Vertical Aerospace Ltd 6-K, filed Sep 5, 2025
Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (EVTL)
About this 6-K
Vertical Aerospace Ltd filed this 6-K on September 5, 2025.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13A-16 OR 15D-16
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of September 2025
Commission File Number: 001-41169
Vertical Aerospace Ltd.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Unit 1 Camwal Court, Chapel Street
Bristol BS2 0UW
United Kingdom
(Address of principal executive office)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F x Form 40-F ¨
EXPLANATORY NOTE
On September 5, 2025, Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (the “Company”) entered into an Open Market Sale Agreementsm (the “Sales Agreement”) with Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), pursuant to which the Company may issue and sell its ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $100,000,000, from time to time to or through Jefferies, acting as sales agent, in an “at the market” equity offering program (the “Offering Program”). The Ordinary Shares to be sold pursuant to the Sales Agreement, if any, will be issued pursuant to the Company’s registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-287207) and related prospectus supplement to be filed on September 5, 2025 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Under the Sales Agreement, the Company will set the parameters for each sale of Ordinary Shares, including the total sales price of Ordinary Shares to be issued, the dates on which such sales are anticipated to be made and any minimum price below which sales may not be made. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Sales Agreement, Jefferies will use commercially reasonable efforts to sell the Ordinary Shares by methods deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Company has no obligation to sell any of the Ordinary Shares, and Jefferies is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of the Ordinary Shares. The Company may instruct Jefferies not to sell the Ordinary Shares if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by the Company from time to time and the Company may at any time suspend sales pursuant to the Sales Agreement. The Company will pay Jefferies a commission of up to 3.0% of the gross sales proceeds of any Ordinary Shares sold through Jefferies under the Sales Agreement. The Company made certain customary representations, warranties and covenants concerning the Company and its Ordinary Shares in the Sales Agreement and also provided Jefferies with customary indemnification and contribution rights. The offering of Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Sales Agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all Ordinary Shares subject to the Sales Agreement and (ii) the termination of the Sales Agreement as permitted therein.
The foregoing description of the material terms of the Sales Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Sales Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Report on Form 6-K.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds from any issuances through the Offering Program to fund its research and development expenses as the Company continues to develop its aircraft and expenditures in the expansion of its testing and certification capacities, as well as for general working capital and other general corporate purposes.
Walkers (Cayman) LLP, Cayman Islands counsel to the Company, has issued a legal opinion regarding the validity of the Ordinary Shares to be issued and sold pursuant to the Sales Agreement. A copy of the opinion, including the consent included therein, is filed as Exhibit 5.1 to this Report on Form 6-K.
This Report on Form 6-K shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy the securities discussed herein, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The information included in this Report on Form 6-K (including Exhibits 1.1, 5.1 and 23.1) is hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-287270) (including any prospectuses forming a part of such registration statements) and to be a part thereof from the date on which this Report on Form 6-K is filed, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished.
The information included in this Report on Form 6-K (excluding Exhibits 1.1, 5.1 and 23.1) is hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s Registration Statements on Form F-3 (File No. 333-270756 and File No. 333-284763) (including any prospectuses forming a part of such registration statements) and to be a part thereof from the date on which this Report on Form 6-K is filed, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished.
EXHIBIT INDEX
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Vertical Aerospace Ltd. | ||
| Date: September 5, 2025 | By: | /s/ Stuart Simpson |
| Stuart Simpson | ||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
Exhibit 1.1
OPEN MARKET SALE AGREEMENTSM
September 5, 2025
JEFFERIES LLC
520 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Vertical Aerospace Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell from time to time through Jefferies LLC, as sales agent and/or principal (the “Agent”), its ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $100,000,000 on the terms set forth in this agreement (this “Agreement”).
Section 1. DEFINITIONS
(a) Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the following respective meanings:
“Affiliate” of a Person means another Person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such first- mentioned Person. The term “control” (including the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” and “under common control with”) means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
“Agency Period” means the period commencing on the date of this Agreement and expiring on the earliest to occur of (x) the date on which the Agent shall have placed the Maximum Program Amount pursuant to this Agreement and (y) the date this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 7.
“Commission” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
“Floor Price” means the minimum price set by the Company in the Issuance Notice below which the Agent shall not sell Shares during the applicable period set forth in the Issuance Notice, which may be adjusted by the Company at any time during the period set forth in the Issuance Notice by delivering written notice of such change to the Agent and which in no event shall be less than $1.00 without the prior written consent of the Agent, which consent may be withheld in the Agent’s sole discretion.
“Issuance Amount” means the aggregate Sales Price of the Shares to be sold by the Agent pursuant to any Issuance Notice.
“Issuance Notice” means a written notice delivered to the Agent by the Company in accordance with this Agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A that is executed by its Chief Executive Officer, President or Chief Financial Officer.
“Issuance Notice Date” means any Trading Day during the Agency Period that an Issuance Notice is delivered pursuant to Section 3(b)(i).
“Issuance Price” means the Sales Price less the Selling Commission.
“Maximum Program Amount” means Ordinary Shares with an aggregate Sales Price of the lesser of (a) the number or dollar amount of Ordinary Shares registered under the effective Registration Statement (defined below) pursuant to which the offering is being made, (b) the number of authorized but unissued Ordinary Shares (less Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise, conversion or exchange of any outstanding securities of the Company or otherwise reserved from the Company’s authorized share capital), (c) the number or dollar amount of Ordinary Shares permitted to be sold under Form F-3 (including General Instruction I.B.5 thereof, if applicable), or (d) the number or dollar amount of Ordinary Shares for which the Company has filed a Prospectus (defined below).
“Person” means an individual or a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, joint stock company, governmental authority or other entity of any kind.
“Principal Market” means the New York Stock Exchange Market or such other national securities exchange on which the Ordinary Shares, including any Shares, are then listed.
“Sales Price” means the actual sale execution price of each Share placed by the Agent pursuant to this Agreement.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
“Selling Commission” means up to three percent (3%) of the gross proceeds of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement, or as otherwise agreed between the Company and the Agent with respect to any Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement.
“Settlement Date” means the first business day following each Trading Day during the period set forth in the Issuance Notice on which Shares are sold pursuant to this Agreement, when the Company shall deliver to the Agent the amount of Shares sold on such Trading Day and the Agent shall deliver to the Company the Issuance Price received on such sales.
“Shares” shall mean the Company’s Ordinary Shares issued or issuable pursuant to this Agreement.
“Trading Day” means any day on which the Principal Market is open for trading.
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Section 2. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Agent that as of (1) the date of this Agreement, (2) each Issuance Notice Date, (3) each Settlement Date, (4) each Triggering Event Date (as defined below) and (5) as of each Time of Sale (each of the times referenced above is referred to herein as a “Representation Date”), except as may be disclosed in the Prospectus (including any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements thereto) on or before a Representation Date:
(a) Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the Commission on May 13, 2025 a shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-287207) that contains a prospectus constituting a part thereof, which prospectus was superseded by a base prospectus filed with the Commission on May 28, 2025 (the “Base Prospectus”). On the date hereof, the Company shall have filed a prospectus supplement with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act relating to the entry by the Company into this Agreement and the sales of the Shares hereunder. Such registration statement registers the issuance and sale by the Company of the Shares under the Securities Act. The Company may file one or more additional registration statements from time to time that will contain a base prospectus and related prospectus and/or prospectus supplements, if applicable, with respect to the Shares. Except where the context otherwise requires, such registration statement(s), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, including all financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto and all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference pursuant to Item 6 of Form F-3 under the Securities Act as from time to time amended or supplemented, is herein referred to as the “Registration Statement,” and the Base Prospectus constituting a part of such registration statement(s), together with the prospectus supplement filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act relating to the entry by the Company into this Agreement and the sales of the Shares hereunder, and any prospectus supplement filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act relating to a particular issuance of the Shares, including all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference pursuant to Item 6 of Form F-3 under the Securities Act, in each case, as from time to time amended or supplemented, is referred to herein as the “Prospectus,” except that if any revised prospectus is provided to the Agent by the Company for use in connection with the offering of the Shares that is not required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, the term “Prospectus” shall refer to such revised prospectus from and after the time it is first provided to the Agent for such use. The Registration Statement at the time it originally became effective is herein called the “Original Registration Statement.” As used in this Agreement, the terms “amendment” or “supplement” when applied to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include the filing by the Company with the Commission of any document under the Exchange Act after the date hereof that is or is deemed to be incorporated therein by reference.
