Charlton Aria Acquisition Corp 10-K, filed Mar 24, 2025
Charlton Aria Acquisition Corp (CHAR)
About this 10-K
Charlton Aria Acquisition Corp filed this 10-K on March 24, 2025, covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
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the fiscal year ended
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For the transition period from __________ to __________.
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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As of March 24, 2025, there were
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report, including, without limitation, statements under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this report may include, for example, statements about:
| ● | our ability to complete an initial business combination; |
| ● | our expectations around the performance of prospective target business or businesses; |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| ● | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
| ● | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | our pool of prospective target businesses; |
| ● | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| ● | the lack of a market for our securities; |
| ● | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
| ● | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or |
| ● | our financial performance following our initial public offering. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this report are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward- looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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PART I
References in this report to “we,” “our,” “us” or the “Company” refer to Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation. References to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our current officers and directors, and references to the “sponsor” refer to ST Sponsor II Limited. References to “founder shares” are to shares of our Class B ordinary shares initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to our initial public offering, and the shares of our Class A ordinary shares issued upon the conversion thereof as provided herein, and references to “insiders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to our initial public offering and any transferees of such founder shares.
Item 1. Business.
General
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company, with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this report as our “initial business combination”. We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenue to date. Based on our business activities, we are a “shell company” as defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting almost entirely of cash.
On October 25, 2024, the Company consummated its initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 7,500,000 units (“Units”). Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value per share (“Class A ordinary shares”), and one right (“rights”) to receive of one-eighth of one Class A ordinary share upon the completion of the initial business combination. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $75,000,000.
The Company also issued to the Clear Street LLC, the representative (the “Representative”) of the underwriters (the “underwriters”) of the IPO, 75,000 Class A ordinary shares as part of the underwriting compensation (the “Representative Shares”) on the closing of the IPO. The Representative Shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units, except that the Representative has agreed not to transfer, assign, sell, pledge, or hypothecate any such representative shares, or subject such Representative Shares to hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person until 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales of the IPO pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), subject to exceptions pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2). The Representative has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such Representative Shares without prior consent of the Company until the completion of the initial business combination of the Company. In addition, the Representative has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights (or right to participate in any tender offer) with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of the Company’s initial business combination and (ii) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if the Company fails to complete its initial business combination within the period as provided in the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO and the sale of the Units, the Company consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of 240,000 units (the “Private Placement Units”) to the sponsor, at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, generating total proceeds of $2,400,000.
Upon the closing of the IPO, management has agreed that at least $10.025 per Unit sold in the IPO will be held into a U.S.-based trust account (“trust account”), with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The funds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest solely in direct U.S. government treasury. Except with respect to divided and/or interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to the Company to pay the Company’s tax obligation, if any, the proceeds from the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Units that are deposited and held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of (i) the completion of the Company’s initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the company’s memorandum and articles of association effective at the time to (A) modify the substance or timing of obligation to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company does not complete the Company’s initial business combination by the Combination Deadline (as defined below), provided that the sponsor and/or designees must deposit into the trust account for each three months extension, an amount equal to 0.10 per Unit, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of public shares if the Company is unable to complete their initial business combination by the Combination Deadline, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of the public shareholders.
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In connection with the IPO, the underwriters were granted an option to purchase up to 1,125,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any (the “Over-allotment Option”). On November 19, 2024, the Representative exercised the Over-allotment Option in part, and purchased 1,000,000 Units (the “Option Units”), generating gross proceeds of $10,000,000. Simultaneously with the issuance and sale of the Option Units, the Company completed a private placement sale of 15,000 Private Placement Units (the “Additional Private Placement Units”) to the sponsor at a purchase price of $10.00 Private Placement Units, generating gross proceeds of $150,000. The Company also issued additional 10,000 Representative Shares to the Representative.
In connection with the offering of the Option Units and the sale of Additional Private Placement Units, the proceeds of $10,025,000 from the proceeds of the offering of the Option Units and the sale of Additional Private Placement Units were placed in the trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public shareholders and the underwriters of the IPO.
Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic location. Since our IPO, our sole business activity has been identifying and evaluating suitable target businesses. We presently have no revenue and have had losses since inception from incurring formation and operating costs. We have relied upon the sale of our securities and loans from the sponsor and other parties to fund our operations.
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more initial business combinations with a total aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriters’ fees and taxes payable on the interest income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing of a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors determines that it is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we may obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent valuation or appraisal firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. In addition, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We currently intend to structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act.
Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. If our securities are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net asset test.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
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Business Strategy and Acquisition Criteria
Our management team intends to focus on creating shareholder value by leveraging its experience in the management and operation of businesses to improve the efficiency of operations while implementing strategies to scale revenue organically and/or through acquisitions. Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are essential in evaluating prospective target businesses. While we intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating prospective businesses, we may deviate from these criteria and guidelines should we consider it appropriate to do so:
| ● | Strong Management Team |
We will seek to acquire those businesses with reasoned and strong managements having a track record of driving growth and profitability; or having proposition of the businesses that may likely be well received by public investors.
| ● | Niche Deal Size with Growth Potential |
We intend to seek target companies that have underexploited expansion opportunities. This expansion can be accomplished through a combination of accelerating organic growth and finding attractive add-on acquisition targets. Our management team has significant experience in identifying such targets and in helping target management assess the strategic and financial fit. Similarly, our management has the expertise to assess the likely synergies and to help a target integrate acquisitions.
| ● | Long-term Revenue Visibility with Defensible Market Position |
In management’s view, the target companies should be close to an anticipated inflection point, such as those companies requiring additional management expertise, those companies able to innovate by developing new products or services, or companies where we believe we have ability to achieve improved profitability performance through an acquisition designed to help facilitate growth.
| ● | Benefits from Being a U.S. Public Company (Value Creation and Marketing Opportunities) |
We intend to search target companies that we believe will help offer attractive risk-adjusted equity returns for our shareholders. Amount other criteria, we expect to evaluate financial returns based on (i) the potential for organic growth in cash flows, (ii) the ability to achieve cost savings, (iii) the ability to accelerate growth, including through the opportunity for follow-on acquisitions, and (iv) the prospects for creating value through other value creation initiatives. We also plan to evaluate potential upside from future growth in the target business’ earnings and an improved capital structure.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant.
In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
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We will either (i) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public shareholders may seek to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against, or abstain from voting on, the proposed initial business combination, for their pro rata portion of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest generated from the funds held in the trust account released to us to pay dissolution expenses) or (ii) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to sell their public shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, in each case subject to the limitations described herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our directors, officers and sponsor (the “insiders”) have agreed, pursuant to the letter agreement, dated October 24, 2024, among the Company and the insiders (the “Letter Agreement”), not to redeem any public shares held by them into their pro rata portion of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of our proposed initial business combination or allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. If we so choose and we are legally permitted to do so, we will have the flexibility to avoid a shareholder vote and allow our shareholders to sell their shares pursuant to the tender offer rules of SEC. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination.
We will have until April 25, 2026 (or 18 months from the consummation of the IPO) to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination by then, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate an initial business combination two times by an additional three months each time (until July 25, 2026 or October 25, 2026, or up to 21 months or 24 months from the consummation of the IPO to complete an initial business combination), provided that our sponsor and/or designees must deposit into the trust account for each three months extension, $850,000 ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,700,000 on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. We refer the applicable deadline to consummate the initial business combination in each case, April 25, 2026, July 25, 2026 or October 25, 2026, as the “Combination Deadline”. There is no obligation for us or our sponsor to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. In the event that the time to complete an initial business combination is extended and our sponsors or their affiliates or designees make the payments necessary for such extension, they will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note in the amount of any such deposit, which will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close an initial business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. We intend to issue a press release announcing any intention to extend the time to consummate an initial business combination at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release or file a Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the necessary funds had been timely deposited.
Our public shareholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 18 months to up to 24 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination by the Combination Deadline, unless we extend such period pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association effective at the time, we will, as promptly as possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, redeem 100% of our issued and outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, including a pro rata portion of any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest generated from the funds held in the trust account released to us to pay dissolution expenses), and then seek to liquidate and dissolve. However, we may not be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
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We have not selected any specific initial business combination target but intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the Private Placement Units. As a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemption by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular initial business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, or to fund the purchase of other companies. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our rights will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. In addition, the amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions.
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholder upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, if any, divided by the number of then-issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.025 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial owner must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our rights. Further, we will not proceed with redeeming our public shares, even if a public shareholder has properly elected to redeem its shares, if an initial business combination does not close. Our insiders have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association effective at the time (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by the Combination Deadline or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
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Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather than seeking shareholder approval under SEC rules). Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our memorandum and articles of association effective at the time would typically require shareholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq rules. If we held a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will, pursuant to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the “Current Charter”):
| ● | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and |
| ● | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
Submission of Our Initial Business Combination to a Stockholder Vote
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our insiders have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, for purpose of seeking shareholder approval for our initial business combination, in addition to our founder shares and private shares, we would need additional 3,102,501 public shares to vote in order to obtain a quorum which will be, pursuant to the Current Charter, a majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote at the meeting. Once a quorum is obtained, (i) assuming only a quorum is present and voted at such meeting held to vote on our initial business combination, 361,251 public shares, or 4.3% of the 8,500,000 public shares sold in this offering are needed to be voted in favor of a transaction, or (ii) assuming all issued and outstanding shares are present and voted, we need additional 3,102,501, or 36.5%, of the 8,500,000 public shares sold in this offering are needed to be voted in favor of a transaction (none of our insiders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or Class A ordinary shares in the open market or in private transactions (other than the private units)). Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Stockholder Approval
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Current Charter provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the IPO, which we refer to as “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed initial business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the IPO could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in the IPO without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.
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However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination
Under the Current Charter, if we do not consummate the initial business combination by the Combination Deadline, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our rights, which will expire worthless if we fail to consummate an initial business combination by the Combination Deadline. Our Current Charter provides that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 221 W 9th St, #848, Wilmington, Delaware 19801, and our telephone number is 909-214-2482. We are required to file annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q with the SEC on a regular basis, and are required to disclose certain material events in current reports on Form 8-K. The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s Internet website is located at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the Company will provide copies of these documents without charge upon request from us by mail to 221 W 9th St, #848, Wilmington, Delaware 19801.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive initial business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to a traditional initial public offering through a merger or other initial business combination with us. In an initial business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock in the target business for our Class A Ordinary Shares (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A Ordinary Shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than a typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical initial business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, that may not be present to the same extent in connection with an initial business combination with us.
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Furthermore, once a proposed initial business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a special purpose acquisition company, including our lack of an operating history and our potential need to seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial business combination, negatively.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to 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, 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 shareholder 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.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of the IPO, (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 ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we have encountered, and expect to continue to encounter, intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups, leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting initial business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and potential future dilutions that our outstanding rights represent, which may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
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Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 221 W 9th St, #848, Wilmington, Delaware 19801. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two executive officers, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Will Garner, our Chief Financial Officer and Director, Yuanmei Ma. The two individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on the status of the proposed Transactions and, if the proposed Transactions are not consummated, whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the initial business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to include risk factors in this Report. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in this Annual Report are any of the risks described in the final prospectus of the Company filed with the SEC on October 24, 2024 (File No. 333-282313) (the “IPO Prospectus”). Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. Additional risk factors not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business or results of operations.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity.
We are a special purpose acquisition company with no business operations. Since our IPO, our sole business activity has been identifying and evaluating suitable acquisition transaction candidates. Therefore, we do not consider that we face significant cybersecurity risk.
We
have not adopted any cybersecurity risk management program or formal processes for assessing cybersecurity risk. Our management is generally
responsible for assessing and managing any cybersecurity threats. If and when any reportable cybersecurity incident arises, our management
shall promptly report such matters to our
As
of the date of this report, we have
Item 2. Properties.
We do not own or lease any real estate or other physical properties materially important to our operation. We currently maintain our executive offices at 221 W 9th St, #848, Wilmington, Delaware 19801. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
On March 8, 2019, Jie Yuan (the “Jie Action”) filed a putative shareholder derivative lawsuit purportedly on behalf of Nova Lifestyle, Inc. (Nasdaq; NVFY, the “Nova LifeStyle”) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, against Nova LifeStyle’s former and current CEOs and CFOs (Thanh H. Lam, Ya Ming Wong, Jeffery Chuang and Yuen Ching Ho) and directors (Charlie Huy La, Bin Liu, Umesh Patel, and Min Su) and vice president (Steven Qiang Liu) (collectively, the “Defendants”) seeking to recover any losses Nova LifeStyle sustains as a result of alleged securities violations outlined in a Seeking Alpha blog and a certain securities class action case filed by George Barney and others (the “Barney Action”) in the same court on December 28, 2018.
