of them that the replaced Security is held by a bona fide purchaser. A mutilated Security ceases to be outstanding upon surrender of such Security and replacement thereof pursuant to Section 2.8.
If a Paying Agent holds on a Redemption Date or the Stated Maturity money sufficient to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest on, Securities payable on that date, and is not prohibited from paying such money to the Holders thereof pursuant to the terms of this Indenture (PROVIDED, that if such Securities are to be redeemed, notice of such redemption has been duly given pursuant to this Indenture or provision therefor satisfactory to the Trustee has been made), then on and after that date such Securities cease to be outstanding and interest on them ceases to accrue.
A Security does not cease to be outstanding solely because the Company or an Affiliate holds the Security.
2.10 WHEN TREASURY SECURITIES DISREGARDED; DETERMINATION OF HOLDERS’ ACTION.
In determining whether the Holders of the required aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any Series have concurred in any direction, waiver or consent, the Securities of any Series owned by the Company or any other obligor on such Securities, or by any Affiliate of any of them, shall be disregarded, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such direction, waiver or consent, only Securities of such Series which the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. Securities of such Series so owned which have been pledged in good faith shall not be disregarded if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right so to act with respect to the Securities of such Series and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor on the Securities of such Series, or an Affiliate of any of them.
2.11 TEMPORARY SECURITIES.
Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Company may prepare and execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate, temporary Securities. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form, and shall carry all rights, of definitive Securities, but may have variations that the Company considers appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall prepare and execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate, definitive Securities in exchange for temporary Securities without charge to the Holder.
2.12 CANCELLATION.
All Securities surrendered for payment, redemption or registration of transfer or exchange, or for credit against any sinking fund payment, shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Trustee, be delivered to the Trustee for cancellation. The Company may at any time deliver to the Trustee for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated and delivered hereunder which the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever, and may deliver to the Trustee (or to any other Person for delivery to the Trustee) for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated hereunder which the Company has not issued and sold. The Registrar and the Paying Agent shall forward to the Trustee any Securities surrendered to them for transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee or, at the direction of the Trustee, the Registrar or the Paying Agent, and no one else, shall cancel, and at the written request of the Company shall dispose of, all Securities surrendered for transfer, exchange, payment or cancellation. If the Company shall acquire any of the Securities, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the Indebtedness represented by such Securities unless and until the same are surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation pursuant to this Section 2.12. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities cancelled as provided in this Section 2.12, except as expressly permitted by this Indenture.
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2.13 PAYMENT OF INTEREST; DEFAULTED INTEREST; COMPUTATION OF INTEREST.
Except as otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 2.2 with respect to any Series of Securities, interest on any Security which is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name that Security is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest, as provided in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officers’ Certificate establishing the terms of such Series.
If the Company defaults in a payment of interest on the Securities, it shall pay the defaulted amounts, plus any interest payable on defaulted amounts pursuant to Section 4.1, to the Persons who are Securityholders on a subsequent special record date, which date shall be the 15th day next preceding the date fixed by the Company for the payment of defaulted interest, or the next succeeding Business Day if such date is not a Business Day. At least 15 days before the special record date, the Company shall mail or cause to be mailed to each Securityholder, with a copy to the Trustee, a notice that states the special record date, the payment date and the amount of defaulted interest, and interest payable on such defaulted interest, if any, to be paid.
Except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.2 for Securities of any Series, interest on the Securities of each Series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
2.14 CUSIP NUMBER.
The Company in issuing the Securities may use one or more “CUSIP” numbers, and, if the Company does so, the Trustee shall use the CUSIP number(s) in notices of redemption or exchange as a convenience to Holders, PROVIDED, that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of the CUSIP number(s) printed in the notice or on the Securities, and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Securities, and that any such redemption or exchange shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of any such numbers.
2.15 PROVISIONS FOR GLOBAL SECURITIES.
(a) (a) A Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officers’ Certificate shall establish whether the Securities of a Series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, and the Depository for such Global Securities or Securities.
(b) Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in Section 2.7 and in addition thereto, if, and only if the Depository (i) at any time is unwilling or unable to continue as Depository for such Global Security or ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and (ii) a successor Depository is not appointed by the Company within 90 days after the date the Company is so informed in writing or becomes aware of the same, the Company promptly will execute and deliver to the Trustee definitive Securities, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Request for the authentication and delivery of such definitive Securities (which the Company will promptly execute and deliver to the Trustee) and an Officers’ Certificate to the effect that such Global Security shall be so exchangeable, will authenticate and deliver definitive Securities, without charge, registered in such names and in such authorized denominations as the Depository shall direct in writing (pursuant to instructions from its direct and indirect participants or otherwise) in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security with like tenor and terms. Upon the exchange of a Global Security for definitive Securities, such Global Security shall be canceled by the Trustee. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole or in part for definitive Securities, as provided in this Section 2.15(b), a Global Security may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depository with respect to such Global Security to a nominee of such Depository, by a nominee of such Depository to such Depository or another nominee of such Depository or by the Depository or any such nominee to a successor Depository or a nominee of such a successor Depository.
(c) Any Global Security issued hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:
“This Security is a Global Security within the meaning of the Indenture hereinafter referred to, and is registered in the name of the Depository or a nominee of the Depository. This Security is exchangeable for Securities registered in the name of a Person other than the Depository or its nominee only in the limited circumstances described in the Indenture, and may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depository to a nominee of the Depository, by a nominee of the Depository to the Depository or another nominee of the Depository or by the Depository or any such nominee to a successor Depository or a nominee of such a successor Depository.”
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(d) The Depository, as a Holder, may appoint agents and otherwise authorize participants to give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which a Holder is entitled to give or take under the Indenture.
(e) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Indenture, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.2, payment of the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, any Global Security shall be made to the Depository or its nominee in its capacity as the Holder thereof.
(f) Except as provided in Section 2.15(e) above, the Company, the Trustee and any Agent shall treat a Person as the Holder of such principal amount of outstanding Securities of any Series represented by a Global Security as shall be specified in a written statement of the Depository (which may be in the form of a participants’ list for such Series) with respect to such Global Security, for purposes of obtaining any consents, declarations, waivers or directions required to be given by the Holders pursuant to this Indenture, PROVIDED, that until the Trustee is so provided with a written statement, it may treat the Depository or any other Person in whose name a Global Security is registered as the owner of such Global Security for the purpose of receiving payment of the principal of, and any premium and (subject to Section 2.13) any interest on, such Global Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, and none of the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
2.16 PERSONS DEEMED OWNERS.
Prior to due presentment of a Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee, the Registrar and any agent of the Company, the Registrar or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name such Security is registered as the owner of such Security for the purpose of receiving payment of the principal of, and any premium and (subject to Section 2.13) any interest on, such Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, and none of the Company, the Trustee, the Registrar or any agent of the Company, the Trustee or the Registrar shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
Article
III.
REDEMPTION
3.1 NOTICES TO TRUSTEE.
The Company may, with respect to any Series of Securities, reserve the right to redeem and pay the Series of Securities, or may covenant to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or any part thereof, prior to the Stated Maturity thereof at such time and on such terms as provided for in such Securities or the related Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officers’ Certificate. If a Series of Securities is redeemable and the Company elects to redeem all or part of such Series of Securities, it shall notify the Trustee of the Redemption Date and the principal amount of Securities to be redeemed at least 45 days (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee) before the Redemption Date. Any such notice may be canceled at any time prior to notice of such redemption being mailed to any Holder, and shall thereby be void and of no effect.
3.2 SELECTION BY TRUSTEE OF SECURITIES TO BE REDEEMED.
Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series of Securities by a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture or an Officers’ Certificate, if fewer than all of the Securities of a Series are to be redeemed, the Trustee shall select the Securities of a Series to be redeemed pro rata, by lot or by any other method that the Trustee considers fair and appropriate (unless the Company specifically directs the Trustee otherwise) and, if such Securities are listed on any securities exchange, by a method that complies with the requirements of such exchange.