All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed under the Securities Act to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be, as of any specified date; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include, without limitation, the filing of any document under the Exchange Act which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed under the Securities Act to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be, as of any specified date. The Company’s obligations under this Agreement to furnish, provide or deliver or make available copies of any report or statement shall be deemed satisfied if the same is filed with the Commission through its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system or any amended system (“EDGAR”).
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At the time the Original Registration Statement was declared effective and at the time the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 20-F was filed with the Commission, if later, the Company met the then-applicable requirements for use of Form F-3 under the Securities Act. During the Agency Period, each time the Company files an annual report on Form 20-F the Company will meet the then-applicable requirements for use of Form F-3 under the Securities Act.
(b) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Original Registration Statement and any registration statement filed under Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”) have been declared effective by the Commission or become effective under the Securities Act. The Company has complied to the Commission’s satisfaction with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is in effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission.
(c) No Misstatement or Omission. The Prospectus when filed complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and, if filed with the Commission through EDGAR (except as may be permitted by Regulation S-T under the Securities Act), was identical to the copy thereof delivered to the Agent for use in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares. Each of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment or supplement thereto, at the time it became effective and at each Representation Date, complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. As of the date of this Agreement, the Prospectus and any Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) considered together (collectively, the “Time of Sale Information”) did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, as of its date and at each Representation Date, did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representations and warranties set forth in the three immediately preceding sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment or supplement thereto, or the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements thereto, or the Time of Sale Information made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Agent furnished to the Company in writing by the Agent expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Agent to the Company consists of the information described in Section 6 below. There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been described or filed as required. The Registration Statement and the offer and sale of the Shares as contemplated hereby meet the requirements of Rule 415 under the Securities Act and comply in all material respects with said rule.
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(d) Ineligible Issuer Status. The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering of the Shares pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Any Free Writing Prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act. Each Free Writing Prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending, and each such Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the issuance and sale of the Shares did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts with or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein. Except for the Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, and electronic road shows, if any, furnished to you before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without your prior consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, prepare, use or refer to, any Free Writing Prospectus.
(e) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, at the time they were filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, as applicable, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, do not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(f) Exchange Act Compliance. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, and any Free Writing Prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, at the time the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto become effective and at each Time of Sale (as defined below), as the case may be, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(g) Statistical and Market-Related Data. The statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate in all material respects.
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(h) Financial Statements. The consolidated financial statements filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the periods specified of the Company and comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing (or to the extent corrected by a subsequent amendment). Such consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IFRS”) applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved, except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by IFRS, and fairly present in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial year-end audit adjustments. To the Company's knowledge, no person who has been suspended or barred from being associated with a registered public accounting firm, or who has failed to comply with any sanction pursuant to Rule 5300 promulgated by the PCAOB, has participated in or otherwise aided the preparation of, or audited, the financial statements, supporting schedules or other financial data filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(i) Tax Law Compliance. The Company and each of its subsidiaries set forth in Exhibit 8.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the Commission on March 11, 2025 (each, a “Subsidiary” and collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) (i) has accurately and timely prepared and filed (or requested valid extensions thereof) all foreign, federal and state income and all other tax returns, reports and declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject, (ii) has paid all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations, except those being contested in good faith, with respect to which adequate reserves have been set aside on the books of the Company and (iii) has set aside on its books provisions reasonably adequate for the payment of all taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports or declarations apply, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii) above, where the failure to so pay or file any such tax, assessment, charge or return would not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. As used herein, “Material Adverse Effect” shall mean any material adverse change or effect in or affecting (i) the business, properties, general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus, or (ii) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated in the Prospectus. The Company has not received written notice of any unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the Company or any Subsidiary by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, which taxes remain unpaid.
(j) No Material Adverse Change. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except as specifically disclosed, (i) there have been no events, occurrences or developments that have had or would reasonably be expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any material liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to IFRS or required to be disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its shareholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any Ordinary Shares (other than in connection with repurchases of unvested Ordinary Shares issued to employees of the Company), (iv) there has not been any material decrease in the share capital or any material increase in any short-term or long-term indebtedness of the Company and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or affiliate, except Ordinary Shares issued in the ordinary course as issued pursuant to existing Company share option or equity purchase plans or executive and director compensation arrangements disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or pursuant to a public offering of Ordinary Shares.
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(k) Title to Properties. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has good and marketable title to all tangible personal property owned by it that is material to its business, in each case free and clear of any lien, encumbrance or defect except such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and any of its Subsidiaries are held by it under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its Subsidiaries, as the case may be.
(l) Compliance with Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) is in violation of any order of any court, arbitrator or governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or their properties or assets, or (ii) is in violation of, or in receipt of written notice that it is in violation of, any statute, rule or regulation of any governmental authority applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except in each case as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(m) Incorporation and Good Standing. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization (as applicable), with the requisite corporate power and authority to own or lease and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation or default of any of the provisions of its articles of incorporation or bylaws or other organizational documents. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, would not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) Subsidiaries. The Company has no direct or indirect subsidiaries other than as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company owns, directly or indirectly, the share capital or comparable equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any and all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, and all the issued and outstanding share capital or comparable equity interest of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. None of the outstanding share capital or equity interest of any Subsidiary was issued in violation of preemptive or similar rights of any security holder of each Subsidiary. The constitutive or organizational documents of each of the Subsidiaries comply in all material respects with the requirements of applicable laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization and are in full force and effect.
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(o) Corporate Authority. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder. The Company’s execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby (including, but not limited to, the sale and delivery of the Securities) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company, and no further corporate action is required by the Company, its Board of Directors or its shareholders in connection therewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals (as defined below). This Agreement has been duly executed by the Company and constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except (i) as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditors’ rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(p) Required Approvals. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is required to obtain any consent, waiver, approval, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority, holder of outstanding securities of the Company or other person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement (including the issuance of the Shares), other than (i) the filing with the Commission of any prospectus supplements with respect to the Shares pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, (ii) filings required by applicable state securities laws, (iii) the filing of any requisite notices and/or application(s) to the New York Stock Exchange for the issuance and sale of the Shares and the listing of the Shares for trading or quotation, as the case may be, thereon in the time and manner required thereby, and (iv) those that have been made or obtained prior to the date of this Agreement (collectively, the “Required Approvals”).
(q) Capitalization and Other Share Capital Matters. The authorized, issued and outstanding share capital of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” (other than for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to employee benefit plans described in the Prospectus or upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, in each case described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus). The Ordinary Shares conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. None of such issued Ordinary Shares were issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities which violation would have or would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no shareholders agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with respect to the Company’s share capital to which the Company is a party or, to the Company’s knowledge, between or among any of the Company’s shareholders.
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(r) Authorization of the Shares. All of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws. The Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims and shall not be subject to preemptive or similar rights of shareholders.
(s) Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments. The execution, delivery and performance of the obligations under this Agreement by the Company, the issuance and sale of the Shares (including the application of proceeds thereof) and the consummation of the other transactions contained in this Agreement will not (i) violate any provision of the Fourth Amended and Restated Articles of Association of the Company, (ii) conflict with or result in a violation of or default (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) under, or give rise to a right of termination, cancellation or acceleration of any obligation, a change of control right or to a loss of a benefit under any agreement or instrument, credit facility, franchise, license, judgment, order, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulations, applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or their respective properties or assets, or (iii) result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations) and the rules and regulations of any self-regulatory organization to which the Company or its securities are subject, or by which any property or asset of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound or affected, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), as would not, individually or in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) Description of Laws. The statements set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus under the caption “Description of Share Capital and Articles of Association,” insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Companies securities, under the captions “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” and “Plan of Distribution,” insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate in all material respects.
(u) Company Not an “Investment Company.” The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof, will not be, an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(v) Independent Accountants. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who have audited certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
(w) Company’s Accounting System. The Company maintains a system of “internal control over financial reporting” (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder) that is designed to comply with the Exchange Act and to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS and to maintain asset and liability accountability, (iii) access to assets or incurrence of liabilities is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (v) the recorded accountability for assets and liabilities is compared with the existing assets and liabilities at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, (i) the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective; and (ii) the Company is not aware of any “material weaknesses” (each as defined by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) in its internal control over financial reporting. The interactive data in the eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
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(x) Changes to Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially adversely affected, or is reasonably likely to materially adversely affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(y) Sarbanes-Oxley. The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all of the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 which are applicable to it. The Company has designed a system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that are designed to comply with the Exchange Act within the time period required, and such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective in all material respects.