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Specifically, the derivative lawsuit alleges that the Defendants caused Nova LifeStyle to make the alleged false and/or misleading statements giving rise to the putative securities class action. The Plaintiff also alleges that President and CEO Lam engaged in self-dealing transactions by leasing her property to Diamond Bar, a Nova LifeStyle subsidiary, and asserts that Lam, former CEO and director Ya Ming Wong, former CFO and director Yuen Ching Ho, and director Umesh Patel sold securities during the period of time when the alleged false and/or misleading statements were made “with knowledge of material non-public information.”
On May 15, 2019, Wilton Samuels (the “Samuels Action”) also filed a putative derivative complaint purportedly on behalf of Nova Lifestyle against the same current and former directors and officers named in the Jie Action other than Steven Qiang Liu in the same court. Samuels repeats the allegations of the Complaint in the Jie Action. Additionally, Samuels claims that, in announcing its change of auditing firms in September 2016, Nova Lifestyle asserted that this change was made because its existing auditor ceased auditing public companies subject to regulation in the United States without disclosing that its new auditing firm was created in a merger of three accounting firms, including a firm whose registration was revoked by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Samuels also claims that Nova Lifestyle redeemed its stock in reliance upon the same purported fraudulent recognition of revenues claimed in the putative class action. He purports to state direct claims under Sections 10(b) and 20 of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 10b-5.
Upon the request of the Defendants, the court in the Jie Action and the Samuels Action agreed, respectively, in April 2020 and June 2020 to stay the proceedings until the Barney Action is resolved.
The Barney Action was settled and the final settlement was approved by that court in April 2024. In January 2025, upon stipulation by the respective plaintiffs and defendants in the Jie Action and the Samuels Action, the Court issued an order consolidating the two actions into one case, agreed to lift the stay in the case, and set a new briefing schedule for the parties to move forward with the case. The consolidated case remains pending.
Other than the foregoing pending proceedings, there is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such, and we and our officers and directors have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of hereof.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
Our units, Class A ordinary shares, rights are each traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols “CHARU,” “CHAR,” and “CHARR,” respectively. Our units commenced public trading on October 25, 2024, and our Class A ordinary shares and rights commenced separate public trading on November 26, 2024.
Holders
On December 31, 2024, there were 2 holders of record of our units, 1 holder of record of our Class A ordinary shares, 1 holder of record of our rights, and 6 holders of record of our Class B ordinary shares.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
Founder Shares Sales and Transfer
On April 23, 2024, the Company issued 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “founder shares”), to ST Sponsor II Limited, the sponsor of the IPO (the “sponsor”) for a purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0116 per share. The founder shares held by the Company’s insiders include an aggregate of up to 281,250 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ Over-allotment Option is not exercised in full or in part. The Founder Shares held by the Company’s insiders was reduced by an aggregate of 31,250 forfeited shares.
On September 11, 2024, the sponsor entered into a securities transfer agreement, pursuant to which the sponsor transferred 100,000 founder shares and 60,000 founder shares to Mr. Will Garner, the Company’s Chairman and CEO, and Ms. Yuanmei Ma, the Company’s CFO, respectively, for a total consideration of $1,855, or approximately $0.0116 per share.
On October 24, 2024, the sponsor transferred an aggregate of 60,000 of its founder shares to its three independent directors (20,000 each) for their board service for a total nominal cash consideration of $696.
Private Placement
On October 25, 2024, simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company completed a private placement (the “Private Placement”) of 240,000 private placement units to the Company’s sponsor, at a purchase price of $10.00 per private placement units, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $2,400,000.
The above sales were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. No commissions were paid in connection with such sales.
In connection with the IPO, the underwriters were granted an option to purchase up to 1,125,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any (the “Over-allotment Option”). On November 19, 2024, the Representative exercised the Over-allotment Option in part, and purchased 1,000,000 Units (the “Option Units”), generating gross proceeds of $10,000,000. Simultaneously with the issuance and sale of the Option Units, the Company completed a private placement sale of 15,000 Private Placement Units (the “Additional Private Placement Units”) to the sponsor at a purchase price of $10.00 Private Placement Units, generating gross proceeds of $150,000.
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The sales of the Additional Private Placement Units issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. No commissions were paid in connection with such sales.
Use of Proceeds
On October 25, 2024, we consummated the initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 7,500,000 units (the “Units”), at a price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $75,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we consummated the sale of 240,000 private placement units, to our sponsor in the Private Placement, generating gross proceeds of $2,400,000.
The net proceeds of $75,187,500 from the IPO and the Private Placement were placed in the trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public shareholders and with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
On November 19, 2024, in connection with the offering of the Option Units and the sale of Additional Private Placement Units, the proceeds of $10,025,000 from the proceeds of the offering of the Option Units and the sale of Additional Private Placement Units were placed in the trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public shareholders and the underwriters of the IPO, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.
Item 6. [Reserved]
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
References to the “Company”, “us”, “our”, or “we” refer to Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and related notes herein.
The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K..
Overview
Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on March 22, 2024 as an exempted company with limited liability. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company, with one or more businesses or entities (the “initial business combination”). We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our IPO (as defined below), Private Placement (as defined below), and the sale of our shares, debt or a combination of cash, equity and debt. We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete an initial business combination will be successful.
Our Initial Public Offering
On October 25, 2024, we consummated our IPO of 7,500,000 units (the “Public Units”), each Public Unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share (the “Class A Ordinary Shares”) of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Public Shares”), and one right (the “Rights”) of the Company, each right entitling the holder to receive one-eighth of one Class A Ordinary (the “Public Rights”). The Public Units were sold at a price of $10.00 per Unit, and the IPO generated gross proceeds of $75,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we consummated a private placement (the “Private Placement”) with ST Sponsor II Limited, our sponsor (the “sponsor”), of an aggregate of 240,000 units (the “Private Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $2,400,000. Each Private Placement Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share (the “Private Placement Shares”), and one Right (the “Private Placement Rights”). The terms and provisions of the Private Placement Shares and Private Placement Rights in the Private Placement Units are identical to the Public Shares and Public Rights, respectively, except that, subject to certain limited exceptions, the Private Placement Shares are subject to transfer restrictions until the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination. On October 25, 2024, a total of $75,187,500 of the net proceeds from the IPO and the Private Placement was deposited in a trust account (the “trust account”) established for the benefit of the Company’s Public Shareholders at a U.S. based trust account, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.
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We also issued to Clear Street LLC, the representative of the underwriters of the IPO (the “Representative”), 75,000 Class A Ordinary Shares as part of the underwriting compensation (the “Representative Shares”) on the closing of the IPO. The Representative Shares are identical to the Class A Ordinary Shares included in the Units, with certain exceptions.
The underwriters have been granted a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,125,000 units offered by the Company to cover over-allotments, if any. On November 19, 2024, the Representative exercised the Over-allotment Option in part, and purchased 1,000,000 Units (the “Option Units”), generating gross proceeds of $10,000,000. Simultaneously with the issuance and sale of the Option Units, the Company completed a private placement sale of 15,000 Private Placement Units (the “Additional Private Placement Units”) to the sponsor at a purchase price of $10.00 Private Placement Units, generating gross proceeds of $150,000. The Company also issued additional 10,000 Representative Shares to the Representative.
Since our IPO, our sole business activity has been identifying, evaluating suitable acquisition transaction candidates and preparing for consummation of an initial business combination. We presently have no revenue and have had losses since inception from incurring formation and operating costs. We have relied upon the sale of our securities and loans from the sponsor and other parties to fund our operations.
In connection with the offering of the Option Units and the sale of Additional Private Placement Units, the proceeds of $10,025,000 from the proceeds of the offering of the Option Units and the sale of Additional Private Placement Units were placed in the trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public shareholders and the underwriters of the IPO, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
The sales of the Private Placement Units issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. No commissions were paid in connection with such sales.
Separation of Units
On November 25, 2024, the Company announced that holders of the Company’s Public Units may elect to separately trade the Public Shares and Public Rights from the Public Units, commencing on or about November 26, 2024.
The Class A ordinary shares and rights trade on the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbols “CHAR” and “CHARR”, respectively. Units not separated continue to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol “CHARU.”
Cancellation of Founder Shares
On December 9, 2024, after the expiration of the Over-Allotment Option, pursuant to the IPO Prospectus and the founder share purchase agreement between the Company and the sponsor, the Company and the sponsor agreed to cancel 31,250 Class B ordinary shares of the Company so that our insiders would collectively own 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after the IPO. As a result, 2,125,000 founder shares remained issued and outstanding as a result.
Results of Operations
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities from March 22, 2024 (inception) to December 31, 2024 were organizational activities, those necessary to prepare for the IPO, described below, and, after the IPO, identifying a target company for an initial business combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial business combination. We may generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on investments held in the trust account. We incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses in connection with completing an initial business combination.
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For the period from March 22, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, we had a net income of $266,838, which consisted of dividend earned on investments held in trust account of $657,624, interest income of $2,612, and the change in fair value of over-allotment option liability of $197,895, which was offset by formation and operating costs of $341,598 and stock-based compensation expense of $249,695.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Company’s liquidity needs up to December 31, 2024 had been satisfied through a payment from the sponsor of $25,000 for the founder shares to cover certain offering costs and the proceeds from the public offering and private placements.
Following the closing of the IPO and sale of the Private Placement Units on October 25, 2024 and the exercising of over-allotment option in part on November 19, 2024, a total of $85,212,500 was placed in the trust account, and we had $564,299 of cash held outside of the trust account, after payment of costs related to the IPO, and available for working capital purposes. In connection with the IPO, we incurred $3,408,558 in transaction costs, consisting of $1,275,000 of underwriting fees, $1,700,000 of deferred underwriting fees, $92,195 of the Representative Shares (as discussed below), and $341,363 of other offering costs.
In conjunction with the IPO and the exercising of over-allotment option in part, the Company issued to the underwriter 85,000 Class A ordinary shares for no consideration (the “Representative Shares”). The fair value of the Representative Shares accounted for as compensation under the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 718, “Compensation – Stock Compensation” (“ASC 718”) is included in the offering costs. The estimated fair value of the Representative Shares as of the IPO date totaled $92,195.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had cash of $447,419 and working capital of $407,150.
For the period from March 22, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, there was $171,290 of cash used in operating activities resulting from dividend earned on investments held in trust account of $657,624, the change in fair value of over-allotment option liability of $197,895, and increase in prepaid expenses of $9,365. The changes were offset by net income of $266,838, formation and operating costs paid by Sponsor of $127,427, stock-based compensation expense of $249,695, the increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $35,884, and the increase in due to related parties of $13,750.
For the period from March 22, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, there was $85,212,500 of cash used in investing activities resulting from the purchase of investment held in trust account.
For the period from March 22, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, there was $85,831,209 of cash provided by financing activities resulting from the proceeds of the IPO of $85,000,000 and the proceeds from the Private Placement of $2,550,000. The changes were offset by the repayment of a promissory note to the sponsor of $273,969, the payment of the underwriter’s discount, net of reimbursement of IPO offering costs, of $1,062,500, and the payment of IPO offering costs of $382,322.
We intend to use the funds held outside the trust account to primarily identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination, our directors, officers and the sponsor (together, the “insiders”) or their affiliates or designees may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If the Company completes the initial business combination, it would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $3,000,000 of such loans (the “Working Capital Loans”) may be convertible into Units of the Company, at a price of $10.00 per Unit (the “Working Capital Units”) at the option of the lender. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
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We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our Public Shares upon completion of our initial business combination in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such initial business combination.
Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements
We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2024. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual Obligations
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares and Private Placement Units, including any Working Capital Units of those issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed on October 24, 2024 by and among the Company and the insiders. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed after the completion of our initial business combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
We granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the IPO to purchase up to 1,125,000 additional Public Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the IPO price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriters had exercised the over-allotment option in part and purchased 1,000,000 Public Units on November 19, 2024.
The underwriters received a cash underwriting discount of $0.15 per Public Unit, or $1,275,000 in the aggregate and paid at the closing of the IPO and the exercising of over-allotment option in part. In addition, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.20 per Public Unit, or approximately $1,700,000 in the aggregate upon the consummation of an initial business combination. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the trust account solely in the event that the Company completes its initial business combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement dated October 24, 2024, by and between the Company and Clear Street LLC.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (the “US GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. We did not identify any critical accounting estimates.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. The amendments in this ASU require disclosures, on an annual and interim basis, of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating officer decision maker (“CODM”), as well as the aggregate amount of other segment items included in the reported measure of segment profit or loss. The ASU requires that a public entity disclose the title and position of the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources. Public entities will be required to provide all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 in interim periods, and entities with a single reportable segment are required to provide all the disclosures required by the amendments in this ASU and existing segment disclosures in Topic 280. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. We adopted this ASU for the year ended December 31, 2024 and there was no material effect on our financial statements.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not applicable.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Reference is made to Pages F-1 through F-18 comprising a portion of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
Not applicable.