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The Trustee shall make the selection from Securities of a Series outstanding and not previously called for redemption, and shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the Securities selected for redemption and, in the case of any Security selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed at least 35 but not more than 60 days before the Redemption Date. Securities of a Series in denominations of $1,000 may be redeemed only in whole. The Trustee may select for redemption portions of the principal of Securities of a Series that have denominations larger than $1,000. Securities of a Series and portions of them it selects shall be in amounts of $1,000 or, with respect to Securities of any Series issuable in other denominations pursuant to Section 2.2(10), the minimum principal denomination for each Series and integral multiples thereof. Provisions of this Indenture that apply to Securities called for redemption also apply to portions of Securities called for redemption.
3.3 NOTICE OF REDEMPTION.
Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officers’ Certificate, at least 30 days, and no more than 60 days, before a Redemption Date, the Company shall mail, or cause to be mailed, a notice of redemption by first-class mail to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed at his or her last address as the same appears on the registry books maintained by the Registrar. The notice shall identify the Securities to be redeemed and shall state:
(1) the Redemption Date;
(2) the redemption price, and that such redemption price shall become due and payable on the Redemption Date;
(3) if any Security of a Series is being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Security of a Series to be redeemed and that, after the Redemption Date and upon surrender of such Security of a Series, a new Security or Securities in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion will be issued;
(4) the name and address of the Paying Agent;
(5) that Securities of a Series called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price, and the place or places where each such Security is to be surrendered for such payment;
(6) that, unless the Company defaults in making the redemption payment, interest on the Securities of a Series called for redemption ceases to accrue on the Redemption Date, and the only remaining right of the Holders of such Securities is to receive payment of the redemption price upon surrender to the Paying Agent of the Securities redeemed;
(7) if fewer than all of the Securities of a Series are to be redeemed, the identification of the particular Securities of a Series (or portion thereof) to be redeemed, as well as the aggregate principal amount of Securities of a Series to be redeemed and the aggregate principal amount of Securities of a Series to be outstanding after such partial redemption.
(8) the CUSIP number, if any, printed on the Securities being redeemed; and
(9) that no representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of the CUSIP number, if any, listed in such notice or printed on the Securities.
At the Company’s request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption in the Company’s name and at the Company’s sole expense.
3.4 EFFECT OF NOTICE OF REDEMPTION.
Once the notice of redemption described in Section 3.3 is mailed, Securities of a Series called for redemption become due and payable on the Redemption Date and at the redemption price, plus interest, if any, accrued to the Redemption Date. Upon surrender to the Trustee or Paying Agent, such Securities of a Series shall be paid at the redemption price, plus accrued interest, if any, to the Redemption Date; PROVIDED, that if the Redemption Date is after a regular interest payment record date and on or prior to the next Interest Payment Date, the accrued interest shall be payable to the Holder of the redeemed Securities registered on the relevant record date, as specified by the Company in the notice to the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.1.
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3.5 DEPOSIT OF REDEMPTION PRICE.
On or prior to the Redemption Date (but no later than 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time on such date), the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption price of and accrued interest, if any, on all Securities to be redeemed on that date other than Securities or portions thereof called for redemption on that date which have been delivered by the Company to the Trustee for cancellation.
On and after any Redemption Date, if money sufficient to pay the redemption price of, and accrued interest on, Securities called for redemption shall have been made available in accordance with the preceding paragraph and the Company and the Paying Agent are not prohibited from paying such moneys to Holders, the Securities called for redemption will cease to accrue interest and the only right of the Holders of such Securities will be to receive payment of the redemption price of and, subject to the proviso in Section 3.4, accrued and unpaid interest on such Securities to the Redemption Date. If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid, interest will be paid, from the Redemption Date until such redemption payment is made, on the unpaid principal of the Security and any interest or premium, if any, not paid on such unpaid principal, in each case, at the rate and in the manner provided in the Securities.
3.6 SECURITIES REDEEMED IN PART.
Upon surrender of a Security of a Series that is redeemed in part, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate, for a Holder a new Security of the same Series equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Security surrendered.
Article
IV.
COVENANTS
4.1 PAYMENT OF SECURITIES.
The Company shall pay the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, each Series of Securities on the dates and in the manner provided in such Securities and this Indenture.
An installment of principal or interest shall be considered paid on the date it is due if the Trustee or Paying Agent holds on that date money designated for and sufficient to pay such installment and is not prohibited from paying such money to the Holders pursuant to the terms of this Indenture or otherwise.
The Company shall pay interest on overdue principal, and overdue interest, to the extent lawful, at the rate specified in the Series of Securities.
4.2 SEC REPORTS.
The Company will deliver to the Trustee within 15 days after the filing of the same with the SEC, copies of the quarterly and annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports, if any, which the Company is required to file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that each such report or document will be deemed to be so delivered to the Trustee if the Company files such report or document with the SEC through the SEC’s EDGAR database no later than the time such report or document is required to be filed with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act. Notwithstanding that the Company may not be subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the Company will file with the SEC, to the extent permitted, and provide the Trustee with, such quarterly and annual reports and such information, documents and other reports specified in Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Company will also comply with the other provisions of TIA Section 314(a).
4.3 WAIVER OF STAY, EXTENSION OR USURY LAWS.
The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, or plead (as a defense or otherwise) or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension, usury or other law which would prohibit or forgive the Company from paying all or any portion of the principal of, and/or interest and premium, if any, on, the Securities as contemplated herein, wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, or which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and the Company hereby expressly waives (to the extent that they may lawfully do so) all benefit or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted.
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4.4 COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE.
(a) The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, an Officers’ Certificate which complies with TIA Section 314(a)(4) stating that a review of the activities of the Company and its Subsidiaries during such fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officers with a view to determining whether the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled its obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to each such Officer signing such certificate, that to the best of his or her knowledge the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled each and every covenant contained in this Indenture and that there is no default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions hereof (or, if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which he or she may have knowledge and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto) and that to the best of his or her knowledge no event has occurred and remains in existence by reason of which payments on account of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, the Securities is prohibited, or if such event has occurred, a description of the event and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto.
(b) (i) If any Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or (ii) if any Holder seeks to exercise any remedy hereunder with respect to a claimed Default under this Indenture or the Securities, within five Business Days after the Company becoming aware of such occurrence the Company shall deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate specifying such event, notice or other action and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto.
4.5 CORPORATE EXISTENCE.
Subject to ARTICLE 5, the Company shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence, in accordance with the organizational documents (as the same may be amended from time to time) of the Company and the rights (charter and statutory), licenses and franchises of the Company; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company shall not be required to preserve any such right, license or franchise, or its corporate existence, if the Board of Directors shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Company and that the loss thereof is not adverse in any material respect to the Holders.
Article
V.
SUCCESSOR CORPORATION
5.1 LIMITATION ON CONSOLIDATION, MERGER AND SALE OF ASSETS.
(a) The Company will not, in any transaction or series of transactions, merge or consolidate with or into, or sell, assign, convey, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its properties and assets (as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in one transaction or a series of related transactions), to any Person or Persons, unless at the time of and after giving effect thereto (i) either (A) if the transaction or series of transactions is a merger or consolidation, the Company shall be the surviving Person of such merger or consolidation, or (B) the Person formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or to which the properties and assets of the Company are transferred (any such surviving Person or transferee Person being the “Surviving Entity”) shall be a corporation or entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, or a corporation or comparable legal entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes organized under the laws of a foreign jurisdiction and shall expressly assume by a supplemental indenture executed and delivered to the Trustee, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, all of the obligations of the Company (including, without limitation, the obligation to pay the principal of, and premium and interest, if any, on, the Securities and the performance of the other covenants) under the Securities of each Series and this Indenture, and in each case, this Indenture shall remain in full force and effect; and (ii) immediately before and immediately after giving effect to such transaction or series of transactions on a pro forma basis (including, without limitation, any Indebtedness incurred or anticipated to be incurred in connection with or in respect of such transaction or series of transactions), no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing.