(z) Intellectual Property Rights. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, to the Company’s knowledge, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries owns, possesses, licenses or has other rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service mark applications and registrations, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, licenses, technology, know-how and other intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary or material for use in connection with its businesses as described in the Registration Statement and Prospectus and which the failure to so would have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”). To the Company’s knowledge, none of the Intellectual Property Rights used by the Company or any Subsidiary violates or infringes upon the patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of any Person in a manner which would have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. There is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened suit, investigation or proceeding or claim by any person that the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s business as now conducted infringes or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of another. To the Company’s knowledge and except as disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, there is no existing infringement by another person of any of the Intellectual Property Rights that would have or would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, other than in respect of which the Company has commenced legal action. There is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened suit, investigation or proceeding or claim by another person challenging the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s rights in or to any material Intellectual Property Rights, or challenging inventorship, validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property Rights. The Company has taken reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value of all of its and its Subsidiaries’ Intellectual Property Rights, except where failure to do so would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the technology employed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has been obtained or is being used by the Company or any Subsidiary in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or any Subsidiary or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its or its Subsidiaries’ officers, directors or employees or otherwise in violation of the rights of any person, which violations would have or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(aa) Compliance with Applicable Laws. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries possesses all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary under applicable law to conduct its business as currently conducted, except as set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, or such that where the failure to possess such permits, individually or in the aggregate, has not and would not have or would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (“Material Permits”), and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice of revocation or modification of any such Material Permits, which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, has or would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(bb) Compliance with Environmental Laws. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, to the Company’s knowledge, none of the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) is in violation of any statute, rule, regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic substances (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (ii) owns or operates any real property contaminated with any substance that is in violation of any Environmental Laws, (iii) is liable for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any Environmental Laws, or (iv) is subject to any claim relating to any Environmental Laws; which violation, contamination, liability or claim has had or would have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect; and there is no pending investigation or, to the Company’s Knowledge, investigation threatened in writing that might lead to such a claim.
(cc) Compliance with Data Privacy Laws. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have complied, and are presently in compliance, in all material respects, with its privacy and security policies, and with all obligations, laws and regulations regarding the collection, use, transfer, storage, protection, disposal and/or disclosure of personally identifiable information and/or any other information collected from or provided by third parties, except such as has not resulted or would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable steps to protect the information technology systems and data used in connection with the operation of the Company and/or its Subsidiaries, except such as has not resulted or would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and its Subsidiaries have used reasonable efforts to establish, and have established, commercially reasonable disaster recovery and security plans, procedures and facilities for the business, including, without limitation, for the information technology systems and data held or used by or for the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has been no security breach or attack or other compromise of or relating to any such information technology system or data which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(dd) Insurance. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries is insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as the Company believes to be prudent and customary in the businesses and locations in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged. Other than customary end-of-policy notifications from insurance carriers, since January 1, 2025, the Company has not received any notice or other communication regarding any actual or possible: (i) cancellation or invalidation of any material insurance policy or (ii) refusal or denial of any coverage, reservation of rights or rejection of any material claim under any insurance policy.
(ee) Required Contracts and Documents. There are no contracts or other documents which are of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement which have not been described or filed as required.
(ff) Related Party Transactions. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, none of the executive officers or directors of the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, none of the employees of the Company is presently a party to any transaction with the Company (other than for services as employees, officers and directors) that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Act.
(gg) No Material Labor Disputes. No material labor dispute exists or, to the Company’s knowledge, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company which would have or would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(hh) Brokers. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company or its Subsidiaries and any person (A) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement; or (B) granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act.
(ii) No Applicable Registration Rights. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, no person has any right to cause the Company to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any securities of the Company.
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(jj) Sanctions. None of the Company, its Subsidiaries, nor any of their respective directors, officers or employees, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of their respective agents or affiliates is, nor since April 24, 2019 has done or currently does business with any court, administrative agency, regulatory body, commission or other governmental authority, board, bureau or instrumentality, domestic or foreign, any subdivision thereof, or with any individual, corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, estate, trust, business association, organization or other entity that is, (A) located in any country or territory that is the subject of any country-wide or territory-wide economic sanctions of the United States as administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union (including its member states), or His Majesty’s Treasury (“Sanctions”) or (B) the subject or target of Sanctions that prohibit dealings with such individuals or entities; and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to its Subsidiaries or any joint venture partner or other person or entity, in a manner that violates any Sanctions.
(kk) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in the past five years in compliance with applicable requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and the Subsidiaries conduct business, the applicable rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(ll) Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery Laws. In the past five years, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), the UK Bribery Act 2010 (“UKBA”) or other applicable anti-corruption, anti-bribery or related law, statue or regulation (collectively, “Anti-Corruption Laws”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA or the UKBA, and the Company, its Subsidiaries and its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the Anti-Corruption Laws have instituted and maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve, and which are reasonably expected to continue to promote and achieve, continued compliance therewith.
(mm) Not a Passive Foreign Investment Company. Subject to the qualifications, limitations, exceptions and assumptions set forth in the Prospectus, the Company does not believe it was a “passive foreign investment company” within the meaning of Section 1297 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (a “PFIC”), for the taxable year that ended on December 31, 2024, and the Company does not expect to be a PFIC for the foreseeable future.
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(nn) Foreign Private Issuer. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act (a “Foreign Private Issuer”), unless the Company has notified the Agent that it is no longer a Foreign Private Issuer. During the Agency Period, the Company agrees to notify the Agent as soon as practicable upon the Company ceasing to be a Foreign Private Issuer.
(oo) Form F-3 Eligibility. The Company satisfies the eligibility requirements for the use of a registration statement on Form F-3 under the Securities Act for the offering of the Shares.
(pp) Stock Exchange Listing. The Company’s Ordinary Shares are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to terminate the registration of the Ordinary Shares under the Exchange Act, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration. The Company has not, in the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received written notice from any trading market on which the Ordinary Shares are listed or quoted to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of such trading market. The Company is in compliance with all listing and maintenance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange on the date hereof and the issuance of the Shares will not violate any such listing or maintenance requirements.
(qq) Choice of Law and Jurisdiction. The choice of the laws of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of the Cayman Islands and will be honored by courts in the Cayman Islands. The Company has the corporate power to submit, and pursuant to Section 8(g) of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of the federal courts of the United States of America located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”) and has validly and irrevocably waived any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court; and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and empower an authorized agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the offering of the Shares in any Specified Court and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to notify the Company of any action under this Agreement.
(rr) Submission to Jurisdiction. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 8(g) of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the jurisdiction of the Specified Courts, and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and authorize, and pursuant to Section 8(g) of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably designated, appointed and authorized an agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Shares in such court, and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to confer valid jurisdiction over the Company as provided in Section 8(g) hereof.
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(ss) No Immunity from Legal Proceedings. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor any of their respective properties, assets or revenues enjoy any rights of immunity under the laws of the Cayman Islands, the United States or the State of New York from any legal proceedings (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution or otherwise) or the execution of judgement or other attachment, in any such court with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or the Shares. To the extent that the Company or any of its respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, the Company waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by law and has consented to such relief and enforcement as provided in Section 8(g) of this Agreement.
(tt) Enforceability of Judgments. Any final judgment for a fixed or readily calculable sum of money rendered by a Specified Court having jurisdiction under its own domestic laws in respect of any suit, action or proceeding against the Company based upon this Agreement and any instruments or agreements entered into for the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and therein would be declared enforceable against the Company, without reconsideration or re-examination of the merits of the cause of action, by the courts of the Cayman Islands, provided that 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.
(uu) Waiver of Immunity. Except as provided by laws or statutes generally applicable to transactions of the type described in this Agreement, neither the Company nor any of its respective properties, assets or revenues has any right of immunity under the laws of the Cayman Islands, the United States or the State of New York, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any such legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any law of the Cayman Islands, the United States or the State of New York, from service of process, attachment upon or prior judgment, or attachment in aid of execution of judgment, or from execution of a judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of a judgment, in any such court, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with this Agreement. To the extent that the Company or any of its respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, the Company waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by law and has consented to such relief and enforcement as provided in Section 8(g) of this Agreement.