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Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Report, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management evaluated, with the participation of our current chief executive officer and chief financial officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2024, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based on the foregoing and the material weaknesses on internal controls over financial reporting identified below, our Certifying Officers concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of the end of the period covered by this Report.
We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”). Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
| (1) | pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company, |
| (2) | provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with US GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors, and |
| (3) | provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. |
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Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting on December 31, 2024. In making these assessments, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessments and those criteria, management determined that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024 due to the material weakness in our internal controls due to inadequate segregation of duties within account processes due to limited personnel and insufficient written policies and procedures for accounting, IT, and financial reporting and record keeping.
Management intends to implement remediation steps to improve our internal controls due to inadequate segregation of duties within account processes due to limited personnel and insufficient written policies and procedures for accounting, IT, and financial reporting and record keeping. We plan to further improve this process by enhancing the size and composition of our board upon the closing of the initial business combination and to identify third-party professionals with whom to consult regarding complex accounting applications and consideration of additional staff with the requisite experience and training to supplement existing accounting professionals and implemented additional layers of reviews in the financial close process.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
During the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, there has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item
9B.
Not applicable.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.
Not applicable.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Directors and Executive Officers
Our current directors and executive officers, their ages and positions are as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Robert (Will) W. Garner | 47 | Chief Executive Officer, Director, and Chairman | ||
| Yuanmei Ma | 53 | Chief Financial Officer, and Director | ||
| Stephen Markscheid | 70 | Independent Director | ||
| Umesh Patel | 67 | Independent Director | ||
| Mark Chaney | 57 | Independent Director |
Below is a summary of the business experience of each our executive officers and directors:
Robert (Will) W. Garner, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director, is an experienced attorney, advisor and investor. He joined the Company as CEO, Chairman, and Director in June 2024. Since October 2024, Mr. Garner has served as an independent director for Rising Dragon Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: RDACU), a Cayan Islands special acquisition company (SPAC). Since January 2020, he has served as an advisor and attorney with Latitude Consultancy Limited, an investment-based immigration service provider, as a litigation discovery review attorney with several law firms, and as an advisor for Greenwing Ventures, a boutique Canadian merchant bank. Since 2013, Mr. Garner has also served as an advisor for Vulpes Investment Management Pte. Ltd., a Singapore based alternative investment manager, providing business development and fundraising advisory services for US clients and partners. Previously, from 2016 to 2020, he was the principal of Garner Law Group, an immigration law firm he founded. From 2016 to 2019, he also served as the founder and director of operations of Lucky Dawgs Brewing Company, a brewery based in Hong Kong. Mr. Garner received a J.D. degree from the William S. Boyd School of Law, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a M.B.A. from the University of Florida, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Georgia. He also received a certificate for the Stanford LEAD program for executive education at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a member of the Florida Bar.
Yuanmei Ma, Chief Financial Officer and Director, has extensive financial management experience for public companies. Ms. Ma joined the Company as CFO and Director in April 2024. Most recently, Ms. Ma served as Chief Financial Officer and director of Thunder Power Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AIEV), a Taiwanese electronic vehicle developer, after the company’s business combination with Feutune Light Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), from June 2024 to September 2024. Previously, she served as the Chief Financial Officer of Feutune Light Acquisition Corporation from January 2022 to June 2024. Before that, she served as the Chief Financial Officer of Aiways Group, an EV company in California from June 2022 to August 2023, and Mayrock Automotive Inc., a zero-emission commercial mobility company in California from September 2020 to June 2022. Between February 2021 and December 2022, Ms. Ma served as the Chief Financial Officer of Fortune Rise Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: FLFV), a Nasdaq listed SPAC. Ms. Ma was the director of investor relation at Highpower International Inc., from August 2016 to November 2019; when it was listed on Nasdaq (Formerly Nasdaq: HPJ). From July 2010 to June 2013, Ms. Ma was the Chief Financial Officer for Baosheng Steel Inc. She was Chief Financial Officer of Yihe Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. between August 2009 to June 2010; and Chief Financial Officer of Zhongpin Inc., (Formerly Nasdaq: HOGS), from September 2005 to October 2008. Ms. Ma holds an Executive MBA degree from both INSEAD Business School and Tsinghua University and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Arkansas State University.
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Stephen Markscheid, Director, is an experienced public company director and advisor. He has served as our director since October 2024. Since 2019, he has served as the Managing Partner of Aerion Capital, a boutique investment firm. Most recently, he has served as a director for Monterey Capital Acquisition Corp. from December 2021 until its business combination with ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc. in July 2024. Mr. Markscheid has continued to serve as the director of the post-combination entity, ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc., a clean energy solutions provider, since July 2024. He has also served as a director of Tristar Acquisition I Corp. from August 2023 until its business combination with Helport Limited in August 2024, at which point he resigned as director of the company. Mr. Markscheid has also served as director of Four Leaf Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: FORL) since July 2022, a SPAC currently in search of a target for business combination. In addition, he also has extensive experience as a board member for several operating companies, including as a director for JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE: JKS), an international solar module manufacturer, since 2009; Kingwisoft Technology Group Co. Ltd. (HKX: 8295), a Hong Kong investment holding company, from 2016 to August 2024; Richtech Robotics Inc. (Nasdaq: RR), a Nevada based robotics solutions company, since November 2023; QMIS TBS Capital Group Corp., a Malaysian financial advisory firm, from February to April 2024; Cenntro Inc. (Nasdaq: CENN), a New Jersey based electronic commercial vehicle developer, from November 2023 to April 2024; Fanhua, Inc. (Nasdaq: FANH), a China based financial service firm, from 2007 to 2024; Akso Health Group (Nasdaq: AHG), a Chinese e-commerce platform, from 2017 to 2022; UGE International (XTSX:UGE), a solar installation company, from August 2021 to July 2023. In addition, Mr. Markscheid serves as a Board Advisor to several companies, including NanoGraf Corporation, Intelligent Generation LLC, Beijing HyperStrong Technology Co. Ltd., Nulyzer Inc. and Hago Energetics, Inc., Mr. Markscheid also serves as a trustee emeritus of Princeton-in-Asia and Chairman Emeritus of KX Power, a UK based energy storage project developer. From 1998 to 2006, he worked for GE Capital. During his time with GE Capital, Mr. Markscheid led GE Capital’s business development activities in China and Asia Pacific, primarily acquisitions and direct investments. Prior to GE Capital, Mr. Markscheid worked with the Boston Consulting Group throughout Asia. He was a banker for ten years in London, Chicago, New York, Hong Kong and Beijing with Chase Manhattan Bank and First National Bank of Chicago. Mr. Markscheid began his career with the US-China Business Council, in Washington D.C. and Beijing. He earned a BA in East Asian Studies from Princeton University in 1976, an MA in international affairs from Johns Hopkins University in 1980, and an MBA from Columbia University in 1991, where he was class valedictorian. Mr. Markscheid has been nominated to serve as a director of Shepherd Ave Capital Acquisition Corporation, which publicly filed a registration statement in July 2024.
Umesh Patel, Director, is an experienced advisor, investor and executive. He has served as our director since October 2024. Mr. Patel has served as a director and the Chief Executive Officer of Fuse Group Holding Inc. (OTC: FUST), a company exploring opportunities in the mining industry, since February 2017 and its Chief Financial Officer since November 2022. Since October 2016, Mr. Patel has served as a director of Nova Lifestyle Inc. (Nasdaq: NYFY), a home furniture design, marketing and manufacturing firm. Since December 2009, Mr. Patel has served as a managing partner of DviBri LLC, a California-based consulting company providing services to private companies interested in conducting initial public offerings, along with other associated securities and investment services. Since March 2013, Mr. Patel has also been a consultant and coordinator for Eos-Petro Inc., an international and domestic petroleum exploration and production company based in Southern California. Mr. Patel received his Bachelor of Commerce degree specializing in audits and accounts, and an Associate degree in hotel management and catering from Maharaja Sayaji Rao University in Baroda, India in 1978.
Mark Chaney, Director, is an experienced real estate developer and investor with more than 20 years of experience. He has served as our director since October 2024. He has served as the owner of M J Chaney, Inc., a California based real estate development and investment company, since 1995. In his role, Mr. Chaney has participated in the investment, development, renovation, and constructions of more than 50 real estate projects. In addition, he has also served a consultant to the PGA Tour since 1994, advising the professional golf tournament organizer on sports consulting and golf course design matters. Mr. Chaney received a degree in business from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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Management’s prior experience in SPACs
Among our management, Mr. Garner, our Chairman, CEO and director, has served as an independent director of Rising Dragon Acquisition Corporation, since October 2024, a SPAC currently in search of a target for initial business combination. Ms. Ma, our CFO and director, has previously served as the CFO of Fortune Rise Acquisition Corporation, a position she held at the SPAC from February 2021 until December 2022. During her tenure, the SPAC announced and later terminated a proposed business combination with VCV Digital Technology in 2022. From January 2022 to June 2024, Ms. Ma also served as the CFO of Feutune Light Acquisition Corporation until its business combination with Thunder Power Holding Limited, after which she continued on as CFO and director of the post-combined entity, Thunder Power Holdings, Inc. from June 2024 to September 2024. In addition, Mr. Markscheid, our independent director, has served as a director for Monterey Capital Acquisition Corp. from December 2021 until its business combination with ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc. in July 2024. Mr. Markscheid has continued to serve as the director of the post-combination entity, ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc., a clean energy solutions provider, since July 2024. He has also served as a director of Tristar Acquisition I Corp. from August 2023 until its business combination with Helport Limited in August 2024, at which point he resigned as director of the company. Mr. Markscheid has also served as director of Four Leaf Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: FORL) since July 2022, a SPAC currently in search of a target for business combination, and has been nominated to serve as a director of Shepherd Ave Capital Acquisition Corporation, which publicly filed a registration statement in July 2024. Other than the foregoing, none of our management has been or is currently involved in any other SPACs.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers and directors are not required to commit their full time to our affairs and will allocate their time to other businesses, and the collective experience of our officers and with blank check companies like ours is not significant. We presently expect each of our employees to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business (which could range from only a few hours a week while we are trying to locate a potential target business to a majority of their time as we move into serious negotiations with a target business for an initial business combination). The past successes of our executive officers and directors do not guarantee that we will successfully consummate an initial business combination. In addition, the members of the management team may not remain with us subsequent to the consummation of an initial business combination.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors consists of five members. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term: Class I, with a term expiring at the first annual general meeting — Stephen Markscheid; Class II, with a term expiring at the second annual general meeting — Umesh Patel and Mark Chaney; and Class III, with a term expiring at the third annual general meeting — Will Garner and Yuanmei Ma.
Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board of directors or by a majority of the holders of our founder shares. After completion of an initial business combination, subject to any other special rights applicable to the shareholders, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board of directors or by a majority of the holders of our ordinary shares.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our Current Charter as it deems appropriate. Our Current Charter provide that the board of directors may appoint such officers as they consider necessary on such terms, at such remuneration and to perform such duties, and subject to such provisions as to disqualification and removal as the board of directors may think fit.
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Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee.
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the board of directors, which consists of Mr. Markscheid, Mr. Patel and Mr. Chaney, each of whom is an independent director under NASDAQ’s listing standards. Mr. Markscheid is the Chairperson of the audit committee. Our board of directors has determined that each member of our audit committee is independent under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent within one year of the listing of our Class A ordinary shares. Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Markscheid qualifies as “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
The audit committee is responsible for:
| ● | meeting with our independent registered public accounting firm regarding, among other issues, audits, and adequacy of our accounting and control systems; |
| ● | monitoring the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm; |
| ● | verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law; |
| ● | inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
| ● | pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed; |
| ● | appointing or replacing the independent registered public accounting firm; |
| ● | determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work; |
| ● | establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; |
| ● | monitoring compliance on a quarterly basis and, if any non-compliance is identified, immediately taking all action necessary to rectify such non-compliance or otherwise causing compliance; and |
| ● | reviewing and approving all payments made to our existing shareholders, executive officers or directors and their respective affiliates. Any payments made to members of our audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our board of directors, with the interested director or directors abstaining from such review and approval. |
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Compensation Committee
We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors, which consists of Mr. Markscheid, Mr. Patel and Mr. Chaney, each of whom is an independent director under NASDAQ’s listing standards. Mr. Patel is the Chairperson of the compensation committee. Our board of directors has determined that each member of our compensation committee is independent under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent within one year of the listing of our Class A ordinary shares.