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(b) In connection with any consolidation, merger or transfer of assets contemplated by this Section 5.1, the Company shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Trustee, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger or transfer, and the supplemental indenture in respect thereto, comply with this Section 5.1, and that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to such transaction or transactions have been complied with.
5.2 SUCCESSOR PERSON SUBSTITUTED.
Upon any consolidation, merger or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in accordance with Section 5.1 above, the successor corporation formed by such consolidation, or into which the Company is merged or to which such transfer is made, shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor corporation had been named as the Company herein, and thereafter (except with respect to any such transfer which is a lease) the predecessor corporation shall be relieved of all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.
Article
VI.
DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES
6.1 EVENTS OF DEFAULT.
“Events of Default,” wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any Series, means any one of the following events, unless in the establishing Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officers’ Certificate, it is provided that such Series shall not have the benefit of said Event of Default:
(1) there is a default in the payment of any principal of, or premium, if any, on, the Securities when the same becomes due and payable at Maturity, upon acceleration, redemption or otherwise;
(2) there is a default in the payment of any interest on any Security of a Series when the same becomes due and payable, and the Default continues for a period of 30 days;
(3) the Company defaults in the observance or performance of any other covenant in the Securities of a Series or in this Indenture for 60 days after written notice from the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such Series then outstanding, which notice must specify the Default, demand that it be remedied and state that the notice is a “Notice of Default”;
(4) the Company or any Significant Subsidiary pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law:
(A) commences a voluntary case,
(B) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case,
(C) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property,
(D) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or
(E) generally is not paying its debts as they become due;
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(5) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:
(A) is for relief against the Company or any Significant Subsidiary in an involuntary case;
(B) appoints a Custodian of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary, or for all or substantially all of the property of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary; or
(C) orders the liquidation of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 90 consecutive days; or
(6) any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of that Series, which is specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officers’ Certificate, in accordance with Section 2.2(19).
The term “Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors. The term “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
The Trustee may withhold notice of any Default (except in the payment of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, the Securities) to the Holders of the Securities of any Series in accordance with Section 7.5. When a Default is cured, it ceases to exist.
6.2 ACCELERATION.
If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time outstanding (other than an Event of Default arising under Section 6.1(4) or (5)) occurs and is continuing, the Trustee by written notice to the Company, or the Holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that Series then outstanding by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may declare that the entire principal amount of all the Securities of that Series then outstanding plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of acceleration are immediately due and payable, in which case such amounts shall become immediately due and payable; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that after such acceleration but before a judgment or decree based on such acceleration is obtained by the Trustee, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series may rescind and annul such acceleration and its consequences if (i) all existing Events of Default, other than the nonpayment of accelerated principal, interest or premium, if any, that has become due solely because of the acceleration, have been cured or waived, (ii) to the extent the payment of such interest is lawful, interest on overdue installments of interest and overdue principal, which has become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration, has been paid and (iii) the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree. No such rescission shall affect any subsequent Default or impair any right consequent thereto. In case an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(4) or (5) with respect to the Company occurs, such principal, premium, if any, and interest amount with respect to all of the Securities of that Series shall be due and payable immediately without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or the Holders of the Securities of that Series.
6.3 REMEDIES.
If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may pursue any available remedy by proceeding at law or in equity to collect the payment of the principal of, or interest and premium, if any, on, the Securities of that Series, or to enforce the performance of any provision of the Securities of that Series or this Indenture.
The Trustee may maintain a proceeding even if it does not possess any of the Securities of that Series or does not produce any of them in the proceeding. A delay or omission by the Trustee or any Securityholder in exercising any right or remedy accruing upon an Event of Default shall not impair the right or remedy or constitute a waiver of or acquiescence in the Event of Default. No remedy is exclusive of any other remedy. All available remedies are cumulative to the extent permitted by law.
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6.4 WAIVER OF PAST DEFAULTS AND EVENTS OF DEFAULT.
Subject to Sections 6.2, 6.7 and 8.2, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any Series then outstanding have the right to waive any existing Default or Event of Default with respect to such Series or compliance with any provision of this Indenture (with respect to such Series) or the Securities of such Series. Upon any such waiver, such Default with respect to such Series shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default with respect to such Series arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereto. This Section 6.4 shall be in lieu of TIA Section 316(a)(1)(B), and TIA Section 316(a)(1)(B) is hereby expressly excluded from this Indenture and Section as permitted by the TIA.
6.5 CONTROL BY MAJORITY.
Subject to Sections 6.2, 6.7 and 8.2, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any Series then outstanding may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee by this Indenture with respect to such Series. The Trustee, however, may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or this Indenture, or that the Trustee determines may be unduly prejudicial to the rights of another Securityholder, or that may involve the Trustee in personal liability; PROVIDED, that the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction. This Section 6.5 shall be in lieu of TIA Section 316(a)(1)(A), and TIA Section 316(a)(1)(A) is hereby expressly excluded from this Indenture and Section as permitted by the TIA.
6.6 LIMITATION ON SUITS.
Subject to Section 6.7, a Securityholder may not institute any proceeding or pursue any remedy with respect to this Indenture or the Securities of a Series unless:
(1) the Holder gives to the Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that Series;
(2) the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such Series then outstanding make a written request to the Trustee to pursue the remedy;
(3) such Holder or Holders offer to the Trustee indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee against any loss, liability or expense to be incurred in compliance with such request;
(4) the Trustee does not comply with the request within 60 days after receipt of the request and the offer of indemnity; and
(5) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such Series then outstanding.
A Securityholder may not use this Indenture to prejudice the rights of another Securityholder, or to obtain a preference or priority over another Securityholder.
6.7 RIGHTS OF HOLDERS TO RECEIVE PAYMENT.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, the right of any Holder of a Security of a Series to receive payment of the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, the Security of such Series on or after the respective due dates expressed in the Security of such Series, or to bring suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates, is absolute and unconditional, and shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of the Holder.
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6.8 COLLECTION SUIT BY TRUSTEE.
If an Event of Default in payment of principal, interest or premium, if any, specified in Section 6.1(1) or (2) with respect to Securities of any Series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may recover judgment in its own name and as trustee of an express trust against the Company (or any other obligor on the Securities of that Series) for the whole amount of unpaid principal and premium, if any, and accrued interest remaining unpaid, together with interest on overdue principal and premium, if any, and, to the extent that payment of such interest is lawful, interest on overdue installments of interest, in each case at the rate then borne by the Securities of that Series, and such further amounts as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, as set forth in Section 7.7.
6.9 TRUSTEE MAY FILE PROOFS OF CLAIM.
The Trustee may file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents, and take other actions (including sitting on a committee of creditors), as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and the Securityholders allowed in any judicial proceedings relative to the Company (or any other obligor on the Securities), any of their respective creditors or any of their respective property, and the Trustee shall be entitled and empowered to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims, and to distribute the same after deduction of its charges and expenses to the extent that any such charges and expenses are not paid out of the estate in any such proceedings, and any custodian in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Securityholder to make such payments to the Trustee, and in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Securityholders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.7.
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to, or accept or adopt on behalf of any Securityholder, any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities of a Series or the rights of any Holder thereof, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Securityholder in any such proceedings.
6.10 PRIORITIES.
If the Trustee collects any money pursuant to this ARTICLE 6, it shall pay out the money in the following order:
FIRST: to the Trustee for amounts due under Section 7.7;
SECOND: to Securityholders for amounts then due and unpaid for the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, the Securities in respect of which, or for the benefit of which, such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities; for principal and any premium and interest, respectively; and
THIRD: to the Company.
The Trustee may fix a record date and payment date for any payment to Securityholders pursuant to this Section 6.10. At least 15 days before such record date, the Trustee shall mail to each Securityholder a notice that states the record date, the payment date and amount to be paid.
6.11 UNDERTAKING FOR COSTS.
In any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, a court in its discretion may require the filing by any party litigant in the suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of the suit, and the court in its discretion may assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against any party litigant in the suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by the party litigant. This Section 6.11 does not apply to a suit by the Trustee, a suit by a Holder pursuant to Section 6.7 or a suit by Holders of more than 10% in principal amount of the Securities of a Series then outstanding.