(vv) No Price Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Ordinary Shares or of any “reference security” (as defined in Rule 100 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act (“Regulation M”)) with respect to the Ordinary Shares, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares or otherwise, and has taken no action which would directly or indirectly violate Regulation M.
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(ww) FINRA Matters. All of the information provided to the Agent or to counsel for the Agent by the Company, its counsel, its officers and directors and the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the offering of the Shares is true, complete, correct and compliant with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.’s (“FINRA”) rules and any letters, filings or other supplemental information provided to FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rules or NASD Conduct Rules is true, complete and correct. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form F-3 under the Securities Act specified in FINRA Rule 5110(h)(1)(C).
(xx) Other Underwriting Agreements. The Company is not a party to any agreement with an agent or underwriter for any other “at the market” or continuous equity transaction.
(yy) Duties, Transfer Taxes, Etc. No stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties and no capital gains, income, withholding or other taxes are payable by the Agent in the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement by the Company or the sale and delivery by the Company of the Shares.
Any certificate signed by any officer or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and delivered to the Agent or counsel for the Agent in connection with an issuance of Shares shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Agent as to the matters covered thereby on the date of such certificate.
The Company acknowledges that the Agent and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 4(p) hereof, counsels to the Company and counsel to the Agent, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.
Section 3. ISSUANCE AND SALE OF ORDINARY SHARES
(a) Sale of Securities. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company and the Agent agree that the Company may from time to time seek to sell Shares through the Agent, acting as sales agent, or directly to the Agent, acting as principal, as follows, with an aggregate Sales Price of up to the Maximum Program Amount, based on and in accordance with Issuance Notices as the Company may deliver, during the Agency Period.
(b) Mechanics of Issuances.
(i) Issuance Notice. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, on any Trading Day during the Agency Period on which the conditions set forth in Section 5(a) and Section 5(b) shall have been satisfied, the Company may exercise its right to request an issuance of Shares by delivering to the Agent an Issuance Notice; provided, however, that (A) in no event may the Company deliver an Issuance Notice to the extent that (I) the sum of (x) the aggregate Sales Price of the requested Issuance Amount, plus (y) the aggregate Sales Price of all Shares issued under all previous Issuance Notices effected pursuant to this Agreement, would exceed the Maximum Program Amount; and (B) prior to delivery of any Issuance Notice, the period set forth for any previous Issuance Notice shall have expired or been terminated. An Issuance Notice shall be considered delivered on the Trading Day that it is received by e-mail to the persons set forth in Schedule A hereto and confirmed by the Company by telephone (including a voicemail message to the persons so identified), with the understanding that, with adequate prior written notice, the Agent and the Company may modify the list of such persons from time to time.
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(ii) Agent Efforts. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, upon the receipt of an Issuance Notice, the Agent will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal sales and trading practices to place the Shares with respect to which the Agent has agreed to act as sales agent, subject to, and in accordance with the information specified in, the Issuance Notice, unless the sale of the Shares described therein has been suspended, cancelled or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the parties to this Agreement may modify an Issuance Notice at any time provided they both agree in writing to any such modification.
(iii) Method of Offer and Sale. The Shares may be offered and sold (A) in privately negotiated transactions with the consent of the Company; (B) as block transactions; or (C) by any other method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on the Principal Market or sales made into any other existing trading market of the Ordinary Shares. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to require either party to agree to the method of offer and sale specified in the preceding sentence, and (except as specified in clauses (A) and (B) above) the method of placement of any Shares by the Agent shall be at the Agent’s discretion.
(iv) Confirmation to the Company. If acting as sales agent hereunder, the Agent will provide written confirmation to the Company no later than the opening of the Trading Day next following the Trading Day on which it has placed Shares hereunder setting forth the number of shares sold on such Trading Day, the corresponding Sales Price and the Issuance Price payable to the Company in respect thereof.
(v) Settlement. Each issuance of Shares will be settled on the applicable Settlement Date for such issuance of Shares and, subject to the provisions of Section 5, on or before each Settlement Date, the Company will, or will cause its transfer agent to, electronically transfer the Shares being sold by crediting the Agent or its designee’s account at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian (DWAC) System, or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto and, upon receipt of such Shares, which in all cases shall be freely tradable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form, the Agent will deliver, by wire transfer of immediately available funds, the related Issuance Price in same day funds delivered to an account designated by the Company prior to the Settlement Date. The Company may sell Shares to the Agent as principal at a price agreed upon at each relevant time Shares are sold pursuant to this Agreement (each, a “Time of Sale”).
(vi) Suspension or Termination of Sales. Consistent with standard market settlement practices, the Company or the Agent may, upon notice to the other party hereto in writing or by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable email), suspend any sale of Shares, and the period set forth in an Issuance Notice shall immediately terminate; provided, however, that (A) such suspension and termination shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any Shares placed or sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice; (B) if the Company suspends or terminates any sale of Shares after the Agent confirms such sale to the Company, the Company shall still be obligated to comply with Section 3(b)(v) with respect to such Shares; and (C) if the Company defaults in its obligation to deliver Shares on a Settlement Date, the Company agrees that it will hold the Agent harmless against any loss, claim, damage or expense (including, without limitation, penalties, interest and reasonable and documented legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that, in performing its obligations under this Agreement, the Agent may borrow Ordinary Shares from share lenders in the event that the Company has not delivered Shares to settle sales as required by subsection (v) above, and may use the Shares to settle or close out such borrowings. The Company agrees that no such notice shall be effective against the Agent unless it is made to the persons identified in writing by the Agent pursuant to Section 3(b)(i).
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(vii) No Guarantee of Placement, Etc. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (A) there can be no assurance that the Agent will be successful in placing Shares; (B) the Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other Person if it does not sell Shares; and (C) the Agent shall be under no obligation to purchase Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise specifically agreed by the Agent and the Company.
(viii) Material Non-Public Information. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company and the Agent agree that the Company shall not deliver any Issuance Notice to the Agent, and the Agent shall not be obligated to place any Shares, during any period in which the Company is in possession of material non-public information.
(c) Fees. As compensation for services rendered, the Company shall pay to the Agent, on the applicable Settlement Date, the Selling Commission for the applicable Issuance Amount (including with respect to any suspended or terminated sale pursuant to Section 3(b)(vi) to the extent such Shares are actually sold by the Agent) by the Agent deducting the Selling Commission from the applicable Issuance Amount.
(d) Expenses. The Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation (i) all expenses incident to the issuance and delivery of the Shares (including all printing and engraving costs); (ii) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Shares; (iii) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares; (iv) all reasonable and documented fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other advisors; (v) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), the Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement; (vi) all filing fees, reasonable and documented attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the Agent in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Shares for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws or the provincial securities laws of Canada, and, if requested by the Agent, preparing and printing a “Blue Sky Survey” or memorandum and a “Canadian wrapper”, and any supplements thereto, advising the Agent of such qualifications, registrations, determinations and exemptions; (vii) the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of the Agent’s counsel, including, but not limited to, the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of counsel for the Agent in connection with FINRA review, if any, and approval of the Agent’s participation in the offering and distribution of the Shares, if necessary; (viii) the filing fees incident to FINRA review, if any; (ix) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives, employees and officers of the Company and of the Agent and any such consultants, and the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show; and (x) the fees and expenses associated with listing the Shares on the Principal Market. The fees and disbursements of Agent’s counsel pursuant to subsections (vi) and (vii) above shall not exceed (A) $100,000 in connection with the execution of this Agreement, (B) $25,000 in connection with each Triggering Event Date (as defined below) involving an Annual Report on Form 20-F on which the Company is required to provide a certificate pursuant to Section 4(o), and (C) $15,000 in connection with each other Triggering Event Date (as defined below) on which the Company is required to provide a certificate pursuant to Section 4(o).