The compensation committee is responsible for:
| ● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer’s based on such evaluation; | |
| ● | reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other executive officers; | |
| ● | reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; | |
| ● | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; | |
| ● | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; | |
| ● | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees; | |
| ● | if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and | |
| ● | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our executive officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. A copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Clawback Policy
We have adopted a clawback policy that applies to our executive officers (the “Clawback Policy”), which is filed herewith as Exhibit 97.1.
The Clawback Policy gives the Compensation Committee the discretion, in connection with an accounting restatement of our previously issued financial statements, to require executive officers to reimburse us for any erroneously awarded compensation paid to such executive officers that otherwise would not have been paid had it been determined based on the financial statements.
Insider Trading Policy
We have adopted an insider trading policy that applies to our executive officers (the “Insider Trading Policy”), which is filed herewith as Exhibit 19.1.
Availability of Documents
We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics and our audit committee charter as exhibits to the registration statement relating to our IPO. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
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Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
We entered into an offer letter, dated June 14, 2024, with our Chairman and CEO, Mr. Will Garner, which provides that Mr. Garner shall receive a monthly cash compensation of $7,500 among from the date of the offer letter until the earlier of (i) the termination of the offer letter; (ii) the date that the Company consummates an initial business combination; (iii) the date the Company is wound up; or (iv) the date that he vacates his positions or he is removed or disqualified from his positions pursuant to the Company’s Current Charter.
We entered into an offer letter, dated May 25, 2024, with our CFO, Ms. Yuanmei Ma, which provides that Ms. Ma shall receive a monthly cash compensation of $5,000 among from the date of the offer letter until the earlier of (i) the termination of the offer letter; (ii) the date that the Company consummates an initial business combination; (iii) the date the Company is wound up; or (iv) the date that she vacates her position or she is removed or disqualified from her positions pursuant to the Company’s Current Charter.
Other than as set forth elsewhere in this report, none of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable initial business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed initial business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our executive officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
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Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date hereof, 2025, based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares, by:
| ● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares; |
| ● | each of our executive officers and directors; and |
| ● | all of our executive officers and directors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them.
| Ordinary
Shares (Class A and Class B combined) | ||||||||
| Name of Beneficial Owners(1) | Number
of Shares Beneficially Owned | Approximate Percentage | ||||||
| Directors and Officers | ||||||||
| Will Garner | 100,000 | (2) | * | |||||
| Yuanmei Ma | 60,000 | (2) | * | |||||
| Stephen Markscheid | 20,000 | (3) | * | |||||
| Umesh Patel | 20,000 | (3) | * | |||||
| Mark Chaney | 20,000 | (3) | * | |||||
| All officers and directors as a group (5 individuals) | 220,000 | 2.1 | % | |||||
| Principal shareholders (5%+) | ||||||||
| ST Sponsor II Limited (our sponsor) | 2,160,000 | (4) | 20.7 | % | ||||
| Sunny Tan Kah Wei | 2,160,000 | (4) | 20.7 | % | ||||
| * | Less than one percent. |
| (1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is c/o Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation, at 221 W 9th St #848, Wilmington, DE 19801. |
| (2) | On September 11, 2024, our sponsor entered into a securities transfer agreement pursuant to which the sponsor agrees to transfer 100,000 founder shares to our CEO and Chairman, Mr. Will Garner, and 60,000 founder shares to our CFO and director, Ms. Yuanmei Ma. |
| (3) | On October 24, 2024, our sponsor entered into a securities transfer agreement pursuant to which the sponsor agrees to transfer 20,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors. |
| (4) | Mr. Sunny Tan Kah Wei is the sole member and sole director of ST Sponsor II Limited, our sponsor, which entitles him to have voting, dispositive or investment powers over the sponsor. Thus, he is deemed to have beneficial ownership of the shares held by the sponsor. |
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As of the date hereof, our insiders beneficially owned approximately 20% of issued and outstanding ordinary shares and have the right to appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our Public Shares will not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. Because of this ownership block, our sponsor may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our memorandum and articles of association effective at the time and approval of significant corporate transactions including our initial business combination.
Our sponsor has agreed (a) to vote any founder shares and Public Shares held by it in favor of any proposed initial business combination and (b) not to redeem any founder shares or Public Shares held by it in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor, our officers and our directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Transfers of Founder Shares
The founder shares, Private Placement Units, Private Placement Shares, and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the agreements entered into by our insiders. Our insiders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until (1) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and (2) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property.
The Private Placement Units and the securities within the units are not transferable, assignable or salable until after the completion of our initial business combination.
The foregoing restrictions are not applicable for transfers (i) among the insiders or to the Company’s insiders’ members, officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s shareholders or members upon the holder’s liquidation, in each case if the holder is an entity, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, in each case estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to the Company by private sales made at or prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination, (viii) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to its consummation of an initial business combination or (ix) in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of an initial business combination, the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, in each case (except for clauses (vi), (viii) or (ix) or with the Company’s prior written consent). If dividends are declared and payable in ordinary shares, such dividends will also be placed in lock-up. If we are unable to effect an initial business combination and liquidate the trust account, none of our insiders will receive any portion of the liquidation proceeds with respect to their founder shares.
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Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
Founder Share Issuance
On April 23, 2024, we issued 2,156,250 founder shares to our sponsor for a purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0116 per share. On September 11, 2024, our sponsor entered into a securities transfer agreement, pursuant to which our sponsor transferred 100,000 founder shares and 60,000 founder shares to Mr. Garner, our Chairman and CEO, and Ms. Ma, our CFO, respectively, for a total consideration of $1,855, or approximately $0.0116 per share. On October 24, 2024, the sponsor transferred an aggregate of 60,000 of its founder shares to its three independent directors (20,000 each) for their board service for a total nominal cash consideration of $696. The founder shares held by our insiders include an aggregate of up to 281,250 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our insiders will collectively own 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (without given effect to the sale of the Private Placement Units and assuming our insiders do not purchase units in this offering). On December 9, 2024, after the expiration of the Over-Allotment Option, pursuant to the IPO Prospectus and the founder share purchase agreement between the Company and the sponsor, the Company and the sponsor agreed to cancel 31,250 Class B ordinary shares of the Company so that our insiders would collectively own 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after the IPO. As a result, 2,125,000 founder shares remained issued and outstanding as a result.
Sale of Private Placement Units
On October 25, 2024, simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company completed the Private Placement of 240,000 Private Placement Units to the Company’s sponsor, at a purchase price of $10.00 per Private Placement Units, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $2,400,000.
In connection with the IPO, the underwriters were granted an option to purchase up to 1,125,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any (the “Over-allotment Option”).
On November 19, 2024, the Representative exercised the Over-allotment Option in part, and purchased 1,000,000 Units (the “Option Units”), generating gross proceeds of $10,000,000. Simultaneously with the issuance and sale of the Option Units, the Company completed a private placement sale of 15,000 Private Placement Units (the “Additional Private Placement Units”) to the sponsor at a purchase price of $10.00 Private Placement Units, generating gross proceeds of $150,000.
Working Capital Note
In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering or to extend our life, our insiders, officers and directors and their respective affiliates/designees may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $3,000,000 of the notes, or the “working capital notes,” may be converted upon consummation of our initial business combination into working capital units at a price of $10.00 per unit, or the “Working Capital Units.” In addition, our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates or designees may loan us funds in support of our potential extension to allow additional time for us to complete an initial business combination which will be evidenced in extension convertible notes, or the “extension notes,” to be repaid in cash or $10.00 per unit, or the “Extension Units,” at the closing of our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, the loans would be repaid out of funds not held in the trust account, and only to the extent available. The Working Capital Units would be identical to the Private Placement Units sold in the Private Placement. The terms of such loans by our sponsor or its affiliates, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our insiders or an affiliate of our insiders as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account, but if we do, we will request such lender to provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
27
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a shareholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
On April 23, 2024, our sponsor had agreed to loan us an aggregate of up to $500,000 to be used to pay formation expenses and a portion of the expenses of this offering. The loan of $273,969 was payable without interest on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2024 and (ii) date on which we consummate our initial public offering. The loan was repaid in full on October 25, 2024, from the proceeds of the IPO not being placed in the trust account.
Offer Letters With Management
We have offered to and our Chairman and CEO has accepted an offer letter, dated June 14, 2024, which provides that Mr. Garner shall receive a monthly cash compensation of $7,500 among from the date of the offer letter until the earlier of (i) the termination of the offer letter; (ii) the date that the Company consummates an initial business combination; (iii) the date the Company is wound up; or (iv) the date that he vacates his positions or he is removed or disqualified from his positions pursuant to the Company’s memorandum and articles of association.
We have also offered to and our CFO has accepted an offer letter, dated May 25, 2024, which provides that Ms. Ma shall receive a monthly cash compensation of $5,000 among from the date of the offer letter until the earlier of (i) the termination of the offer letter; (ii) the date that the Company consummates an initial business combination; (iii) the date the Company is wound up; or (iv) the date that he vacates his positions or he is removed or disqualified from his positions pursuant to the Company’s memorandum and articles of association.
Other than as set forth elsewhere in this report, none of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Our insiders or their affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable initial business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
28
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors has adopted a charter, providing for the review, approval and/or ratification of “related party transactions,” which are those transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K as promulgated by the SEC, by the audit committee. At its meetings, the audit committee shall be provided with the details of each new, existing, or proposed related party transaction, including the terms of the transaction, any contractual restrictions that the company has already committed to, the business purpose of the transaction, and the benefits of the transaction to the company and to the relevant related party. Any member of the committee who has an interest in the related party transaction under review by the committee shall abstain from voting on the approval of the related party transaction, but may, if so requested by the chairman of the committee, participate in some or all of the committee’s discussions of the related party transaction. Upon completion of its review of the related party transaction, the committee may determine to permit or to prohibit the related party transaction.
Management will present to the audit committee each proposed related party transaction, including all relevant facts and circumstances relating thereto. Under the policy, we may consummate related party transactions only if our audit committee approves or ratifies the transaction in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy. The policy does not permit any director or executive officer to participate in the discussion of, or decision concerning, a related person transaction in which he or she is the related party.
Director Independence
Nasdaq requires that a majority of our board must be composed of “independent directors.” Currently, Mr. Markscheid, Mr. Chaney and Mr. Patel would each be considered an “independent director” under the Nasdaq listing rules, which is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
We will only enter into a business combination if it is approved by a majority of our independent directors. Additionally, we will only enter into transactions with our officers and directors and their respective affiliates that are on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Any related-party transactions must also be approved by our audit committee and a majority of disinterested independent directors.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
Public Accounting Fees
The following chart sets forth public accounting fees in connection with services rendered by MaloneBailey, LLP for the period from March 22, 2024 (Inception) to December 31, 2024.
MaloneBailey, LLP
| 2024 | ||||
| Audit and Audit-Related Fees | $ | 118,450 | ||
| Tax Fees | - | |||
| All Other Fees | - | |||
Audit fees were for professional services rendered by MaloneBailey, LLP for the audit of our annual financial statements, and services that are normally provided by MaloneBailey, LLP in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for that fiscal year, including professional services in connection with our IPO. “Audit-related fees” are fees for assurance and related services by our principal accountant that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “audit fees.”
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our IPO. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
29
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | The following documents are filed as part of this report: |
| (1) | Financial Statements |
| (2) | Financial Statements Schedules |
All financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the amounts are immaterial and not required, or the required information is presented in the financial statements and notes herein.
| (3) | Exhibits |
We hereby file as part of this report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Copies of such material can be obtained on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.
Not applicable.