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Article
VII.
TRUSTEE
7.1 DUTIES OF TRUSTEE.
(a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent Person would exercise or use under the same circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs.
(b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:
(1) The Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no covenants or obligations shall be implied in this Indenture against the Trustee.
(2) In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture, but, in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture.
(c) The Trustee may not be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:
(1) This paragraph does not limit the effect of paragraph (b) of this Section 7.1.
(2) The Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts.
(3) The Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in accordance with a direction received by it pursuant to Sections 6.2 and 6.5.
(d) No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds, or otherwise incur any financial liability, in the performance of any of its rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity satisfactory to it against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
(e) Whether or not therein expressly so provided, paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d) of this Section 7.1 shall govern every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee.
(f) The Trustee and Paying Agent shall not be liable for interest on any money received by either of them, except as the Trustee and Paying Agent may agree in writing with the Company. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by the law.
(g) The Paying Agent, the Registrar and any authenticating agent shall be entitled to the protections, immunities and standard of care set forth in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (f) of this Section 7.1 and in Section 7.2 with respect to the Trustee.
7.2 RIGHTS OF TRUSTEE.
(a) Subject to Section 7.1:
(1) The Trustee may rely on, and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon, any document reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper Person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.
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(2) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officers’ Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel, or both, which shall conform to the provisions of Section 10.5. The Trustee shall be protected and shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such certificate or opinion.
(3) The Trustee may act through agents and attorneys, and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed by it with due care.
(4) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith which it reasonably believes to be authorized or within its rights or powers.
(5) The Trustee may consult with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Trustee, which may be counsel to the Company, and the advice or opinion of such counsel as to matters of law shall be full and complete authorization and protection from liability in respect of any action taken, omitted or suffered by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with the advice or opinion of such counsel.
(6) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request, order or direction of any of the Holders pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities which may be incurred therein or thereby.
(7) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any fact or matter (including, without limitation, a Default or Event of Default) unless such fact or matter is known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee.
(8) Unless otherwise expressly provided herein or in the Securities of a Series or the related Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officers’ Certificate, the Trustee shall not have any responsibility with respect to reports, notices, certificates or other documents filed with it hereunder, except to make them available for inspection, at reasonable times, by Securityholders, it being understood that delivery of such reports, information and documents to the Trustee is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of such shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (except as set forth in Section 4.4).
7.3 INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS OF TRUSTEE.
The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Securities, and may make loans to, accept deposits from, perform services for or otherwise deal with the Company, or any Affiliate thereof, with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights. The Trustee, however, shall be subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11.
7.4 TRUSTEE’S DISCLAIMER.
The Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Securities (except that the Trustee represents that it is duly authorized to execute and deliver this Indenture and authenticate the Securities and perform its obligations hereunder), and the
Trustee shall not be accountable for the Company’s use of the proceeds from the sale of Securities or any money paid to the Company pursuant to the terms of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any statement in the Securities other than its certificates of authentication.
7.5 NOTICE OF DEFAULT.
If a Default or an Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Securities of any Series, and if it is known to the Trustee, the Trustee shall mail to each Securityholder of the Securities of that Series notice of the Default or the Event of Default, as the case may be, within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default (except if such Default or Event of Default has been validly cured or waived before the giving of such notice). Except in the case of a Default or an Event of Default in payment of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, any Security of any Series, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as the Board of Directors of the Trustee, the executive committee or any trust committee of such board and/or its Responsible Officers in good faith determine(s) that withholding the notice is in the interests of the Securityholders of that Series.
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7.6 REPORTS BY TRUSTEE TO HOLDERS.
If and to the extent required by the TIA, within 60 days after April 1 of each year, commencing the April 1 following the date of this Indenture, the Trustee shall mail to each Securityholder a brief report dated as of such April 1 that complies with TIA Section 313(a). The Trustee also shall comply with TIA Sections 313(b) and 313(c).
A copy of each report at the time of its mailing to Securityholders shall be filed with the SEC and any stock exchange on which the Securities of that Series are listed. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee when the Securities of any Series are listed on any stock exchange or any delisting thereof, and the Trustee shall comply with TIA Section 313(d).
7.7 COMPENSATION AND INDEMNITY.
The Company shall pay to the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation for its services. The Trustee’s compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee within 45 days after receipt of request for all reasonable out-of-pocket disbursements and expenses incurred or made by it in connection with its duties under this Indenture, including the reasonable compensation, disbursements and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.
The Company shall indemnify the Trustee for, and hold it harmless against, any and all loss or liability incurred by it in connection with the acceptance or performance of its duties under this Indenture including the reasonable costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of any claim asserted against the Trustee for which it may seek indemnity.
The failure by the Trustee to so notify the Company shall not however relieve the Company of its obligations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company need not reimburse the Trustee for any expense or indemnify it against any loss or liability incurred by the Trustee through its negligence or bad faith. To secure the payment obligations of the Company in this Section 7.7, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities of any Series on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee except such money or property held in trust to pay the principal of, interest and premium, if any, on particular Securities of that Series.
When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(4) or (5) occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.
For purposes of this Section 7.7, the term “Trustee” shall include any trustee appointed pursuant to this ARTICLE 7.
7.8 REPLACEMENT OF TRUSTEE.
The Trustee may resign with respect to the Securities of one or more Series by so notifying the Company in writing at least 90 days in advance of such resignation.
The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may remove the Trustee with respect to that Series by notifying the removed Trustee in writing and may appoint a successor Trustee with respect to that Series with the consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company may remove the Trustee with respect to that Series at its election if:
(1) the Trustee fails to comply with, or ceases to be eligible under, Section 7.10;
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(2) the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent, or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee, under any Bankruptcy Law;
(3) a Custodian or other public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or
(4) the Trustee otherwise becomes incapable of acting.
If the Trustee resigns or is removed, or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee, with respect to any Series of Securities for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint, by Board Resolution, a successor Trustee.
If a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series does not take office within 60 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders of at least 10% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of the applicable Series may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.
If the Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series fails to comply with Section 7.10, any Securityholder of the applicable Series may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor Trustee.
A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company. Immediately following such delivery, (i) the retiring Trustee with respect to one or more Series shall, subject to its rights under Section 7.7, transfer all property held by it as Trustee with respect to such Series to the successor Trustee, (ii) the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and (iii) the successor Trustee with respect to such Series shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee under this Indenture. A successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series shall mail notice of its succession to each Securityholder of such Series.
7.9 SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE BY CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR CONVERSION.
If the Trustee, or any Agent, consolidates with, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust assets to, another corporation, subject to Section 7.10, the successor corporation without any further act shall be the successor Trustee or Agent, as the case may be.
7.10 ELIGIBILITY; DISQUALIFICATION.
This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA Sections 310(a)(1), (2) and (5) in every respect. The Trustee (or in the case of a Trustee that is a Person included in a bank holding company system, the related bank holding company) shall have a combined capital and surplus of at least $100,000,000 as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. The Trustee shall comply with TIA Section 310(b), including the provision in Section 310(b)(1). In addition, if the Trustee is a Person included in a bank holding company system, the Trustee, independently of such bank holding company, shall meet the capital requirements of TIA Section 310(a)(2). If at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.10, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in this ARTICLE 7.
7.11 PREFERENTIAL COLLECTION OF CLAIMS AGAINST COMPANY.
The Trustee shall comply with TIA Section 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA Section 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA Section 311(a) to the extent indicated therein.
7.12 PAYING AGENTS.
The Company shall cause each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to execute and deliver to it and the Trustee an instrument in which such agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section 7.12:
(1) that it will hold all sums held by it as agent for the payment of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, the Securities (whether such sums have been paid to it by the Company or by any obligor on the Securities) in trust for the benefit of Holders of the Securities or the Trustee;
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(2) that it will at any time during the continuance of any Event of Default, upon written request from the Trustee, deliver to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by it together with a full accounting thereof; and
(3) that it will give the Trustee written notice within three Business Days after any failure of the Company (or by any obligor on the Securities) in the payment of any installment of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, the Securities when the same shall be due and payable.