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Section 4. ADDITIONAL COVENANTS
The Company covenants and agrees with the Agent as follows, in addition to any other covenants and agreements made elsewhere in this Agreement:
(a) Exchange Act Compliance. During the Agency Period, the Company shall (i) file, on a timely basis, with the Commission all reports and documents required to be filed under Section 13, 14 or 15 of the Exchange Act in the manner and within the time periods required by the Exchange Act; and (ii) either (A) include in its reports on Form 6-K that include the Company’s unaudited interim financial statements and in its annual reports on Form 20-F, a summary detailing, for the relevant reporting period, (1) the number of Shares sold through the Agent pursuant to this Agreement and (2) the net proceeds received by the Company from such sales or (B) prepare a prospectus supplement containing, or include in such other filing permitted by the Securities Act or Exchange Act (each an “Interim Prospectus Supplement”), such summary information and, at least once a quarter and subject to this Section 4, file such Interim Prospectus Supplement pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (and within the time periods required by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430B under the Securities Act).
(b) Securities Act Compliance. After the date of this Agreement, the Company shall promptly advise the Agent in writing (i) of the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission; (ii) of the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus; (iii) of the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement becomes effective; and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or of any proceedings to remove, suspend or terminate from listing or quotation the Ordinary Shares from any securities exchange upon which they are listed for trading or included or designated for quotation, or of the threatening or initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order at any time, the Company will use its best efforts to obtain the lifting of such order at the earliest possible moment. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with the provisions of Rule 424(b) and Rule 433, as applicable, under the Securities Act and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under such Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 were received in a timely manner by the Commission.
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(c) Amendments and Supplements to the Prospectus and Other Securities Act Matters. If any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus so that the Prospectus does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if in the opinion of the Agent or counsel for the Agent it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, including the Securities Act, the Company agrees (subject to Section 4(d) and 4(f)) to promptly prepare, file with the Commission and furnish at its own expense to the Agent, amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law including the Securities Act. Neither the Agent’s consent to, or delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the Company’s obligations under Sections 4(d) and 4(f). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to file such amendment or supplement if there is no pending Issuance Notice and the Company believes that it is in its best interests not to file such amendment or supplement.
(d) Agent’s Review of Proposed Amendments and Supplements. Prior to amending or supplementing the Registration Statement (including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement) or the Prospectus (excluding any amendment or supplement through incorporation of any report filed under the Exchange Act), the Company shall furnish to the Agent for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement, and the Company shall not file or use any such proposed amendment or supplement without the Agent’s prior consent, and the Company shall file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule; provided, however, that the Company has no obligation to provide the Agent any advance copy of such filing if the filing does not name the Agent and does not relate to the Shares or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(e) Use of Free Writing Prospectus. Neither the Company nor the Agent has prepared, used, referred to or distributed, or will prepare, use, refer to or distribute, without the other party’s prior written consent, any “written communication” that constitutes a “free writing prospectus” as such terms are defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act with respect to the offering contemplated by this Agreement (any such free writing prospectus being referred to herein as a “Free Writing Prospectus”).
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(f) Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall furnish to the Agent for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus relating to the Shares or any amendment or supplement thereto to be prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus relating to the Shares or any amendment or supplement thereto without the Agent’s consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. The Company shall furnish to the Agent, without charge, as many copies of any free writing prospectus relating to the Shares prepared by or on behalf of, or used by the Company, as the Agent may reasonably request. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the Securities Act (including, without limitation, pursuant to Rule 173(d)) to be delivered in connection with sales of the Shares (but in any event if at any time through and including the date of this Agreement) there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company shall promptly amend or supplement such free writing prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict or so that the statements in such free writing prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at such subsequent time, not misleading, as the case may be; provided, however, that prior to amending or supplementing any such free writing prospectus, the Company shall furnish to the Agent for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of such proposed amended or supplemented free writing prospectus and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any such amended or supplemented free writing prospectus without the Agent’s consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.
(g) Filing of Agent Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall not take any action that would result in the Agent or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Agent that the Agent otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.
(h) Copies of Registration Statement and Prospectus. After the date of this Agreement through the last time that a prospectus is required by the Securities Act (including, without limitation, pursuant to Rule 173(d)) to be delivered in connection with sales of the Shares, the Company agrees to furnish the Agent with copies (which may be electronic copies) of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto, and with copies of the Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto in the form in which it is filed with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act or Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, both in such quantities as the Agent may reasonably request from time to time; and, if the delivery of a prospectus is required under the Securities Act or under the blue sky or securities laws of any jurisdiction at any time on or prior to the applicable Settlement Date for any period set forth in an Issuance Notice in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at such time any event has occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it is necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, to notify the Agent and to request that the Agent suspend offers to sell Shares (and, if so notified, the Agent shall cease such offers as soon as practicable); and if the Company decides to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented, to advise the Agent promptly by telephone (with confirmation in writing) and to prepare and cause to be filed promptly with the Commission an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented that will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; provided, however, that if during such same period the Agent is required to deliver a prospectus in respect of transactions in the Shares, the Company shall promptly prepare and file with the Commission such an amendment or supplement.
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(i) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company shall cooperate with the Agent and counsel for the Agent to qualify or register the Shares for sale under (or obtain exemptions from the application of) the state securities or blue sky laws or Canadian provincial securities laws of those jurisdictions designated by the Agent, shall comply with such laws and shall continue such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Shares. The Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any such jurisdiction where it is not presently qualified or where it would be subject to taxation as a foreign corporation. The Company will advise the Agent promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Shares for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof as soon as reasonably practicable.
(j) Earnings Statement. As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Agent an earnings statement (which need not be audited) covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the date of this Agreement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 under the Securities Act.
(k) Listing; Reservation of Shares. (a) The Company will use its best efforts to maintain the listing of the Shares on the Principal Market; and (b) the Company will reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, Shares for the purpose of enabling the Company to satisfy its obligations under this Agreement.
(l) Transfer Agent. The Company shall engage and maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Shares.
(m) Due Diligence. During the term of this Agreement, the Company will reasonably cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by the Agent in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, providing information and making available documents and senior corporate officers, during normal business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as the Agent may reasonably request from time to time.
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(n) Representations and Warranties. The Company acknowledges that each delivery of an Issuance Notice and each delivery of Shares on a Settlement Date shall be deemed to be (i) an affirmation to the Agent that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in or made pursuant to this Agreement are true and correct as of the date of such Issuance Notice or of such Settlement Date, as the case may be, as though made at and as of each such date, except as may be disclosed in the Prospectus (including any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements thereto); and (ii) an undertaking that the Company will advise the Agent if any of such representations and warranties will not be true and correct as of the Settlement Date for the Shares relating to such Issuance Notice, as though made at and as of each such date (except that such representations and warranties shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented relating to such Shares).
(o) Deliverables at Triggering Event Dates; Certificates. The Company agrees that on or prior to the date of the first Issuance Notice and, during the term of this Agreement after the date of the first Issuance Notice, upon:
(A) the filing of the Prospectus or the amendment or supplement of any Registration Statement or Prospectus (other than a prospectus supplement relating solely to an offering of securities other than the Shares or a prospectus filed pursuant to Section 4(a)(ii)(B)), by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker or supplement, but not by means of incorporation of documents by reference into the Registration Statement or Prospectus;
(B) the filing with the Commission of an annual report on Form 20-F (including any Form 20-F/A containing amended financial information or a material amendment to the previously filed annual report on Form 20-F);
(C) the filing with or furnishing to the Commission of a report on Form 6-K containing unaudited interim financial statements of the Company (including any Form 6-K/A containing a material amendment to the previously filed quarterly or half-year report on Form 6-K); or
(D) the filing with the Commission of a report on Form 6-K containing amended financial information (including any Form 6-K/A containing amended financial information);
(any such event, a “Triggering Event Date”), the Company shall furnish the Agent (but in the case of clause (D) above only if the Agent reasonably determines that the information contained in such report on Form 6-K of the Company is material to the offering of the Shares) with a certificate as of the Triggering Event Date, in the form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, substantially similar to the form previously provided to the Agent and its counsel, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented, (A) confirming that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct, (B) confirming that the Company has performed all of its obligations hereunder to be performed on or prior to the date of such certificate and as to the matters set forth in Section 5(a)(iii) hereof, and (C) containing any other certification that the Agent shall reasonably request. The requirement to provide a certificate under this Section 4(o) shall be waived for any Triggering Event Date occurring at a time when no Issuance Notice is pending or a suspension is in effect, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of the date the Company delivers instructions for the sale of Shares hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Triggering Event Date) and the next occurring Triggering Event Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Shares following a Triggering Event Date when a suspension was in effect and did not provide the Agent with a certificate under this Section 4(o), then before the Company delivers the instructions for the sale of Shares or the Agent sells any Shares pursuant to such instructions, the Company shall provide the Agent with a certificate in conformity with this Section 4(o) dated as of the date that the instructions for the sale of Shares are issued.