30
CHARLTON ARIA ACQUISITION CORPORATION
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2024, and the related statement of operations, changes in shareholders’ deficit, and cash flows for the period from March 22, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from March 22, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern Matter
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company expects to incur significant cost in pursuit to consummate a business combination and the Company’s business plan is dependent on the completion of a business combination within a prescribed period of time and if not completed will cease all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. The date for mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statement does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/
www.malonebailey.com
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2024
March 24, 2025
F-2
CHARLTON ARIA ACQUISITION CORPORATION
BALANCE SHEET
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2024
| Assets | ||||
| Current Assets | ||||
| Cash | $ | |||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||
| Total Current Assets | ||||
| Investments held in trust account | ||||
| Total Assets | $ | |||
| Liabilities and Shareholder’s Deficit | ||||
| Current Liabilities | ||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | |||
| Due to related parties | ||||
| Total Current Liabilities | ||||
| Deferred underwriting commission payable | ||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, | ||||
| Shareholders’ Deficit | ||||
| Preference shares, $ | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares, $ | ||||
| Class B ordinary shares, $ | ||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ||
| Total Shareholders’ Deficit | ( | ) | ||
| Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Deficit | $ | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-3
CHARLTON ARIA ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
| For
The Period From | ||||
| March
22, 2024 | ||||
| (Inception) Through | ||||
| December
31, 2024 | ||||
| Formation and operating costs | $ | |||
| Stock-based compensation expense | ||||
| Loss from operations | ( | ) | ||
| Other income: | ||||
| Change in fair value of over-allotment option liability | ||||
| Dividend earned on investments held in trust account | ||||
| Interest income | ||||
| Total other income | ||||
| Net income | $ | |||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | ||||
| Basic and diluted income per share, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ | |||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, non-redeemable Class A and Class B ordinary shares | ||||
| Basic and diluted net loss per share, non-redeemable Class A and Class B ordinary shares | $ | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-4
CHARLTON ARIA ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
| Ordinary Shares | Additional | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class A | Class B | Paid-in | Accumulated | Shareholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Deficit | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of March 22, 2024 (inception) | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| founder shares issued to initial shareholder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeiture of founder shares | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sale of private placement units | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fair value of rights included in public units | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of representative shares | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allocated
value of transaction costs to rights | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Initial measurement of carrying value to redemption value | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption value | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2024 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-5
CHARLTON ARIA ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
| For The Period From | ||||
| March 22, 2024 | ||||
| (Inception) Through | ||||
| December 31, 2024 | ||||
| Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||
| Net income | $ | |||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities | ||||
| Formation and operating cost paid by the sponsor | ||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | ||||
| Change in valuation of over-allotment liability | ( | ) | ||
| Dividend earned on investments held in trust account | ( | ) | ||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||
| Prepaid expenses | ( | ) | ||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||
| Due to related parties | ||||
| Net Cash Used in Operating Activities | ( | ) | ||
| Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||
| Purchase of investment held in trust account | ( | ) | ||
| Net Cash Used in investing Activities | ( | ) | ||
| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||
| Proceeds from public offering | ||||
| Proceeds from private placement | ||||
| Repayment of promissory note to related party | ( | ) | ||
| Payment of underwriter discount, net of reimbursement of offering costs from underwriter | ( | ) | ||
| Payment of offering costs | ( | ) | ||
| Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities | ||||
| Net Change in Cash | ||||
| Cash, beginning of period | ||||
| Cash, end of year | $ | |||
| Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information: | ||||
| Offering costs paid by shareholders in exchange for issuance of Class B ordinary shares | $ | |||
| Offering costs paid via promissory note - related party | $ | |||
| Initial adjustment of class A common shares to redeemable shares | $ | |||
| Deferred underwriting commission payable | $ | |||
| Initial measurement of carrying value to redemption value | $ | |||
| Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption value | $ | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-6
CHARLTON
ARIA ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 — Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern Consideration
Charlton
Aria Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on
March 22, 2024 as an exempted company with limited liability. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger,
share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination involving the
Company, with
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had not commenced any operations. For the period from , the Company’s efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to the initial public offering (the “IPO”). The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of an initial business combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of dividend and/or interest income from the proceeds derived from the IPO and private placement (“Private Placement”, see Note 4).
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placements Units (as defined below), although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating an initial business combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete an initial business combination successfully.
The Company’s founder and sponsor is ST Sponsor II Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through IPO and the Private Placement.
On
October 25, 2024, the Company consummated its initial public offering (the “IPO”) of
Simultaneously
with the consummation of the IPO and the sale of the Units, the Company consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”)
of
In
connection with the IPO, the underwriters were granted an option to purchase up to
In
connection with the offering of the Option Units and the sale of Additional Private Placement Units, the proceeds of $
F-7
Transaction
costs amounted to $
In
conjunction with the IPO, the Company issued to the underwriter
The
Company’s initial business combination must occur with
Upon
the closing of the IPO, management has agreed that at least $
The Company will have until April 25, 2026 (or
18 months from the consummation of the IPO) to consummate its initial business combination. If it anticipates that it may not be
able to consummate its initial business combination by then, it may, but is not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate
an initial business combination two times by an additional three months each time (until July 25, 2026 or October 25, 2026, or up
to 21 months or 24 months from the consummation of the IPO to complete an initial business combination), provided that the sponsor
and/or designees must deposit into the trust account for each three months extension, $
The Company will provide its public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of the initial business combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer.
The
ordinary shares subject to redemption accredited to the redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the
IPO, in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board’s (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480
“Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” The Company has determined not to consummate any initial business combination unless the
Company has net tangible assets of at least $
F-8
If the Company does not complete its initial business combination by
Combination Deadline, the Company will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably
possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to
the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously
released to the Company to pay taxes that were paid by the Company or are payable by the Company, if any (less up to $
The
sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products
sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality
or similar agreement or Business Combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $
Going Concern Consideration
As
of December 31, 2024, the Company had $
Risks and Uncertainties
As a result of the military action commenced in February 2022 by the Russian Federation and Belarus in the country of Ukraine and related economic sanctions, the Company’s ability to consummate an initial business combination, or the operations of a target business with which the Company ultimately consummates an initial business combination, may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, the Company’s ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by these events, including as a result of increased market volatility, or decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to the Company or at all. The impact of this action and related sanctions on the world economy and the specific impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and/or ability to consummate an initial business combination are not yet determinable. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
F-9
Note 2 — Significant accounting policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company Status
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended (the “JOBS Act”), and it 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, as amended, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (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 an election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has 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, the Company, 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 the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash
The Company considers all short-term investments
with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company has cash of $
Investments Held in Trust Account
As
of December 31, 2024, substantially all of the assets of $
F-10
Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A — Expenses of Offering. Deferred offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Initial Public Offering and were charged to shareholders’ equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial
instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution,
which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage (“FDIC”) of $
Net Income Per Share
The Company
complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC 260, Earnings Per Share. Net income per ordinary share is computed by
dividing net income by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding for the period. Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption
value of redeemable ordinary shares is excluded from income per share as the redemption value approximates fair value. As of December
31, 2024, the Company has not considered the effect of the
F-11
| For The Period From | ||||||||
| March 22, 2024 | ||||||||
| (Inception) Through | ||||||||
| December 31, 2024 | ||||||||
| Redeemable Class A | Non-Redeemable Class A and Class B | |||||||
| Ordinary Shares | Ordinary Shares | |||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per ordinary share: | ||||||||
| Numerators: | ||||||||
| Allocation of net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Denominators: | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per ordinary share | $ | $ | ||||||
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
The Company applies ASC 820, which establishes a framework for measuring fair value and clarifies the definition of fair value within that framework. ASC 820 defines fair value as an exit price, which is the price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the Company’s principal or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy established in ASC 820 generally requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the entity’s own assumptions based on market data and the entity’s judgments about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are to be developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.
| ● | Level 1 — Assets and liabilities with unadjusted, quoted prices listed on active market exchanges. Inputs to the fair value measurement are observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. |
| ● | Level 2 — Inputs to the fair value measurement are determined using prices for recently traded assets and liabilities with similar underlying terms, as well as direct or indirect observable inputs, such as interest rates and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals. |
| ● | Level 3 — Inputs to the fair value measurement are unobservable inputs, such as estimates, assumptions, and valuation techniques when little or no market data exists for the assets or liabilities. |
F-12
The following table presents information about the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on December 31, 2024 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value.
| December 31, 2024 | Carrying Value | Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Significant
Other Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | ||||||||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||||||||||
| Investments held in trust account | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
The rights were valued, using a calculation prepared by management which takes into consideration the probability of completion of the IPO, an implied probability of the completion of an initial business combination and a Discount for Lack of Marketability calculation. The rights are classified as Level 3 at the measurement date due to the use of unobservable inputs including the probability of an initial business combination, the probability of the initial public offering, and other risk factors.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The
Company evaluates its financial instrument to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded
derivatives in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. Derivative instruments are initially recorded
at fair value on the grant date and re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statement of operations.
The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated
at the end of each reporting period. Derivative assets and liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current
based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instruments could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet
date. The over-allotment option was deemed to be a freestanding financial instrument indexed on the contingently redeemable shares and
was considered nominal as of October 25, 2024. The fair value of the over-allotment liability as of December 31, 2024 was $
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
The
Company accounts for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480,
“Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (ASC 480). Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) will be
classified as a liability instrument and will be measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary
shares that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence
of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) will be classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary
shares will be classified as shareholders’ equity. In accordance with ASC 480-10-S99, the Company classifies the Class A
ordinary shares subject to redemption outside of permanent equity as the redemption provisions are not solely within the control of the
Company. Given that the
As of December 31, 2024, the Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption reflected in the balance sheet are reconciled in the following table:
| Gross Proceeds | $ | |||
| Less: | ||||
| Proceeds allocated to Public Rights | ( | ) | ||
| Proceeds allocated to over-allotment option | ( | ) | ||
| Redeemable Class A ordinary shares issuance cost | ( | ) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
| Initial measurement of carrying value to redemption value | ||||
| Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption value | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2024 | $ |
F-13
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740 Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.
ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition. Based on the Company’s evaluation, it has been concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions requiring recognition in the Company’s financial statements.
The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2024. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman Islands federal income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statements.
Stock-based compensation
The Company recognizes compensation costs resulting from the issuance of stock-based awards to directors and officers as an expense in the financial statement over the requisite service period based on a measurement of fair value for each stock-based award. The fair value is amortized as compensation cost on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards. The Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model includes various assumptions, including the fair market value of the estimated stock price of the Company, expected life of shares, the expected volatility and the expected risk-free interest rate, among others. These assumptions reflect the Company’s best estimates, but they involve inherent uncertainties based on market conditions generally outside the control of the Company.
Related parties
Parties, which can be a corporation or individual, are considered to be related if the Company has the ability, directly or indirectly, to control the other party or exercise significant influence over the other party in making financial and operational decisions. Companies are also considered to be related if they are subject to common control or common significant influence.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. The amendments in this ASU require disclosures, on an annual and interim basis, of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating officer decision maker (“CODM”), as well as the aggregate amount of other segment items included in the reported measure of segment profit or loss. The ASU requires that a public entity disclose the title and position of the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources. Public entities will be required to provide all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 in interim periods, and entities with a single reportable segment are required to provide all the disclosures required by the amendments in this ASU and existing segment disclosures in Topic 280. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this ASU for the year ended December 31, 2024 and there was no material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
F-14
Note 3 — Initial Public Offering
On
October 25, 2024, the Company sold
Note 4 — Private Placement
Simultaneously
with the closing of the IPO and the Option Units in part,
the sponsor purchased an aggregate of
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On April 23, 2024, the Company issued
On
September 11, 2024, the sponsor entered into a securities transfer agreement, pursuant to which the sponsor transferred
On
October 24, 2024, the effective date of the registration statement of the IPO, the sponsor transferred an aggregate of
The
Private Placement shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being sold in this offering.
However, the Company’s insiders have agreed, pursuant to written letter agreements with the Company, (A) to vote their
founder shares and Private Placement shares (as well as any public shares acquired in or after this offering) in favor of any
initial business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to the Company’s memorandum and
articles of association effective at the time that would stop the Company’s public shareholders from redeeming their shares
for cash or selling their founder shares and Private Placement shares to the Company in connection with an initial business
combination or affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem
F-15
The
insiders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the founder shares (except to certain permitted transferees) until
(1) with respect to
The Private Placement Units (including the underlying securities) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until the completion of the Company’s initial business combination (except to certain permitted transferees).