Article
VIII.
AMENDMENTS, SUPPLEMENTS AND WAIVERS
8.1 WITHOUT CONSENT OF HOLDERS.
The Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series without notice to or consent of any Securityholder:
(1) to comply with Section 5.1;
(2) to provide for certificated Securities in addition to uncertificated Securities;
(3) to comply with any requirements of the SEC under the TIA;
(4) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency, or to make any other change herein or in the Securities that does not materially and adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder;
(5) to provide for the issuance of, and establish the form and terms and conditions of, Securities of any Series as permitted by this Indenture; or
(6) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series, and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee.
The Trustee is hereby authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any supplemental indenture authorized or permitted by the terms of this Indenture, and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations which may be therein contained, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to enter into any such supplemental indenture which adversely affects its own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture.
8.2 WITH CONSENT OF HOLDERS.
(a) The Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series with the written consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series affected by such amendment or supplement without notice to any Securityholder. The Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Securities of each such Series affected by such amendment or supplement may waive compliance by the Company in a particular instance with any provision of this Indenture or the Securities of such Series without notice to any Securityholder. Subject to Section 8.4, without the consent of each Securityholder affected, however, an amendment, supplement or waiver may not:
(1) reduce the amount of Securities whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver to this Indenture or the Securities;
(2) reduce the rate of, or change the time for payment of, interest on any Security;
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(3) reduce the principal, or change the Stated Maturity, of any Security, or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation;
(4) make any Security payable in money other than that stated in the Security;
(5) change the amount or time of any payment required by the Securities, or reduce the premium payable upon any redemption of the Securities, or change the time before which no such redemption may be made;
(6) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, any Security (except a rescission of acceleration of the Securities of any Series by the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);
(7) waive a redemption payment with respect to any Security, or change any of the provisions with respect to the redemption of any Securities;
(8) make any changes in Section 6.6 or this Section 8.2, except to increase any percentage of Securities the Holders of which must consent to any matter; or
(9) take any other action otherwise prohibited by this Indenture to be taken without the consent of each Holder affected thereby.
(b) Upon the request of the Company, accompanied by a Board Resolution authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon the receipt by the Trustee of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee of the consent of the Securityholders as aforesaid and of the documents described in Section 8.6, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such supplemental indenture, unless such supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion, but shall not be obligated to, enter into such supplemental indenture.
(c) It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment, supplement or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof.
After an amendment or supplement under this Section becomes effective, the Company shall mail to Securityholders a notice briefly describing the amendment or supplement. Any failure of the Company to mail any such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any supplemental indenture.
8.3 COMPLIANCE WITH TRUST INDENTURE ACT.
Every amendment to, or supplement of, this Indenture or the Securities shall comply with the TIA as then in effect.
8.4 REVOCATION AND EFFECT OF CONSENTS.
Until an amendment, supplement, waiver or other action becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Security is a continuing consent conclusive and binding upon such Holder and every subsequent Holder of the same Security or portion thereof, and of any Security issued upon the transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in place thereof, even if notation of the consent is not made on any such Security. Any such Holder or subsequent Holder, however, may revoke the consent as to his Security or portion of a Security, if the Trustee receives the notice of revocation before the date the amendment, supplement, waiver or other action becomes effective.
The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders entitled to consent to any amendment, supplement or waiver, which record date shall be at least 30 days prior to the first solicitation of such consent. If a record date is fixed, then, notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, those Persons who were Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies), and only such Persons, shall be entitled to consent to such amendment, supplement or waiver, or to revoke any consent previously given, whether or not such Persons continue to be Holders after such record date.
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After an amendment, supplement, waiver or other action becomes effective, it shall bind every Securityholder, unless it makes a change described in any of clauses (1) through (9) of Section 8.2. In that case, the amendment, supplement, waiver or other action shall bind each Holder of a Security who has consented to it and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security; PROVIDED, that any such waiver shall not impair or affect the right of any Holder to receive payment of the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, a Security, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Security, or to bring suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates without the consent of such Holder.
8.5 NOTATION ON OR EXCHANGE OF SECURITIES.
If an amendment, supplement or waiver changes the terms of a Security of any Series, the Trustee may request the Holder of such Security to deliver it to the Trustee. In such case, the Trustee shall place an appropriate notation on such Security about the changed terms and return it to the Holder. Alternatively, the Company, in exchange for such Security, may issue, and the Trustee shall authenticate, a new security that reflects the changed terms. Failure to make the appropriate notation or issue a new Security shall not affect the validity and effect of such amendment, supplement or waiver.
8.6 TRUSTEE TO SIGN AMENDMENTS, ETC.
The Trustee shall sign any amendment, supplement or waiver authorized pursuant to this ARTICLE 8 if the amendment, supplement or waiver does not adversely affect the rights, duties, liabilities or immunities of the Trustee. If it does, the Trustee may, but need not, sign it. In signing or refusing to sign such amendment, supplement or waiver the Trustee shall be entitled to receive and, subject to Section 7.1, shall be fully protected in relying upon an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that such amendment, supplement or waiver is authorized or permitted by this Indenture. The Company may not sign an amendment or supplement until the Board of Directors of the Company approves it.
Article
IX.
DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE; DEFEASANCE
9.1 DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE.
The Company may terminate its obligations under the Securities of any Series and this Indenture with respect to such Series, except the obligations referred to in the last paragraph of this Section 9.1, if there shall have been canceled by the Trustee, or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, all Securities of such Series theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than any Securities of such Series that are asserted to have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that shall have been replaced as provided in Section 2.8) and the Company has paid all sums payable by it hereunder or deposited all required sums with the Trustee.
After such delivery the Trustee upon request shall acknowledge in a writing prepared by or on behalf of the Company the discharge of the Company’s obligations under the Securities of such Series and this Indenture, except for those surviving obligations specified below.
Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, the obligations of the Company in Sections 7.7, 9.5 and 9.6 shall survive.
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9.2 LEGAL DEFEASANCE.
The Company may at its option, by Board Resolution, be discharged from its obligations with respect to the Securities of any Series on the date upon which the conditions set forth in Section 9.4 below are satisfied (hereinafter, “Legal Defeasance”). For this purpose, such Legal Defeasance means that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness represented by the Securities of such Series and to have satisfied all its other obligations under such Securities and this Indenture insofar as such Securities are concerned (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall, subject to Section 9.6, execute proper instruments acknowledging the same, as are delivered to it by the Company), except for the following, which shall survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder: (A) the rights of Holders of outstanding Securities of such Series to receive solely from the trust funds described in Section 9.4 and as more fully set forth in such section, payments in respect of the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, the Securities of such Series when such payments are due, (B) the Company’s obligations with respect to the Securities of such Series under Sections 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 and 2.9, (C) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder (including claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 7.7) and (D) this ARTICLE 9. Subject to compliance with this ARTICLE 9, the Company may exercise its option under this Section 9.2 with respect to the Securities of any Series notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under Section 9.3 below with respect to the Securities of such Series.
9.3 COVENANT DEFEASANCE.
At the option of the Company, pursuant to a Board Resolution, the Company shall be released from its obligations with respect to the outstanding Securities of any Series under Sections 4.2 through 4.5, inclusive, and Section 5.1, with respect to the outstanding Securities of such Series, on and after the date the conditions set forth in Section 9.4 are satisfied (hereinafter, “Covenant Defeasance”). For this purpose, such Covenant Defeasance means that the Company may omit to comply with and shall have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such specified Section or portion thereof, whether directly or indirectly by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such specified Section or portion thereof or by reason of any reference in any such specified Section or portion thereof to any other provision herein or in any other document, but the remainder of this Indenture and the Securities of any Series shall be unaffected thereby.