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(p) Legal Opinions. On or prior to the date of the first Issuance Notice and on or prior to each Triggering Event Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 4(o) for which no waiver is applicable and excluding the date of this Agreement, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Agent (i) a negative assurances letter and the written legal opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, U.S. counsel to the Company, (ii) a written legal opinion of Walkers (Cayman) LLP, Cayman Islands counsel to the Company, and (iii) a negative assurances letter and the written legal opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP, counsel to the Agent, each dated the date of delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent and its counsel, substantially similar to the form previously provided to the Agent and its counsel, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented. In lieu of such opinions for subsequent periodic filings, in the discretion of the Agent, the Company may furnish a reliance letter from such counsel to the Agent, permitting the Agent to rely on a previously delivered opinion letter, modified as appropriate for any passage of time or Triggering Event Date (except that statements in such prior opinion shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented as of such Triggering Event Date).
(q) Comfort Letter. On or prior to the date of the first Issuance Notice and on or prior to each Triggering Event Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 4(o) for which no waiver is applicable and excluding the date of this Agreement, the Company shall cause PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm who has audited the financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, to furnish the Agent a comfort letter or letters, dated the date of delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, substantially similar to the form previously provided to the Agent and its counsel; provided, however, that any such comfort letter or letters will only be required on the Triggering Event Date specified to the extent that it contains financial statements filed with the Commission under the Exchange Act and incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into a Prospectus. If requested by the Agent, the Company shall also cause a comfort letter or letters to be furnished to the Agent on the date of occurrence of any material transaction or event requiring the filing of a report on Form 6-K containing material amended financial information of the Company, including the restatement of the Company’s financial statements that is material to the offering of securities of the Company in the Agent’s reasonable discretion. The Company shall be required to furnish no more than one comfort letter or set of comfort letters hereunder per calendar quarter.
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(r) Secretary’s Certificate. On or prior to the date of the first Issuance Notice and on or prior to each Triggering Event Date, the Company shall furnish the Agent a certificate executed by the Secretary of the Company, signing in such capacity, dated the date of delivery (i) certifying that attached thereto are true and complete copies of the resolutions duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company authorizing the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (including, without limitation, the issuance of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement), which authorization shall be in full force and effect on and as of the date of such certificate, (ii) certifying and attesting to the office, incumbency, due authority and specimen signatures of each Person who executed this Agreement for or on behalf of the Company, and (iii) containing any other certification that the Agent shall reasonably request.
(s) Chief Executive Officer Certificate. If requested by the Agent, on or prior to the date of the first Issuance Notice and on or prior to each Triggering Event Date, the Company shall furnish to the Agent a certificate executed by the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, signing in such capacity, dated the date of delivery, with respect to certain financial data contained in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, providing “management comfort” with respect to the information, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent.
(t) Agent’s Own Account; Clients’ Account. The Company consents to the Agent trading, in compliance with applicable law, in the Ordinary Shares for the Agent’s own account and for the account of its clients at the same time as sales of the Shares occur pursuant to this Agreement.
(u) Investment Limitation. The Company shall not invest, or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Shares in such a manner as would require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
(v) Market Activities. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might be reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares or any other reference security, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares or otherwise, and the Company will, and shall cause each of its affiliates to, comply with all applicable provisions of Regulation M. If the limitations of Rule 102 of Regulation M (“Rule 102”) do not apply with respect to the Shares or any other reference security pursuant to any exception set forth in Section (d) of Rule 102, then promptly upon notice from the Agent (or, if later, at the time stated in the notice), the Company will, and shall cause each of its affiliates to, comply with Rule 102 as though such exception were not available but the other provisions of Rule 102 (as interpreted by the Commission) did apply. The Company shall promptly notify the Agent if it no longer meets the requirements set forth in Section (d) of Rule 102.
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(w) Notice of Other Sale. Without the written consent of the Agent, the Company will not, directly or indirectly, offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any Ordinary Shares or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares (other than Shares hereunder), warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire Ordinary Shares, during the period beginning on the third Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which any Issuance Notice is delivered to the Agent hereunder and ending on the third Trading Day immediately following the Settlement Date with respect to Shares sold pursuant to such Issuance Notice; and will not directly or indirectly enter into any other “at the market” or continuous equity transaction offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any Ordinary Shares (other than the Shares offered pursuant to this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire, Ordinary Shares prior to the termination of this Agreement; provided, however, that such restrictions will not be required in connection with the Company’s (i) issuance or sale of Ordinary Shares, options to purchase Ordinary Shares or Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise of options or other equity awards pursuant to any employee or director share option, incentive or benefit plan, share purchase or ownership plan, long-term incentive plan, dividend reinvestment plan, inducement award under New York Stock Exchange rules or other compensation plan of the Company or its subsidiaries, as in effect on the date of this Agreement, (ii) issuance or sale of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exchange, conversion or redemption of securities or the exercise or vesting of warrants, options or other equity awards outstanding an applicable Issuance Notice is delivered, (iii) modification of any outstanding options, warrants of any rights to purchase or acquire Ordinary Shares, and (iv) issuance of Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares, or entering into an agreement to issue Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares, in connection with any merger, joint venture, strategic alliance, commercial or other collaborative transaction, or the acquisition or license of the business, property, technology or other assets of another individual or entity occurring after the date of this Agreement which are not issued for capital raising purposes, or the assumption of an employee benefit plan in connection with such a merger or acquisition; provided, however, that the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares issued, or issuable pursuant to the conversion or exchange of securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares, under this subsection (iv) does not exceed 5% of the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately prior to giving effect to such issuance or sale.
Section 5. CONDITIONS TO DELIVERY OF ISSUANCE NOTICES AND TO SETTLEMENT
(a) Conditions Precedent to the Right of the Company to Deliver an Issuance Notice and the Obligation of the Agent to Sell Shares. The right of the Company to deliver an Issuance Notice hereunder is subject to the satisfaction, on the date of delivery of such Issuance Notice, and the obligation of the Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts to place Shares during the applicable period set forth in the Issuance Notice is subject to the satisfaction, on each Trading Day during the applicable period set forth in the Issuance Notice, of each of the following conditions:
(i) Accuracy of the Company’s Representations and Warranties; Performance by the Company. The Company shall have delivered the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 4(o) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 4(o). The Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to such date, including, but not limited to, the covenants contained in Section 4(p), Section 4(q) and Section 4(r).
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(ii) No Injunction. No statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby that prohibits or directly and materially adversely affects any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and no proceeding shall have been commenced that may have the effect of prohibiting or materially adversely affecting any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(iii) Material Adverse Changes. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus and the Time of Sale Information, (a) in the judgment of the Agent there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change; and (b) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as such term is defined for purposes of Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act.
(iv) No Suspension of Trading in or Delisting of Ordinary Shares; Other Events. The trading of the Ordinary Shares (including without limitation the Shares) shall not have been suspended by the Commission, the Principal Market or FINRA and the Ordinary Shares (including without limitation the Shares) shall have been approved for listing or quotation on and shall not have been delisted from the Principal Market or any of their constituent markets. There shall not have occurred (and be continuing in the case of occurrences under clauses (i) and (ii) below) any of the following: (i) trading or quotation in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or limited by the Commission or by the Principal Market or trading in securities generally on either the Principal Market shall have been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices shall have been generally established on any of such stock exchanges by the Commission or the FINRA; (ii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any federal or New York authorities; or (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in the United States’ or international political, financial or economic conditions, as in the judgment of the Agent is material and adverse and makes it impracticable to market the Shares in the manner and on the terms described in the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities.
(b) Documents Required to be Delivered on each Issuance Notice Date. The Agent’s obligation to use its commercially reasonable efforts to place Shares hereunder shall additionally be conditioned upon the delivery to the Agent on or before the Issuance Notice Date of a certificate in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent, executed by the Chief Executive Officer, President or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, to the effect that all conditions to the delivery of such Issuance Notice shall have been satisfied as at the date of such certificate (which certificate shall not be required if the foregoing representations shall be set forth in the Issuance Notice).