Due to related parties
On
June 14, 2024, the Company appointed Mr. Will Garner as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and a member of board of
directors of the Company. During his Term as a Chairman and CEO, he will receive annual cash compensation in the amount of $
As
of December 31, 2024, the Company had compensation expenses payable to Mr. Will Garner of $
On
May 25, 2024, the Company appointed Ms. Yuanmei Ma as Chief Financial Officer, in addition to her current position as a member of
the board of the directors. During her Term as Chief Financial Officer and a member of board of directors of the Company, she will receive
annual cash compensation in the amount of $
As
of December 31, 2024, the Company had compensation expenses payable to Ms. Yuanmei Ma of $
Promissory Note — Related Party
On
April 18, 2024, the sponsor has agreed to loan the Company up to $
Working Capital Loans
In
addition, in order to meet the Company’s working capital needs following the consummation of the initial public offering if
the funds not held in the trust account are insufficient, or to extend its life, its insiders, officers and directors or their
affiliates/designees may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount
they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid
upon consummation of the Company’s initial business combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to
$
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
F-16
Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, Private Placement Units (including securities contained therein) and Units (including securities contained therein) that may be issued on conversion of working capital loans or extension loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the Company’s completion of the Company’s initial business combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The
Company had granted the underwriter a
The
underwriter was entitled to a cash underwriting discounts and commissions of $
Additionally,
the underwriter will be entitled to a cash underwriting discounts and commissions of $
As
of December 31, 2024, deferred underwriting discounts and commissions amounted to $
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity
Preference
Share — The Company is authorized to issue
Class A
Ordinary Share — The Company is authorized to issue
Class B
Ordinary Share — The Company is authorized to issue
On
September 11, 2024, the sponsor transferred an aggregate of
F-17
On
October 24, 2024, the effective date of the registration statement of the IPO, the sponsor transferred an aggregate of
Prior to the Company’s initial business combination, pursuant to its second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, only holders of Class B ordinary shares, or founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors as long as the Company has Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding. In addition, prior to its initial business combination, only holders of a majority of our Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, holders of Class A ordinary shares may not have any say in selecting management of the Company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination as long as the Company has class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of the initial business combination at a one-to-one ratio.
Rights
As
of December 31, 2024, there were
Note 8 — Segment Information
ASC Topic 280, “Segment Reporting,” establishes standards for companies to report in their financial statement information about operating segments, products, services, geographic areas, and major customers. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is available that is regularly evaluated by the Company’s chief operating decision maker, or group, in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance.
The Company’s
chief operating decision maker has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer (“CODM”), who reviews the operating results
for the Company as a whole to make decisions about allocating resources and assessing financial performance. Accordingly, management has
determined that the Company only has
When evaluating the Company’s performance and making key decisions regarding resource allocation, the CODM reviews several key metrics, formation and operating costs, stock-based compensation expense, change in fair value of over-allotment option liability, interest income and dividend earned on investment held in Trust Account which include the accompanying statement of operations.
The key
measures of segment profit or loss reviewed by our CODM are dividend earned on investment held in Trust Account and formation and operating
costs. The CODM reviews dividend earned on investment held in Trust Account to measure and monitor shareholder value and determine the
most effective strategy of investment with the Trust Account funds while maintaining compliance with the trust agreement. Formation and
operating costs are reviewed and monitored by the CODM to manage and forecast cash to ensure enough capital is available to complete a
business combination within the business combination period. The CODM also reviews formation and operating costs to manage, maintain and
enforce all contractual agreements to ensure costs are aligned with all agreements and budget. The CODM also specifically reviews professional
service fees in connection with the business combination, which are a significant segment expense as these represent significant costs
affecting the Company’s consummation of the business combination. However, for the period from March 22, 2024 (inception) to the December
31, 2024, professional service fees in connection with the business combination amounted to $
Note 9 — Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date when these financial statements were issued. Based on this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would require adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
F-18
EXHIBIT INDEX
| * | Filed herewith |
| ** | Furnished herewith |
| *** | Schedules omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted schedule to the SEC upon request. |
| (1) | Filed as an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 28, 2024 (File No. 001-42386). |
| (2) | Filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on September 24, 2024 (File No. 333-282313). |
31
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
March 24, 2025
| CHARLTON ARIA ACQUISITION CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Robert W. Garner | |
| Name: Robert W. Garner | ||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | Position | Date | ||
| /s/ Robert W. Garner | Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief | March 24, 2025 | ||
| Robert W. Garner | Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ Yuanmei Ma | Director and Chief Financial Officer | March 24, 2025 | ||
| Yuanmei Ma | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |||
| /s/ Stephen Markscheid | Director | March 24, 2025 | ||
| Stephen Markscheid | ||||
| /s/ Umesh Patel | Director | March 24, 2025 | ||
| Umesh Patel | ||||
| /s/ Mark Chaney | Director | March 24, 2025 | ||
| Mark Chaney |
32
Exhibit 4.5
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
As of the date of this report on Form 10-K, Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation (“we,” “our,” “us” or the “Company”) had the following three classes of its securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): (i) Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share (“Class A ordinary shares”), (ii) rights, each right entitling the holder to receive one-fifth of one Class A ordinary share, and (iii) units, consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one right.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and our affairs are governed by our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we are authorized to issue 445,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 50,000,000 Class B Ordinary shares, as well as 5,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes the material terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one right. Each five rights entitles the holder thereof to receive one Class A ordinary share at the closing of the initial business combination.
The Class A ordinary shares and rights comprising the units began separate trading on November 26, 2024. Commencing on that date, holders have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and rights.
Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
Ordinary Shares
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Except as described below, holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares that are voted, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the Class B ordinary shares voted for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors.
Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our insider shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors (which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of our Class B ordinary shares). These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than 90% of our ordinary shareholders who attend and vote at our general meeting which shall include the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the holders of our Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our public shares are not entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the initial business combination. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our insider shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. In connection with our initial business combination, we may enter into a shareholder agreement or other arrangements with the shareholders of the target with respect to voting and other corporate governance matters following completion of the initial business combination.
Because our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 445,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we will be authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our insider shares. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our insider shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the Representative. The redemption rights include the requirement that a beneficial owner must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any insider shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, abstentions will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any general meeting.
2
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), are restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their insider shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all.
Pursuant to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest generated from the funds held in the Trust Account released to us to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any insider shares they hold if we fail to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the Trust Account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-issued and outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
3
Insider shares
The insider shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in our initial public offering, and holders of insider shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that: (a) the founder Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, (b) the insider shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (c) prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the insider shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of our insider shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason; (d) our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any insider shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Additionally, our sponsor has agreed to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to its insider shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. Except as described herein, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their insider shares until (1) with respect to 50% of the insider shares, the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and (2) with respect to the remaining 50% of the insider shares, six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor and our directors and executive officers with respect to any insider shares.
The insider shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination at an one-to-one ratio.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our insider shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our insider shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than 90% of our ordinary shareholders who attend and vote at our general meeting which shall include the affirmative vote of a simple majority of our holders of Class B ordinary shares. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our insider shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:
| ● | the names and addresses of the members, together with a statement of the shares held by each member and such statement shall confirm (i) the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid on the shares of each member, (ii) the number and category of shares held by each member, and (iii) whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the articles of association of the company, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional; |
4
| ● | the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and |
| ● | the date on which any person ceased to be a member. |
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e., the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of our initial public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preference Shares
Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 5,000,000 preference shares and provide that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors is authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors is able to, without shareholder approval, issue preference shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preference shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preference shares issued and outstanding at the date hereof.
Rights
Except in cases where we are not the surviving company in a business combination, each holder of a right will automatically receive one-fifth (1/5) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination, even if the holder of a public right redeemed all ordinary shares held by him, her or it in connection with the initial business combination or an amendment to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association with respect to our pre-business combination activities. In the event we will not be the surviving company upon completion of our initial business combination, each registered holder of a right will be required to affirmatively redeem his, her or its rights in order to receive the kind and amount of securities or properties of the surviving entity that each one-fifth (1/5) of a Class A ordinary share underlying each right is entitled to upon consummation of the business combination. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive his, her or its additional ordinary shares upon consummation of an initial business combination. The shares issuable upon exchange of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of ours). If we enter into a definitive agreement for a business combination in which we will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the ordinary shares will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into ordinary shares basis.
We will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act and any other applicable law. As a result, you must hold rights in multiples of 5 in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination. If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from our assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless. Additionally, in no event will we be required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
The Company shall reserve such amount of its profits or share premium in order to pay up the par value of each share issuable in respect of the rights.
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Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition after completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends after our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with a business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Right Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares and right agent for our rights is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and right agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any claims and losses due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and similar arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction) so as to form a single surviving company.
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of two-thirds of the voting shares voted at a general meeting) of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; and (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.
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Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidation is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows: (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement that generally will be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by (a) 75% in value of the shareholders or class of shareholders, as the case may be, or (b) a majority in number representing 75% in value of the creditors or each class of creditors, as the case may be, with whom the arrangement is to be made, that are, in each case, present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
| ● | the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been complied with; |
| ● | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class; |
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| ● | the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and |
| ● | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act. |
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations.
Squeeze-out provisions. The Companies Act also contains a statutory power of compulsory acquisition which may facilitate the “squeeze out” of dissentient minority shareholder upon a tender offer. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares to the offeror on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements of an operating business.
Shareholders’ suits. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected to apply and follow common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) that permit a minority shareholder to commence a class action against the company or a derivative action in the name of the company to challenge certain acts, including the following:
| ● | a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; |
| ● | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be only effected if duly authorized by more than a simple majority vote that has not been obtained; or |
| ● | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
Enforcement of civil liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a less prescriptive body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.
There is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.
Although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), a judgment obtained in such jurisdiction will be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any reexamination of the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment (i) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction, (ii) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given, (iii) is final, (iv) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty, and (v) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands. However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities law if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are penal or punitive in nature. A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
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Special considerations for exempted companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
| ● | an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies; |
| ● | an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection; |
| ● | an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
| ● | an exempted company may issue shares with no par value; |
| ● | an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 30 years in the first instance); |
| ● | an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
| ● | an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and |
| ● | an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Second amended and restated memorandum and Articles of Association
Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections relating to our initial public offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution under Cayman Islands law. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either (i) the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders entitled to vote and so voting at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Other than as described above, our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.
Our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees, if any, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of our initial public offering (not including the private placement shares and assuming they do not purchase any units in our initial public offering), will participate in any vote to amend our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that:
| ● | If we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes that were paid by us or are payable by us, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest generated from the funds held in the Trust Account released to us to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
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| ● | Prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the Trust Account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on our initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) or (y) amend the foregoing provisions; |
| ● | Although we currently do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
| ● | If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will initiates any tender offer pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; |
| ● | So long as our securities are then listed on Nasdaq, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
| ● | If our shareholders approve an amendment to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein; and |
| ● | We will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
In addition, our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001.
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The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution which requires the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of such company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting or by way of unanimous written resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our initial public offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Anti-money Laundering — Cayman Islands
If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money laundering or is involved with terrorism or terrorist financing and property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association
Our authorized but unissued ordinary shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved ordinary shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Listing of Securities
Our units, Class A ordinary shares, and rights are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “CHARU”, “CHAR”, “CHARR”, respectively.
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Exhibit 19.1
INSIDER TRADING POLICY
Effective: January 10, 2025
In the course of conducting the business of Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”), you will come into possession of material information about the Company or other entities that is not available to the investing public (“material nonpublic information”). You have a legal and ethical obligation to maintain the confidentiality of material nonpublic information. In addition, it is illegal and a violation of Company policy to purchase or sell securities of the Company or any other entity while you are in possession of material nonpublic information about the Company or that other entity. The Company’s Board of Directors has adopted this Insider Trading Policy (the “Policy”) in order to ensure compliance with the law and to avoid even the appearance of improper conduct by anyone associated with the Company. We have all worked hard to establish the Company’s reputation for integrity and ethical conduct, and we are all responsible for preserving and enhancing this reputation.
Scope of Coverage
The restrictions set forth in this Policy apply to all Company officers, directors, employees, wherever located, and to their spouses, minor children, adult family members sharing the same household and any other person or entity over whom the officer, director, employee exercises substantial influence or control over his, her or its securities trading decisions. This Policy also applies to any trust or other estate in which an officer, director or employee has a substantial beneficial interest or as to which he or she serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity. The Company may also determine that other persons should be subject to this Policy, who have access to material nonpublic information.
This Policy applies to transactions in ordinary shares, units, preferred stock, bonds and other debt securities, options to purchase ordinary shares, convertible debentures and warrants, as well as derivative securities that are not issued by the Company, such as exchange-traded put or call options or swaps relating to the Company’s securities.
To avoid even the appearance of impropriety, additional restrictions on trading Company securities apply to directors, officers, and the employees of the Company who have access to material nonpublic information about the Company, listed on Appendix A, to be updated by the Company from time to time at the discretion of the Compliance Officer (as defined below). These policies are set forth in the Company’s Addendum to Insider Trading Policy (the “Addendum”). The Addendum generally prohibits those covered by it from trading in Company securities during blackout periods, and requires pre-clearance for all transactions in Company securities, and could apply to any potential public or private target of the Company. Depending on the facts and circumstances, any information related to a potential business combination by the Company is likely to be material.