9.4 CONDITIONS TO LEGAL DEFEASANCE OR COVENANT DEFEASANCE.
The following shall be the conditions to application of Section 9.2 or Section 9.3 to the outstanding Securities of a Series:
(1) the Company shall irrevocably have deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or another trustee satisfying the requirements of Section 7.10 who shall agree to comply with the provisions of this ARTICLE 9 applicable to it) as funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of the Securities, (A) money in an amount, or (B) U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in accordance with their terms will provide, not later than the due date of any payment, money in an amount, or (C) a combination thereof, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge, and which shall be applied by the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee) to pay and discharge, the principal of, and accrued interest and premium, if any, on, the outstanding Securities of such Series at the Stated Maturity of such principal, interest or premium, if any, or on dates for payment and redemption of such principal, interest and premium, if any, selected in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and of the Securities of such Series;
(2) no Event of Default or Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit, or shall have occurred and be continuing at any time during the period ending on the 91st day after the date of such deposit or, if longer, ending on the day following the expiration of the longest preference period under any Bankruptcy Law applicable to the Company in respect of such deposit as specified in the Opinion of Counsel identified in paragraph (8) below (it being understood that this condition shall not be deemed satisfied until the expiration of such period);
(3) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance shall not cause the Trustee to have a conflicting interest for purposes of the TIA with respect to any securities of the Company;
(4) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute default under, any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;
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(5) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel stating that, as a result of such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance, neither the trust nor the Trustee will be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;
(6) in the case of an election under Section 9.2, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel stating that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling to the effect that or (ii) there has been a change in any applicable Federal income tax law with the effect that, and such opinion shall confirm that, the Holders of the outstanding Securities of such Series or Persons in
(7) their positions will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes solely as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner, including as a result of prepayment, and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;
(8) in the case of an election under Section 9.3, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the Holders of the outstanding Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance, and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred;
(9) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for in this ARTICLE 9 relating to either the Legal Defeasance under Section 9.2 or the Covenant Defeasance under Section 9.3 (as the case may be) have been complied with;
(10) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that the deposit under clause (1) was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any creditors of the Company or others; and
(11) the Company shall have paid, or duly provided for payment under terms mutually satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee, all amounts then due to the Trustee pursuant to Section 7.7.
9.5 DEPOSITED MONEY AND U.S. AND FOREIGN GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS TO BE HELD IN TRUST; OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.
All money, U.S. Government Obligations and Foreign Government Obligations (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 9.4 in respect of the outstanding Securities shall be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Securities, of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal, accrued interest and premium, if any, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.
The Company shall pay and indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the U.S. Government Obligations and Foreign Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Section 9.4 or the principal, interest and premium, if any, received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of the outstanding Securities.
Anything in this ARTICLE 9 to the contrary notwithstanding, but subject to payment of any of its outstanding fees and expenses, the Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Request any money, U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations held by the Trustee as provided in Section 9.4 which, in the opinion of a nationally-recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are in excess of the amount thereof which would then be required to be deposited to effect an equivalent Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.
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9.6 REINSTATEMENT.
If the Trustee or Paying Agent is unable to apply any money, U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations in accordance with Section 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 or 9.4 by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the Company’s obligations under this Indenture and the Securities shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to this ARTICLE 9 until such time as the Trustee or Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money, U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations, as the case may be, in accordance with Section 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 or 9.4; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if the Company has made any payment of principal of, or accrued interest or premium, if any, on, any Securities because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Securities to receive such payment from the money, U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations held by the Trustee or Paying Agent.
9.7 MONEYS HELD BY PAYING AGENT.
In connection with the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, all moneys then held by any Paying Agent under the provisions of this Indenture shall, upon demand of the Company, be paid to the Trustee, or, if sufficient moneys have been deposited pursuant to Section 9.1, to the Company, and thereupon such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys.
9.8 MONEYS HELD BY TRUSTEE.
Any moneys deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent or then held by the Company in trust for the payment of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, any Security that are not applied but remain unclaimed by the Holder of such Security for two years after the date upon which the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, such Security shall have respectively become due and payable shall be repaid to the Company upon Company Request, or if such moneys are then held by the Company in trust, such moneys shall be released from such trust; and the Holder of such Security entitled to receive such payment shall thereafter, as an unsecured general creditor, look only to the Company for the payment thereof, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money shall thereupon cease; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Trustee or any such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such repayment, may, at the expense of the Company, either mail to each Securityholder affected, at the address shown in the register of the Securities maintained by the Registrar, or cause to be published once a week for two successive weeks, in a newspaper published in the English language, customarily published each Business Day and of general circulation in the City of New York, New York, a notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which shall not be less than 30 days from the date of such mailing or publication, any unclaimed balance of such moneys then remaining will be repaid to the Company. After payment to the Company or the release of any money held in trust by the Company, Securityholders entitled to the money must look only to the Company for payment as general creditors, unless applicable abandoned property law designates another Person.
Article
X.
MISCELLANEOUS
10.1 TRUST INDENTURE ACT CONTROLS.
If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with another provision which is required to be included in this Indenture by the TIA, the required provision shall control. If any provision of this Indenture modifies or excludes any provision of the TIA which may be so modified or excluded, the latter provision shall be deemed to apply to this Indenture as so modified or to be excluded, as the case may be.
10.2 NOTICES.
Any notice or communication shall be given in writing or delivered in Person, delivered by commercial courier service or mailed by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed as follows:
If to the Company:
AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.
4350 West Cypress Street, Suite 270
Tampa, FL 33607
Telephone:
Attention:
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If to the Trustee:
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Telephone:
Attention:
The Company or the Trustee by written notice to the other may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications. Any notice or communication to the Company or the Trustee shall be deemed to have been given or made as of the date so delivered if personally delivered and three Business Days after mailing if sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid (except that a notice of change of address shall not be deemed to have been given until actually received by the addressee).
Any notice or communication mailed to a Securityholder shall be mailed to such Securityholder by first-class mail, postage prepaid, at such Securityholder’s address shown on the register kept by the Registrar.
Failure to mail, or any defect in, a notice or communication to a Securityholder shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Securityholders. If a notice or communication to a Securityholder is mailed in the manner provided above, it shall be deemed duly given, three Business Days after such mailing, whether or not the addressee receives it.
In case by reason of the suspension of regular mail service, or by reason of any other cause, it shall be impossible to mail any notice as required by this Indenture, then such method of notification as shall be made with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute a sufficient mailing of such notice.
In the case of Global Securities, notices or communications to be given to Securityholders shall be given to the Depository, in accordance with its applicable policies as in effect from time to time.
In addition to the manner provided for in the foregoing provisions, notices or communications to Securityholders shall be given by the Company by release made to Reuters Economic Services and Bloomberg Business News.
10.3 COMMUNICATIONS BY HOLDERS WITH OTHER HOLDERS.
Securityholders of any Series may communicate pursuant to TIA Section 312(b) with other Securityholders of that Series or any other Series with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Securities of that Series or any other Series. The Company, the Trustee, the Registrar and any other Person shall have the protection of TIA Section 312(c).
10.4 CERTIFICATE AND OPINION AS TO CONDITIONS PRECEDENT.
Upon any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee:
(1) an Officers’ Certificate (which shall include the statements set forth in Section 10.5 below) stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with; and
(2) an Opinion of Counsel (which shall include the statements set forth in Section 10.5 below) stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent have been complied with.
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10.5 STATEMENT REQUIRED IN CERTIFICATE AND OPINION.
Each certificate and opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than pursuant to Section 4.4) shall include:
(1) a statement that the Person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;
(2) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;
(3) a statement that, in the opinion of such Person, it or he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable it or him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
(4) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such Person, such covenant or condition has been complied with.
10.6 RULES BY TRUSTEE AND AGENTS.
The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or at meetings of Securityholders. The Registrar and Paying Agent may make reasonable rules for their functions.