(c) No Misstatement or Material Omission. The Agent shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Time of Sales Information, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in the Agent’s reasonable opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in the Agent’s reasonable opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
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Section 6. INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION
(a) Indemnification of the Agent. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Agent, its officers and employees, and each person, if any, who controls the Agent within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Agent or such officer, employee or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or the laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Shares have been offered or sold or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Free Writing Prospectus that the Company has used, referred to or filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (iii) any act or failure to act or any alleged act or failure to act by the Agent in connection with, or related in any manner to, the Ordinary Shares or the offering contemplated hereby, and which is included as part of or referred to in any loss, claim, damage, liability or action arising out of or based upon any matter covered by clause (i) or (ii) above, provided that the Company shall not be liable under this clause (iii) to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction shall have determined by a final judgment that such loss, claim, damage, liability or action resulted directly from any such acts or failures to act undertaken or omitted to be taken by the Agent through its bad faith or willful misconduct, and to reimburse the Agent and each such officer, employee and controlling person for any and all expenses (including the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Agent) as such expenses are reasonably incurred by the Agent or such officer, employee or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Agent expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any such Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Agent to the Company consists of the first sentence of the ninth paragraph under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 6(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.
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(b) Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 6 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 6, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party for contribution or otherwise than under the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 6 or to the extent the indemnifying party is not prejudiced as a proximate result of such failure. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 6 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the preceding sentence (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate counsel (together with local counsel), representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action), which counsel (together with any local counsel) for the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Agent (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 6(a) above), (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action or (iii) the indemnifying party has authorized in writing the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of the indemnifying party, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party and shall be paid as they are incurred.
(c) Settlements. The indemnifying party under this Section 6 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 6(c) hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request; and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding.
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(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this Section 6 is for any reason held to be unavailable to or otherwise insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by such indemnified party, as incurred, as a result of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Agent, on the other hand, from the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement; or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Agent, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Agent, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total gross proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total commissions received by the Agent. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Agent, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Agent, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 6(c), any reasonable and documented legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim. The provisions set forth in Section 6(c) with respect to notice of commencement of any action shall apply if a claim for contribution is to be made under this Section 6(e); provided, however, that no additional notice shall be required with respect to any action for which notice has been given under Section 6(c) for purposes of indemnification.
The Company and the Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 6(e) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 6(e).
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 6(e), the Agent shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the agent fees received by the Agent in connection with the offering contemplated hereby. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 6(e), each officer and employee of the Agent and each person, if any, who controls the Agent within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Agent, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.
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Section 7. TERMINATION & SURVIVAL
(a) Term. Subject to the provisions of this Section 7, the term of this Agreement shall continue from the date of this Agreement until the end of the Agency Period, unless earlier terminated by the parties to this Agreement pursuant to this Section 7.
(b) Termination; Survival Following Termination.
(i) Either party may terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the Agency Period, by giving written notice as required by this Agreement, upon ten (10) Trading Days’ notice to the other party; provided that, (A) if the Company terminates this Agreement after the Agent confirms to the Company any sale of Shares, the Company shall remain obligated to comply with Section 3(b)(v) with respect to such Shares and (B) Section 2, Section 6, Section 7 and Section 8 shall survive termination of this Agreement. If termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Shares, such sale shall nevertheless settle in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(ii) In addition to the survival provision of Section 7(b)(i), the respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, of its officers and of the Agent set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Agent or the Company or any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, will survive delivery of and payment for the Shares sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.
Section 8. MISCELLANEOUS
(a) Press Releases and Disclosure. The Company may issue a press release describing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby as soon as practicable following the date of this Agreement, and may file with the Commission a Report on Form 6-K, with this Agreement attached as an exhibit thereto, describing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Company shall consult with the Agent prior to making such disclosures, and the parties hereto shall use all commercially reasonable efforts, acting in good faith, to agree upon a text for such disclosures that is reasonably satisfactory to all parties hereto. No party hereto shall issue thereafter any press release or like public statement (including, without limitation, any disclosure required in reports filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act) related to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby without the prior written approval of the other party hereto, except as may be necessary or appropriate in the reasonable opinion of the party seeking to make disclosure to comply with the requirements of applicable law or stock exchange rules. If any such press release or like public statement is so required, the party making such disclosure shall consult with the other party prior to making such disclosure, and the parties shall use all commercially reasonable efforts, acting in good faith, to agree upon a text for such disclosure that is reasonably satisfactory to all parties hereto.
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(b) No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including the determination of any fees, are arm’s-length commercial transactions between the Company and the Agent, (ii) when acting as a principal under this Agreement, the Agent is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its shareholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (iii) the Agent has not assumed nor will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Agent has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and the Agent does not have any obligation to the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (iv) the Agent and its respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (v) the Agent has not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.
(c) Research Analyst Independence. The Company acknowledges that the Agent’s research analysts and research departments are required to and should be independent from their respective investment banking divisions and are subject to certain regulations and internal policies, and as such the Agent’s research analysts may hold views and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Company or the offering that differ from the views of their respective investment banking divisions. The Company understands that the Agent is a full service securities firm and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short positions in debt or equity securities of the companies that may be the subject of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(d) Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or telecopied and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:
If to the Agent:
Jefferies LLC
520 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Attention: General Counsel
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Goodwin Procter, LLP
The New York Times Building
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
Attention: Benjamin K. Marsh, Esq.
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If to the Company:
Vertical Aerospace Ltd.
Unit 1 Camwal Court
Chapel Street
Bristol
BS2 OUW
United Kingdom
Attention: Legal Department
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
99 Bishopsgate
London EC2M 3XF
United Kingdom
Attention: Jennifer Gascoyne, Esq.
Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others in accordance with this Section 8(d).
(e) Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto, and to the benefit of the employees, officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 6, and in each case their respective successors, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. The term “successors” shall not include any purchaser of the Shares as such from the Agent merely by reason of such purchase.
(f) Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any Article, Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other Article, Section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Article, Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
(g) Governing Law Provisions. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in such state. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
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(h) Agent for Service of Process. The Company irrevocably appoints Cogency Global Inc., located at 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10168 as its authorized agent upon which process may be served in any such suit or proceeding, and agrees that service of process upon such authorized agent, and written notice of such service to the Company by the person serving the same to the address provided in this Section 20, shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any such suit or proceeding. The Company hereby represents and warrants that its authorized agent has accepted such appointment and has agreed to act as such authorized agent for service of process.
(i) Judgment Currency. The obligations of the Company pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any sum due to the Agent shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than U.S. dollars, not be discharged until the first business day following receipt by the Agent of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency on which (and only to the extent that) the Agent may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase U.S. dollars with such other currency. If the U.S. dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to the Agent hereunder, the Company agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Agent against such loss. If the U.S. dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to the Agent hereunder, the Agent agrees to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to the Agent hereunder.
(j) General Provisions. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument, and may be delivered by facsimile transmission or by electronic delivery of a portable document format (PDF) file. The words “execution,” “execute,” “signed,” “sign,” “signature,” and words of like import in or related to any document to be signed in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be deemed to include electronic signatures, or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper- based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. The Article and Section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.
[Signature Page Immediately Follows]
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company the enclosed copies hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms
| Very truly yours, | ||
| VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD. | ||
| By: | /s/ Stuart Simpson | |
| Name: Stuart Simpson | ||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||
The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by the Agent in New York, New York as of the date first above written.
JEFFERIES LLC
| By: | /s/ Michael Magarro | |
| Name: Michael Magarro | ||
| Title: Managing Director |
Signature Page to Open Market Sale Agreement
EXHIBIT A
ISSUANCE NOTICE
[Date]
Jefferies LLC
520 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Attn: [__________]
Reference is made to the Open Market Sale Agreement between Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (the “Company”) and Jefferies LLC (the “Agent”) dated as of September 5, 2025. The Company confirms that all conditions to the delivery of this Issuance Notice are satisfied as of the date hereof.