Individual Responsibility
Persons subject to this Policy are individually responsible for complying with this Policy and ensuring the compliance of any family member, household member or entity whose transactions are subject to this Policy. Accordingly, you should make your family and household members aware of the need to confer with you before they trade in Company securities, and you should treat all such transactions for the purposes of this Policy and applicable securities laws as if the transactions were for your own account. In all cases, the responsibility for determining whether an individual is in possession of material nonpublic information rests with that individual, and any action on the part of the Company or any other employee pursuant to this Policy (or otherwise) does not in any way constitute legal advice or insulate an individual from liability under applicable securities laws.
Material Nonpublic Information
What is Material Information? Under Company policy and United States laws, information is material if:
| ● | there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider the information important in determining whether to trade in a security; or |
| ● | the information, if made public, likely would affect the market price of a company’s securities. |
Information may be material even if it relates to future, speculative or contingent events and even if it is significant only when considered in combination with publicly available information. Material information can be positive or negative. Nonpublic information can be material even with respect to companies that do not have publicly traded stock, such as those with outstanding bonds or bank loans. When in doubt about whether particular nonpublic information is material, you should presume it is material. If you are unsure whether information is material, you should either consult the Compliance Officer before making any decision to disclose such information (other than to persons who need to know it) or to purchase, sell, trade in or recommend securities to which that information relates or assume that the information is material.
What is Nonpublic Information? Information is considered to be nonpublic unless it has been adequately disclosed to the public, which means that the information must be publicly disseminated and sufficient time must have passed for the securities markets to digest the information.
It is important to note that information is not necessarily public merely because it has been discussed in the press, which will sometimes report rumors. You should presume that information is nonpublic unless you can point to its official release by the Company in at least one of the following ways:
| ● | public filings with securities regulatory authorities; |
| ● | issuance of press releases; |
| ● | meetings with members of the press and the public; or |
| ● | information contained in proxy statements and prospectuses. |
You may not attempt to “beat the market” by trading simultaneously with, or shortly after, the official release of material information. Although there is no fixed period for how long it takes the market to absorb information, out of prudence a person in possession of material nonpublic information should refrain from any trading activity for two full trading days following its official release. If you are not sure whether information is considered public, you should either consult with the Compliance Officer or assume that the information is nonpublic and treat it as confidential.
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Twenty-Twenty Hindsight. If securities transactions ever become the subject of scrutiny, they are likely to be viewed after-the-fact with the benefit of hindsight. As a result, before engaging in any transaction you should carefully consider how the transaction may be construed in the bright light of hindsight. If you have any questions or uncertainties about this Policy or a proposed transaction, please ask such compliance personnel as shall be designated from time to time by the Company (“Compliance Officer”).
“Tipping” Material Nonpublic Information Is Prohibited
In addition to trading while in possession of material nonpublic information, it is also illegal and a violation of the Policy to convey such information to another (“tipping”) if you know or have reason to believe that the person will misuse such information by trading in securities or passing such information to others who will trade. This applies regardless of whether the “tippee” is related to the insider or is an entity, such as a trust or a corporation, and regardless of whether you receive any monetary benefit from the tippee.
Gifts of Securities
Bona fide gifts of securities are subject to the pre-clearance requirements described in the Addendum.
Safeguarding Confidential Information
If material information relating to the Company or its business has not been disclosed to the general public, such information must be kept in strict confidence and should be discussed only with persons who have a “need to know” the information for a legitimate business purpose. The utmost care and circumspection must be exercised at all times in order to protect the Company’s confidential information. The following practices should be followed to help prevent the misuse of confidential information:
| ● | Avoid discussing confidential information with colleagues in places where you may be overheard by people who do not have a valid need to know such information, such as on elevators, in restaurants and on airplanes. |
| ● | Take great care when discussing confidential information on speaker phones or on cellular phones in locations where you may be overheard. Do not discuss such information with relatives or social acquaintances. |
| ● | Do not give your computer IDs and passwords to any other person. Password protect computers and log off when they are not in use. |
| ● | Always put confidential documents away when not in use and, based upon the sensitivity of the material, keep such documents in a locked desk or office. Do not leave documents containing confidential information where they may be seen by persons who do not have a need to know the content of the documents. |
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| ● | Be aware that the Internet and other external electronic mail carriers are not secure environments for the transmission of confidential information. If available, use Company-authorized encryption software to protect confidential electronic communications. |
| ● | Comply with the specific terms of any confidentiality agreements of which you are aware. |
| ● | Upon termination of your employment, you must return to the Company all physical and electronic copies of confidential information as well as all other material embodied in any physical or electronic form that is based on or derived from such information, without retaining any copies. |
You may not bring the confidential information of any former employer to the Company.
Responding to Requests for Information
You may find yourself the recipient of questions concerning various activities of the Company. Such inquiries can come from the media, securities analysts and others regarding the Company’s business, rumors, trading activity, current and future prospects and plans, acquisition activities and other similar important information. Under no circumstances should you attempt to handle these inquiries without prior authorization. Only Company individuals specifically authorized to do so may answer questions about or disclose information concerning the Company.
| ● | Refer requests for information regarding the Company from the financial community, such as securities analysts, brokers or investors, to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. |
| ● | Refer requests for information from the Securities Exchange Commission or other regulators to Compliance Officer. |
Reporting Violations/Seeking Advice
The Company has appointed Chief Financial Officer as the Compliance Officer for this Policy; provided that Chief Executive Officer of the Company will serve as Compliance Officer in respect of any proposed trading by Chief Financial Officer or his or her immediate family members.
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Reporting Violations/Seeking Advice
You should refer suspected violations of this Policy to Compliance Officer. Compliance Officer may be reached via email at cfo@charltonaria.com. In addition, if you:
| ● | receive material nonpublic information that you are not authorized to receive or that you do not legitimately need to know to perform your employment responsibilities, or |
| ● | receive confidential information and are unsure if it is within the definition of material nonpublic information or whether its release might be contrary to a fiduciary or other duty or obligation, |
you should not share it with anyone. To seek advice about what to do under those circumstances, you should contact Compliance Officer. Consulting your colleagues can have the effect of exacerbating the problem. Containment of the information, until the legal implications of possessing it are determined, is critical.
Post-Termination Transactions
This Policy and the Addendum continue to apply to transactions in Company’s securities even after termination of service with the Company. If an individual is in possession of material nonpublic information when his or her service terminates, that individual may not trade in Company’s securities until that information has become public or is no longer material. The pre-clearance procedures specified in the Addendum, however, will cease to apply to transactions in Company securities upon the expiration of any blackout period or other Company-imposed trading restrictions applicable at the time of the termination of service.
Penalties for Violations of the Insider Trading Policy and Laws
In the United States and many other countries, the personal consequences to you of illegal insider trading can be severe. In addition to injunctive relief, disgorgement, and other ancillary remedies, U.S. law empowers the government to seek significant civil penalties against persons found liable of insider trading, including as tippers or tippees. The amount of a penalty could total three times the profits made or losses avoided. All those who violate U.S. insider trading laws, including tippers, tippees and remote tippees could be subject to the maximum penalty. The maximum penalty may be assessed even against tippers for the profits made or losses avoided by all direct and remote tippees. Further, civil penalties of the greater of $1 million or three times the profits made or losses avoided can be imposed on any person who “controls” a person who engages in illegal insider trading.
Criminal penalties may also be assessed for insider trading. Any person who “willfully” violates any provision of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (or rule promulgated thereunder) may be fined up to $5 million ($25 million for entities) and/or imprisoned for up to twenty years. Subject to applicable law, Company employees who violate this Policy may also be subject to discipline by the Company, up to and including termination of employment, even if the country or jurisdiction where the conduct took place does not regard it as illegal. Needless to say, a violation of law, or even an SEC investigation that does not result in prosecution, can tarnish a person’s reputation and irreparably damage a career.
If you are located or engaged in dealings outside the U.S., be aware that laws regarding insider trading and similar offenses differ from country to country. Employees must abide by the laws in the country where located. However, you are required to comply with this Policy even if local law is less restrictive. If a local law conflicts with the Policy, you must consult Compliance Officer.
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CHARLTON ARIA ACQUISITION CORPORATION
ADDENDUM TO
INSIDER TRADING POLICY
INTRODUCTION
This Addendum explains requirements and procedures of the Insider Trading Policy (the “Policy”) of Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”), which apply to all directors and officers, employees, of the Company, who have access to material nonpublic information about the Company, listed on Appendix A, to be updated by the Company from time to time at the discretion of the Compliance Officer (collectively, “Covered Persons”), and is in addition to and supplements the Company’s Policy. Please note that this Policy applies to all Company securities which you hold or may acquire in the future.
Please read this Addendum carefully. When you have completed your review, please sign the attached acknowledgment form and return it to Compliance Officer.
PRE-CLEARANCE PROCEDURES
Any Covered Persons subject to this Addendum, and their spouses, minor children, adult family members sharing the same household, and any other person or entity over whom the individual exercises substantial influence or control over his, her or its securities trading decisions (collectively, “Family Members”), may not engage in any transaction involving the Company’s securities (including the exercise of stock options, gifts, loans, contributions to a trust, or any other transfers) without first obtaining pre-clearance of the transaction from Compliance Officer and the Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Chairman”). Each proposed transaction will be evaluated to determine if it raises insider trading concerns or other concerns under federal laws and regulations. Any advice will relate solely to the restraints imposed by law and will not constitute advice regarding the investment aspects of any transaction. Clearance of a transaction is valid only for a 48-hour period. If the transaction order is not placed within that 48-hour period, clearance of the transaction must be re-requested. If clearance is denied, the fact of such denial must be kept confidential by the person requesting such clearance.
When a request for pre-clearance is made, the requestor should carefully consider whether he or she may be aware of any material nonpublic information about the Company, and should describe fully those circumstances to Compliance Officer and the Chairman. The requestor should also indicate whether he or she has effected any non-exempt “opposite-way” transactions within the past six months, and should be prepared to report the proposed transaction on an appropriate Form 4 or Form 5, as applicable, and, in certain cases, Schedules 13D and 13G. The requestor should also be prepared to comply with Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and file Form 144, if necessary, at the time of any sale.
From time to time, an event may occur that is material to the Company and is known by only a few directors, officers, and/or other Covered Persons. The existence of an event-specific blackout will not be announced. If, however, a person whose trades are subject to pre-clearance requests permission to trade in the Company’s securities during an event-specific blackout, Compliance Officer will inform the requesting person of the existence of a blackout period, without disclosing the reason for the blackout. Any person made aware of the existence of an event-specific blackout should not disclose the existence of the blackout to any other person.
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REPORTING AND FORM FILING REQUIREMENTS
Under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), certain individuals (such as officers, directors, and those that hold more than 10% of any class of a company’s securities, collectively, “insiders”) must file forms with the SEC when they engage in certain transactions involving the Company’s equity securities. In this context, in addition to basic traditional equity interests such as common stock, “equity securities” of the Company also include any securities that are exchangeable for or convertible into, or that derive their value from, an equity security of the Company. These other securities are known as derivative securities, and include warrants, options, convertible securities, and stock appreciation rights.
Family Holdings
Insiders are presumed to beneficially own securities held by any member of the insider’s immediate family sharing such insider’s household. As a result, insiders must report all holdings and transactions by immediate family members living in such insider’s household. For this purpose, “immediate family” includes a spouse, children, stepchildren, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, stepparents, siblings, and in-laws, and also includes adoptive relationships.
Each Covered Person shall consult your individual legal counsel any questions concerning whether a particular transaction will necessitate filing of one of these Forms, or how or when they should be completed. The Company must disclose in its Annual Report on Form 10-K and in its Proxy Statement any delinquent filings of Forms 3, 4 or 5 by insiders, and must post on its website, by the end of the business day after filing with the SEC, any Forms 3, 4 and 5 relating to the Company’s securities.
SHORT-SWING TRADING PROFITS AND SHORT SALES
Short-Swing Trading Profits
In order to discourage insiders from profiting through short-term trading transactions in equity securities of the Company, Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act requires that any “short-swing profits” be disgorged to the Company. (This is in addition to the Form reporting requirements described above.)
“Short-swing profits” are profits that result from any purchase and sale, or sale and purchase of the Company’s equity securities within a six-month period, unless there is an applicable exemption for either transaction. It is important to note that this rule applies to any matched transactions in the Company’s securities (including derivative securities), not only a purchase and sale or sale and purchase of the same shares, or even of the same class of securities. Furthermore, pursuant to the SEC’s rules, profit is determined so as to maximize the amount that the insider must disgorge, and this amount may not be offset by any losses realized. “Short-swing profits” may exceed economic profits.