10.7 BUSINESS DAYS; LEGAL HOLIDAYS; PLACE OF PAYMENT.
A “Business Day” is a day that is not a Legal Holiday. A “Legal Holiday” is a Saturday, a Sunday, a federally-recognized holiday or a day on which banking institutions are not authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to be open in the State of New York.
If a payment date is a Legal Holiday at a Place of Payment, payment may be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is not a Legal Holiday, and no interest shall accrue for the intervening period. “Place of Payment” means the place or places where the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, the Securities of a Series are payable as specified as contemplated by Section2.2. If the regular record date is a Legal Holiday, the record date shall not be affected.
10.8 GOVERNING LAW.
THIS INDENTURE AND THE SECURITIES SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, AS APPLIED TO CONTRACTS MADE AND PERFORMED WITHIN THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW.
10.9 NO ADVERSE INTERPRETATION OF OTHER AGREEMENTS.
This Indenture may not be used to interpret another indenture, loan, security or debt agreement of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof. No such indenture, loan, security or debt agreement may be used to interpret this Indenture.
10.10 NO RECOURSE AGAINST OTHERS.
A director, officer, employee, stockholder or incorporator, as such, of the Company shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the Securities or the Indenture. Each Securityholder by accepting a Security waives and releases all such liability. Such waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issuance of the Securities.
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10.11 SUCCESSORS.
All covenants and agreements of the Company in this Indenture and the Securities shall bind the Company’s successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not. All agreements of the Trustee, any additional trustee and any Paying Agents in this Indenture shall bind their respective successors and assigns.
10.12 MULTIPLE COUNTERPARTS.
The parties may sign multiple counterparts of this Indenture. Each signed counterpart shall be deemed an original, but all of them together represent one and the same agreement.
10.13 TABLE OF CONTENTS, HEADINGS, ETC.
The table of contents, cross-reference sheet and headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof, and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.
10.14 SEVERABILITY.
Each provision of this Indenture shall be considered separable, and if for any reason any provision which is not essential to the effectuation of the basic purpose of this Indenture or the Securities shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby, and a Holder shall have no claim therefor against any party hereto.
10.15 SECURITIES IN A FOREIGN CURRENCY OR IN EUROS.
Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officers’ Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 with respect to a particular Series of Securities, whenever for purposes of this Indenture any action may be taken by the Holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of Securities of all Series or all Series affected by a particular action at the time outstanding and, at such time, there are outstanding Securities of any Series which are denominated in a coin or currency other than Dollars (including Euros), then the principal amount of Securities of such Series which shall be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of taking such action shall be that amount of Dollars that could be obtained for such amount at the Market Exchange Rate at such time. For purposes of this Section 10.15, “Market Exchange Rate” shall mean the noon Dollar buying rate in New York City for cable transfers of that currency as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, in the case of Euros, Market Exchange Rate shall mean the rate of exchange determined by the Commission of the European Union (or any successor thereto) as published in the Official Journal of the European Union (such publication or any successor publication, the “Journal”). If such Market Exchange Rate is not available for any reason with respect to such currency, the Trustee shall use, in its sole discretion and without liability on its part, such quotation of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or, in the case of Euros, the rate of exchange as published in the Journal, as of the most recent available date, or quotations or, in the case of Euros, rates of exchange from one or more major banks in New York City or in the country of issue of the currency in question or, in the case of Euros, in Luxembourg or such other quotations or, in the case of Euros, rates of exchange as the Trustee, upon consultation with the Company, shall deem appropriate. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply in determining the equivalent principal amount in respect of Securities of a Series denominated in currency other than Dollars in connection with any action taken by Holders of Securities pursuant to the terms of this Indenture.
All decisions and determinations of the Trustee regarding the Market Exchange Rate or any alternative determination provided for in the preceding paragraph shall be in the Trustee’s sole discretion, and shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive to the extent permitted by law for all purposes and irrevocably binding upon the Company and all Holders.
10.16 JUDGMENT CURRENCY.
The Company agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so under applicable law, that (a) if for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert the sum due in respect of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, or other amount on, the Securities of any Series (the “Required Currency”) into a currency in which a judgment will be rendered (the “Judgment Currency”), the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which, in accordance with normal banking procedures, the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered, unless such day is not a Business Day, in which instance, the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which, in accordance with normal banking procedures, the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the Business Day preceding the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered and (b) its obligations under this Indenture to make payments in the Required Currency (i) shall not be discharged or satisfied by any tender or any recovery pursuant to any judgment (whether or not entered in accordance with subsection (a)) in any currency other than the Required Currency, except to the extent that such tender or recovery shall result in the actual receipt, by the payee, of the full amount of the Required Currency expressed to be payable in respect of such payments, (ii) shall be enforceable as an alternative or additional cause of action for the purpose of recovering in the Required Currency the amount, if any, by which such actual receipt shall fall short of the full amount of the Required Currency so expressed to be payable and (iii) shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sum due under this Indenture.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed, and their respective corporate seals to be hereunto affixed and attested, all as of the day and year first above written.
| ATLASCLEAR HOLDINGS, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| [Name of Trustee] | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
[Signature Page to Indenture]
Exhibit 5.1
June 8, 2026
AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.
4350 West Cypress Street
Suite 270
Tampa, FL 33607
| Re: | AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. |
| Registration Statement on Form S-3 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to AtlasClear Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for the registration of the sale from time to time of (a) shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company; (b) shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Preferred Stock”), of the Company; (c) warrants of the Company (the “Warrants”), which may be issued pursuant to a warrant agreement (the “Warrant Agreement”) between the Company and a warrant agent to be named therein (the “Warrant Agent”); (d) debt securities of the Company (the “Debt Securities”), which may be issued pursuant to a senior debt indenture (the “Indenture”) between the Company and a trustee to be named therein (the “Trustee”); and (e) units (the “Units”) to be issued under one or more unit agreements (each such unit agreement, a “Unit Agreement”) to be entered into among the Company, a bank or trust company, as unit agent (the “Unit Agent”), and the holders from time to time of the Units.
In connection therewith, we have examined originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following: (i) the Registration Statement; (ii) the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended to the date hereof; (iii) the Company’s Amended and Restated By-laws, as amended to the date hereof; and (iv) such other documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or advisable for the purpose of rendering this opinion.
In rendering the opinions set forth below, we have reviewed such certificates, corporate and public records, agreements and instruments and other documents as we have deemed appropriate as a basis for the opinions expressed below. In all such examinations we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents, agreements and instruments submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents, agreements and instruments of all documents, agreements and instruments submitted to us as copies or specimens, the authenticity of the originals of such documents, agreements and instruments submitted to us as copies or specimens, the conformity of the text of each document filed with the Commission through the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System to the printed document reviewed by us, the accuracy of the matters set forth in the documents, agreements and instruments we reviewed, and that such documents, agreements and instruments evidence the entire understanding between the parties thereto and have not been amended, modified or supplemented in any manner material to the opinions expressed herein. As to matters of fact relevant to the opinions expressed herein, we have relied upon, and assumed the accuracy of, certificates and oral or written statements and other information obtained from the Company, the other parties to the transactions referenced herein, and public officials. Except as expressly set forth herein, we have not undertaken any independent investigation (including, without limitation, conducting any review, search or investigation of any public files, records or dockets) to determine the existence or absence of the facts that are material to our opinions, and no inference as to our knowledge concerning such facts should be drawn from our reliance on the representations of the Company and others in connection with the preparation and delivery of this letter.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the additional assumptions and qualifications set forth below, we advise you that, in our opinion:
1. When the necessary corporate action on the part of the Company has been taken to authorize the issuance and sale of such shares of Common Stock proposed to be sold by the Company, and when such shares of Common Stock are issued and delivered in accordance with the applicable underwriting or other agreement against payment therefor (in excess of the par value thereof) or upon conversion or exercise of any security offered under the Registration Statement (the “Offered Security”), in accordance with the terms of such Offered Security or the instrument governing such Offered Security providing for such conversion or exercise as approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, for the consideration approved by the Board of Directors of the Company (which consideration is not less than the par value of the Common Stock), such shares of Common Stock will be validly issued, fully-paid and non-assessable.