Date of Delivery of Issuance Notice (determined
pursuant to Section 3(b)(i)):
_______________________
Issuance Amount (equal to the total Sales Price for such Shares):
| $ | ||
| Number of days in selling period: |
| First date of selling period: |
| Last date of selling period: | ||
| Settlement Date(s) if other than standard T+1 settlement: | ||
Floor Price Limitation (in no event less than $1.00 without the prior written consent of the Agent, which consent may be withheld in the Agent’s sole discretion): $ ____ per share
| Comments: |
| VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Exhibit A-1
Schedule A
Notice Parties
The Company
Stuart Simpson
The Agent
Donald Lynaugh, Managing Director
Michael Magarro, Managing Director
Schedule A-1
Exhibit 5.1
| 5 September 2025 | Our Ref: AB/slh/ V1410-175594 |
Vertical Aerospace Ltd. c/o Walkers Corporate Limited 190 Elgin Avenue George Town Grand Cayman KY1-9008 Cayman Islands |
VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD.
We have been asked to provide this legal opinion to you with regard to the laws of the Cayman Islands in connection with the sale by Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (the “Company”) from time to time of up to $100,000,000 of ordinary shares par value US$0.001 per share in the Company (the "Ordinary Shares") under the terms of the Sales Agreement (as defined in Schedule 1) pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined in Schedule 1).
For the purposes of giving this opinion, we have examined and relied solely upon the originals or copies of the documents listed in Schedule 1.
We are Cayman Islands Attorneys at Law and express no opinion as to any laws other than the laws of the Cayman Islands in force and as interpreted at the date of this opinion. We have not, for the purposes of this opinion, made any investigation of the laws, rules or regulations of any other jurisdiction. Except as explicitly stated herein, we express no opinion in relation to any representation or warranty contained in the Sales Agreement nor upon matters of fact or the commercial terms of the transactions contemplated by the Sales Agreement.
Based upon the foregoing examinations and the assumptions and qualifications set out below and having regard to legal considerations which we consider relevant, and under the laws of the Cayman Islands, as at the date hereof, we give the following opinions in relation to the matters set out below.
| 1. | The Company is an exempted company duly incorporated with limited liability, validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and in good standing with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands (the "Registrar"). |
| 2. | The Ordinary Shares to be issued as contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Sales Agreement, have been duly authorised by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and upon the issue of the Ordinary Shares (by the entry of the name of the registered owner thereof in the Register of Members of the Company confirming that such Ordinary Shares have been issued and credited as fully paid), delivery and payment therefor by the purchaser in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles (as defined in Schedule 1) and in the manner contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Sales Agreement (as defined in Schedule 1), the Ordinary Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. |
Walkers
190 Elgin Avenue, George Town
Grand Cayman KY1-9001, Cayman Islands
T +1 345 949 0100 F +1 345 949 7886 www.walkersglobal.com
Bermuda | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Dubai | Guernsey | Hong Kong | Ireland | Jersey | London | Singapore
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The foregoing opinions are given based on the following assumptions.
| 1. | The originals of all documents examined in connection with this opinion are authentic. The signatures, initials and seals on a document or are, or will be, genuine and are, or will be, those of a person or persons with power to execute those documents or agreements. All documents purporting to be sealed have been, or will be, so sealed. All copies are complete and conform to their originals. The Sales Agreement when executed will conform in every material respect to the latest drafts of the same produced to us prior to the date hereof and, where provided in successive drafts, have been marked up to indicate all changes to the Sales Agreement. |
| 2. | The Memorandum and Articles will be the memorandum and articles of association of the Company in effect at the time of the issue of the Ordinary Shares. |
| 3. | Information contained in the Registration Statement and all other documents reviewed by us is true and correct. |
| 4. | At the time of the issuance of the Ordinary Shares, the Company will have sufficient authorised and unissued share capital available in order to issue the Ordinary Shares. |
| 5. | The Company will offer, issue and sell the Ordinary Shares in the manner contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Sales Agreement and otherwise in compliance with all applicable United States federal and state securities laws. |
| 6. | We have relied upon the statements and representations of directors, officers and other representatives of the Company as to factual matters. |
| 7. | The Company Records (as defined in Schedule 1) are complete and accurate and all matters required by law and the Memorandum and Articles of Association to be recorded therein are completely and accurately so recorded. |
| 8. | The Company will receive consideration in money or money’s worth for each Ordinary Share offered by the Company when issued at the agreed issue price as per the terms of the Registration Statement and the Sales Agreement, such price in any event not being less than the stated par or nominal value of each Ordinary Share. |
| 9. | The Sales Agreement has been duly authorised (other than by the Company with regard to the laws of the Cayman Islands), executed and delivered by or on behalf of all relevant parties and will constitute legal, valid, binding and enforceable obligations against all relevant parties in accordance with their terms. |
| 10. | The choice of the laws of the jurisdiction selected to govern the Sales Agreement has been made in good faith and will be regarded as a valid and binding selection which will be upheld in the courts of that jurisdiction and all relevant jurisdictions (other than the Cayman Islands). |
| Walkers | Page 3 |
| 11. | The power, authority and legal right of all parties under all relevant laws and regulations (other than the Company under the laws of the Cayman Islands) to enter into, execute and perform their respective obligations under the Sales Agreement. |
| 12. | The Resolutions (as defined in Schedule 1), as applicable, have been duly executed by or on behalf of each director of the Company and the signatures and initials thereon are those of a person or persons in whose name the Resolutions have been expressed to be signed. The Resolutions and any power of attorney given by the Company to execute the Sales Agreement will remain in force and effect and have not been and will not be revoked or varied. |
| 13. | All preconditions to the obligations of the parties to the Sales Agreement have been or will be satisfied or duly waived prior to the issuance of the Ordinary Shares and there will be no breach of the terms of the Sales Agreement. |
| 14. | There are no records of the Company (other than the records referred to in Schedule 1), agreements, documents or arrangements other than the documents expressly referred to herein which restrict the powers and authority of the directors of the Company in any way or which would affect any opinion given herein. |
| 15. | There is nothing under any law (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands) which would or might affect the opinions set out herein. |
In this opinion the phrase "non-assessable" means, with respect to the issuance of the Ordinary Shares, that a shareholder shall not, solely by virtue of its status as a shareholder, be liable for additional assessments or calls on such shares by the Company or its creditors (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).
Our opinion as to good standing is based solely upon receipt of the Certificate of Good Standing issued by the Registrar. The Company shall be deemed to be in good standing under section 200A of the Companies Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands (the "Companies Act") on the date of issue of the certificate if all fees and penalties under the Companies Act have been paid and the Registrar has no knowledge that the Company is in default under the Companies Act.
This opinion is limited to the matters referred to herein and shall not be construed as extending to any other matter or document not referred to herein. This opinion is given solely for your benefit and the benefit of your legal advisers acting in that capacity in relation to this transaction and may not be relied upon by any other person, other than persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the provisions of the United States Securities Act of 1933 (as amended), without our prior written consent.
This opinion shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Report on Form 6-K to be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and to the references to our firm, as Cayman Islands counsel to the Company, in the Registration Statement.
Yours faithfully
| /s/ Walkers (Cayman) LLP | |
| Walkers (CAYMAN) LLP |
| Walkers | Page 4 |
Schedule 1
LIST OF DOCUMENTS EXAMINED
| 1. | The Certificate of Incorporation dated 21 May 2021, Register of Directors and Register of Officers, in each case, of the Company, copies of which have been provided to us by its registered office in the Cayman Islands (together the "Company Records"), and the Fourth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association as adopted on 23 December 2024 (the "Memorandum and Articles"). |
| 2. | The Cayman Online Registry Information System (CORIS), the Cayman Islands' General Registry's online database, searched on 4 September 2025. |
| 3. | The Register of Writs and other Originating Process of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands kept at the Clerk of Court's Office, George Town, Grand Cayman, examined at 9.00 am on 4 September 2025. |
| 4. | A copy of a Certificate of Good Standing dated 4 September 2025 in respect of the Company issued by the Registrar (the "Certificate of Good Standing"). |
| 5. | A copy of the executed written resolutions of the directors of the Company dated 4 September 2025 (the "Resolutions"). |
| 6. | The Registration Statement on Form F-3, (Registration No. 333-287207) filed on 13 May 2025 by the Company with the Commission and effective on 16 May 2025 registering the Ordinary Shares under the Securities Act, together with the prospectus supplement filed on 5 September 2025 filed by the Company with the Commission in respect of the Ordinary Shares (the "Registration Statement"). |
| 7. | The Open Market Sale AgreementSM dated 5 September 2025 between the Company and Jefferies LLC (the "Sales Agreement"). |