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PENALTIES FOR VIOLATING THE SECURITIES LAWS AND COMPANY POLICY
The seriousness of securities law violations is reflected in the penalties such violations carry. A director’s resignation may be sought, or an officer will be subject to possible Company disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. In addition, both the Company itself and individual Covered Persons may be subjected to both criminal and civil liability. These violations may also create negative publicity for the Company.
QUESTIONS
Because of the technical nature of some aspects of the federal securities laws, all Directors and Officers should review this material carefully and contact Compliance Officer if at any time (i) you have questions about this Policy or its application to a particular situation; or (ii) you plan to trade in the Company’s securities, but are unsure as to whether the transaction might be in conflict with the securities laws and/or this Policy.
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FORM OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND CERTIFICATION
The undersigned does hereby acknowledge receipt of Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation Insider Trading Policy. The undersigned has read and understands such Policy and agrees to be governed by such Policy at all times in connection with the purchase and sale of securities and the confidentiality of nonpublic information.
| ___________________ | |
| (Signature) | |
| ___________________ | |
| (Please print name) | |
| Date: ____________ |
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APPENDIX A
LIST OF COVERED PERSONS
| Name | Title/Department |
| Will Garner | CEO, Chairman, Director |
| Yuanmei Ma | CFO, Director |
| Stephen Markscheid | Director |
| Umesh Patel | Director |
| Mark Chaney | Director |
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EXHIBIT 31.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a)
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Robert W. Garner, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 of Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have: |
| a. | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b. | [Paragraph omitted pursuant to SEC Release Nos. 33-8238/34-47986 and 33-8392/34-49313]; |
| c. | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
| d. | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| a. | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| b. | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting. |
Date: March 24, 2025
| By: | /s/ Robert W. Garner | |
| Robert W. Garner | ||
| Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||
| (Principal Executive Officer) |
EXHIBIT 31.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a)
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Yuanmei Ma, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 of Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have: |
| a. | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b. | [Paragraph omitted pursuant to SEC Release Nos. 33-8238/34-47986 and 33-8392/34-49313]; |
| c. | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
| d. | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| a. | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| b. | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting. |
Date: March 24, 2025
| By: | /s/ Yuanmei Ma | |
| Yuanmei Ma | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | ||
| (Principal Financial and Accounting | ||
| Officer) |
EXHIBIT 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Annual Report of Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Robert W. Garner, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that, to my knowledge:
| (1) | the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and |
| (2) | the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
Date: March 24, 2025
| /s/ Robert W. Garner | |
| Name: Robert W. Garner | |
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | |
| (Principal Executive Officer) |
EXHIBIT 32.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Annual Report of Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Yuanmei Ma, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that, to my knowledge:
| (1) | the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and |
| (2) | the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
Date: March 24, 2025
| /s/ Yuanmei Ma | |
| Name: Yuanmei Ma | |
| Title: Chief Financial Officer | |
| (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
Exhibit 97.1
CHARLTON ARIA ACQUISITION CORPORATION
CLAWBACK POLICY
OVERVIEW
In accordance with the applicable rules (the “Nasdaq Rules”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”), Section 10D and Rule 10D-1 (“Rule 10D-1”) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) has adopted this Policy (the “Policy”) to provide for the recovery of Erroneously Awarded Incentive-based Compensation (as defined herein) from Executive Officers (as defined herein).
RECOVERY OF ERRONEOUSLY AWARDED COMPENSATION
Recovery Process
In the event of an Accounting Restatement (as defined herein), the Company will reasonably promptly recover the Erroneously Awarded Compensation Received in accordance with Nasdaq Rules and Rule 10D-1 as follows:
| 1. | After an Accounting Restatement, the Compensation Committee (if composed entirely of independent directors, or in the absence of such a committee, a majority of independent directors serving on the Board) (the “Committee”) shall determine the amount of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation Received by each Executive Officer and shall promptly notify each Executive Officer with a written notice containing the amount of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation and a demand for repayment or return of such compensation, as applicable. |
| (a) | For Incentive-based Compensation based on (or derived from) the Company’s share price or total shareholder return, where the amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation is not subject to mathematical recalculation directly from the information in the applicable Accounting Restatement: |
| i. | The amount to be repaid or returned shall be determined by the Committee based on a reasonable estimate of the effect of the Accounting Restatement on the Company’s share price or total shareholder return upon which the Incentive-based Compensation was Received; and |
| ii. | The Company shall maintain documentation of the determination of such reasonable estimate and provide the relevant documentation as required to Nasdaq. |
| 2. | The Committee shall have discretion to determine the appropriate means of recovering Erroneously Awarded Compensation based on the particular facts and circumstances. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as set forth in “ Limited Exception” below, in no event may the Company accept an amount that is less than the amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation in satisfaction of an Executive Officer’s obligations hereunder. |
| 3. | To the extent that the Executive Officer has already reimbursed the Company for any Erroneously Awarded Compensation Received under any duplicative recovery obligations established by the Company or applicable law, it shall be appropriate for any such reimbursed amount to be credited to the amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation that is subject to recovery under this Policy. |
| 4. | To the extent that an Executive Officer fails to repay all Erroneously Awarded Compensation to the Company when due, the Company shall take all actions reasonable and appropriate to recover such Erroneously Awarded Compensation from the applicable Executive Officer. The applicable Executive Officer shall be required to reimburse the Company for any and all expenses reasonably incurred (including legal fees) by the Company in recovering such Erroneously Awarded Compensation in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence. |
Limited Exception
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be required to take the actions as set forth in “Recovery Process” above if the Committee determines that recovery would be impracticable and any of the following two conditions are met:
| 1. | The Committee has determined that the direct expenses paid to a third party to assist in enforcing the Policy would exceed the amount to be recovered. Before making this determination, the Company must make a reasonable attempt to recover the Erroneously Awarded Compensation, documented such attempt(s) and provided such documentation to Nasdaq; |
| 2. | Recovery would violate home country law where that law was adopted prior to November 28, 2022, provided that, before determining that it would be impracticable to recover any amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation based on violation of home country law, the Company has obtained an opinion of home country counsel, acceptable to Nasdaq, that recovery would result in such a violation and a copy of the opinion is provided to Nasdaq; or |
DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS
The Company shall file all disclosures with respect to this Policy required by applicable U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings and rules.
PROHIBITION OF INDEMNIFICATION
The Company shall not be permitted to insure or indemnify any Executive Officer against (i) the loss of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation that is repaid, returned or recovered pursuant to the terms of this Policy, or (ii) any claims relating to the Company’s enforcement of its rights under this Policy. Further, the Company shall not enter into any agreement that exempts any Incentive-based Compensation that is granted, paid or awarded to an Executive Officer from the application of this Policy or that waives the Company’s right to recovery of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation, and this Policy shall supersede any such agreement (whether entered into before, on or after the Effective Date of this Policy).
ADMINISTRATION AND INTERPRETATION
This Policy shall be administered by the Committee, and any determinations made by the Committee shall be final and binding on all affected individuals.
The Committee is authorized to interpret and construe this Policy and to make all determinations necessary, appropriate, or advisable for the administration of this Policy and for the Company’s compliance with Nasdaq Rules, Section 10D, Rule 10D-1 and any other applicable law, regulation, rule or interpretation of the SEC or Nasdaq promulgated or issued in connection therewith.
AMENDMENT; TERMINATION
The Committee may amend this Policy from time to time in its discretion and shall amend this Policy as it deems necessary. Notwithstanding anything in this paragraph to the contrary, no amendment or termination of this Policy shall be effective if such amendment or termination would (after taking into account any actions taken by the Company contemporaneously with such amendment or termination) cause the Company to violate any federal securities laws, SEC rule or Nasdaq rule.
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OTHER RECOVERY RIGHTS
This Policy shall be binding and enforceable against all Executive Officers and, to the extent required by applicable law or guidance from the SEC or Nasdaq, their beneficiaries, heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives. The Committee intends that this Policy will be applied to the fullest extent required by applicable law. Any employment agreement, equity award agreement, compensatory plan or any other agreement or arrangement with an Executive Officer shall be deemed to include, as a condition to the grant of any benefit thereunder, an agreement by the Executive Officer to abide by the terms of this Policy. Any right of recovery under this Policy is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other remedies or rights of recovery that may be available to the Company under applicable law, regulation or rule or pursuant to the terms of any policy of the Company or any provision in any employment agreement, equity award agreement, compensatory plan, agreement or other arrangement.
DEFINITIONS
For purposes of this Policy, the following capitalized terms shall have the meanings set forth below.
“Accounting Restatement” means an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, including any required accounting restatement to correct an error in previously issued financial statements that is material to the previously issued financial statements (a “Big R” restatement), or to correct errors that are not material to previously issued financial statements but would result in a material misstatement if (a) the errors were left uncorrected in the current report or (b) the error correction was recognized in the current period (a “little r” restatement). For the avoidance of doubt, an out-of-period of adjustment (i.e., when the error is immaterial to the previously issued financial statements and the correction of the error is also immaterial to the current period) does not trigger a compensation recovery under this Policy because it is not an “accounting restatement.”
“Clawback Eligible Incentive Compensation” means all Incentive-based Compensation Received by an Executive Officer (i) on or after October 2, 2023, the effective date of the applicable Nasdaq Rules, (ii) after beginning service as an Executive Officer, (iii) who served as an Executive Officer at any time during the applicable performance period relating to any Incentive-based Compensation (whether or not such Executive Officer is serving at the time the Erroneously Awarded Compensation is required to be repaid to the Company), (iv) while the Company has a class of securities listed on a national securities exchange or a national securities association, and (v) during the applicable Clawback Period (as defined herein).
“Clawback Period” means, with respect to any Accounting Restatement, the three completed fiscal years of the Company immediately preceding the Restatement Date (as defined herein), and if the Company changes its fiscal year, any transition period of less than nine months within or immediately following those three completed fiscal years.
“Erroneously Awarded Compensation” means, with respect to each Executive Officer in connection with an Accounting Restatement, the amount of Clawback Eligible Incentive Compensation that exceeds the amount of Incentive-based Compensation that otherwise would have been Received had it been determined based on the restated amounts, computed without regard to any taxes paid. For an example of the calculation, see Footnotes 235 and 237 of SEC Release No. 33- 11126 (https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/2022/33-11126.pdf). For further guidance on the calculation, see text accompanying Footnotes 243 and 244 of SEC Release No. 33-11126 regarding cash awards, pool plans and equity awards.
“Executive Officer” means each individual who is currently or was previously designated as an “officer” of the Company as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act. For the avoidance of doubt, the identification of an Executive Officer for purposes of this Policy shall include each executive officer who is or was identified pursuant to Item 401(b) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act or Item 6.A of Form 20-F, as applicable, as well as the principal financial officer and principal accounting officer (or, if there is no principal accounting officer, the controller).
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“Financial Reporting Measures” means measures that are determined and presented in accordance with the accounting principles used in preparing the Company’s financial statements, and all other measures that are derived wholly or in part from such measures. Share price and total shareholder return (and any measures that are derived wholly or in part from share price or total shareholder return) shall, for purposes of this Policy, be considered Financial Reporting Measures. For the avoidance of doubt, a Financial Reporting Measure need not be presented in the Company’s financial statements or included in a periodic or other filing with the SEC.
“Incentive-based Compensation” means any compensation that is granted, earned or vested based wholly or in part upon the attainment of a Financial Reporting Measure.
“Received” means, with respect to any Incentive-based Compensation, actual or deemed receipt, and Incentive-based Compensation shall be deemed received in the Company’s fiscal period during which the Financial Reporting Measure specified in the Incentive-based Compensation award is attained, even if the payment or grant of the Incentive-based Compensation to the Executive Officer occurs after the end of that period.
“Restatement Date” means the earlier to occur of (i) the date the Board, a committee of the Board or the officers of the Company authorized to take such action if Board action is not required, conclude(s), or reasonably should have concluded, that the Company is required to prepare an Accounting Restatement, or (ii) the date a court, regulator or other legally authorized body directs the Company to prepare an Accounting Restatement.
Effective as of October 24, 2024.
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Exhibit A
ATTESTATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CLAWBACK POLICY
By my signature below, I acknowledge and agree that:
| ● | I have received and read the attached Clawback Policy (the “Policy”). |
| ● | I hereby agree to abide by all of the terms of this Policy both during and after my employment with Charlton Aria Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”), including, without limitation, by promptly repaying or returning any Erroneously Awarded Compensation (as defined in the Policy) to the Company as determined in accordance with the Policy. |
| Signature: | |
| Printed Name: | |
| Date: |