2. Upon designation of the relative rights, preferences and limitations of any series of Preferred Stock by the Board of Directors of the Company and the proper filing with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware of a Certificate of Designation relating to such series of Preferred Stock, and when the necessary corporate action on the part of the Company has been taken to authorize the issuance and sale of such series of Preferred Stock proposed to be sold by the Company, and when such shares of Preferred Stock are issued and delivered in accordance with the applicable underwriting or other agreement against payment therefor (in excess of the par value thereof), such shares of Preferred Stock will be validly issued, fully-paid and non-assessable.
3. When the Warrant Agreement to be entered into in connection with the issuance of any Warrants has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Warrant Agent and the Company, the specific terms of the Warrants have been duly authorized and established in accordance with the Warrant Agreement, and such Warrants have been duly authorized, executed, issued and delivered in accordance with the Warrant Agreement and the applicable underwriting or other agreement against payment therefor, such Warrants will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, concepts of reasonableness and equitable principles of general applicability.
4. When the Indenture and any supplemental indenture to be entered into in connection with the issuance of any Debt Securities have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trustee and the Company; the Trustee has been qualified to act as trustee under the Indenture; the Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended; the specific terms of a particular series of Debt Securities have been duly authorized and established in accordance with the Indenture; and such Debt Securities have been duly authorized, executed, authenticated, issued and delivered in accordance with the Indenture and the applicable underwriting or other agreement against payment therefor, such Debt Securities will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, concepts of reasonableness and equitable principles of general applicability.
5. When the Unit Agreement to be entered into in connection with the issuance of any Units has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Unit Agent and the Company, the specific terms of the Units have been duly authorized and established in accordance with the Unit Agreement, and such Units have been duly authorized, executed, issued and delivered in accordance with the Unit Agreement and the applicable underwriting or other agreement against payment therefor, such Units will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, concepts of reasonableness and equitable principles of general applicability.
In connection with the opinions expressed above, we have assumed that, at or prior to the time of the delivery of any such security, (i) the Board of Directors of the Company shall have duly established the terms of such security and duly authorized the issuance and sale of such security and such authorization shall not have been modified or rescinded; (ii) the Company shall remain validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware; (iii) the Registration Statement shall have become effective and such effectiveness shall not have been terminated or rescinded and the Registration Statement will comply with all applicable laws at the time securities are offered or issued as contemplated by the Registration Statement; (iv) a prospectus supplement shall have been prepared and filed with the Commission describing the securities offered thereby and shall comply with all applicable laws; (v) the Warrant Agreement is a valid, binding and enforceable agreement of each party thereto (other than as expressly covered above in respect of the Company); (vi) the Indenture (as modified by any applicable supplemental indenture) and the Debt Securities are each valid, binding and enforceable agreements of each party thereto (other than as expressly covered above in respect of the Company); (vii) the Unit Agreement is a valid, binding and enforceable agreement of each party thereto (other than as expressly covered above in respect of the Company); and (viii) there shall not have occurred any change in law affecting the validity or enforceability of such security. We have also assumed that the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of any security whose terms are established subsequent to the date hereof (a) require no action by or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official (other than as expressly covered above); and (b) do not contravene, or constitute a default under, any public policy, any provision of applicable law or regulation or any judgment, injunction, order or decree or any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company.
This opinion is limited to the matters stated herein, and no opinions may be implied or inferred beyond the matters expressly stated herein. We assume no obligation to update or supplement this opinion to reflect any facts or circumstances that may hereafter come to our attention or any changes in law that may hereafter occur.
We render this opinion with respect to, and express no opinion herein concerning the application or effect of the law of any jurisdiction other than, the existing laws of the United States of America, and of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Delaware Constitution and reported judicial decisions relating thereto.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement referred to above and further consent to the reference to our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus, which forms a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.
| Very truly yours, | |
| /s/ Greenberg Traurig, LLP | |
| Greenberg Traurig, LLP |
Exhibit 5.2
June 8, 2026
AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.
4350 West Cypress Street
Suite 270
Tampa, FL 33607
| Re: | AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. |
| Registration Statement on Form S-3 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to AtlasClear Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) including the related prospectus contained therein and forming a part thereof (the “Prospectus”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Registration Statement relates to the offer and resale by the selling stockholders named therein (each a “Selling Stockholder” and collectively, the “Selling Stockholders”) of up to 39,000,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), which may be issued to the Selling Stockholders pursuant to a share purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), dated February 5, 2026, among the Company, Commercial Bancorp and the Selling Stockholders.
In rendering the opinions set forth below, we have reviewed such certificates, corporate and public records, agreements and instruments and other documents as we have deemed appropriate as a basis for the opinions expressed below. In all such examinations we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents, agreements and instruments submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents, agreements and instruments of all documents, agreements and instruments submitted to us as copies or specimens, the authenticity of the originals of such documents, agreements and instruments submitted to us as copies or specimens, the conformity of the text of each document filed with the Commission through the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System to the printed document reviewed by us, the accuracy of the matters set forth in the documents, agreements and instruments we reviewed, and that such documents, agreements and instruments evidence the entire understanding between the parties thereto and have not been amended, modified or supplemented in any manner material to the opinions expressed herein. As to matters of fact relevant to the opinions expressed herein, we have relied upon, and assumed the accuracy of, the representations and warranties contained in the Purchase Agreement, and we have relied upon certificates and oral or written statements and other information obtained from the Company, the other parties to the transactions referenced herein, and public officials. Except as expressly set forth herein, we have not undertaken any independent investigation (including, without limitation, conducting any review, search or investigation of any public files, records or dockets) to determine the existence or absence of the facts that are material to our opinions, and no inference as to our knowledge concerning such facts should be drawn from our reliance on the representations of the Company and others in connection with the preparation and delivery of this letter.
We have also assumed (x) the legal capacity of all natural persons and (y) (except to the extent expressly opined on herein) that all documents, agreements and instruments have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all parties thereto, other than the Company, that all such parties are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, that all such parties had the power and legal right to execute and deliver all such documents, agreements and instruments, and that such documents, agreements and instruments constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of such parties, enforceable against such parties in accordance with their respective terms.
We express no opinion concerning the laws of any jurisdiction other than the federal laws of the United States of America, and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, including the applicable provisions of the Delaware Constitution and the reported judicial decisions interpreting such law, in each case as currently in effect.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized and, upon the issuance of the Shares pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
Our opinions set forth above are subject to: (a) limitations imposed by bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership, conservatorship, reorganization, fraudulent conveyance, arrangement, moratorium or other laws relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally; (b) rights to indemnification and contribution which may be limited by applicable law or equitable principles or otherwise unenforceable as against public policy; (c) the unenforceability under certain circumstances of provisions imposing liquidated damages, penalties, forfeiture, late payment charges, or an increase in interest rate upon delinquency in payment or the occurrence of any event of default; (d) applicable laws limiting unreasonable restraints on the alienation of property; and (e) general principles of equity, including without limitation concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing, and the possible unavailability of specific performance or injunctive relief, regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.
The opinions expressed above are as of the date hereof only, and we express no opinion as to, and assume no responsibility for, the effect of any fact or circumstance occurring, or of which we learn, subsequent to the date of this opinion letter, including, without limitation, legislative and other changes in the law or changes in circumstances affecting any party. We assume no responsibility to update this opinion letter for, or to advise you of, any such facts or circumstances of which we become aware, regardless of whether or not they affect the opinions expressed in this opinion letter.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In addition, we consent to the reference to our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act. In addition, we disclaim any obligation to update this letter or communicate with or advise you as to any changes in fact or law, or otherwise.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Exhibit 23.3
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-3 of AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. of our report dated September 29, 2025, relating to our audits of the June 30, 2025 and 2024 consolidated financial statements of AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. Our audit report included an explanatory paragraph relating to AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.’s ability to continue as a going concern.
We also consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
/s/ Haynie
Haynie
Salt Lake City, Utah
June 8, 2026
