Masonglory Ltd F-3, filed Oct 23, 2026
Masonglory Ltd (FFTT)
Masonglory Limited registered up to an aggregate $200,000,000 of Class A ordinary shares, debt securities, warrants, rights, and units for sale from time to time. Its Class A Ordinary Shares are listed on Nasdaq under “MSGY.” AI summary
As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on October 23, 2026
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM F-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
MASONGLORY LIMITED
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Cayman Islands | Not Applicable | |
| (State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
Room 8,
25/F, CRE Centre
889 Cheung Sha Wan
Kowloon
Hong Kong
+852 3997 3682
(Address and telephone number of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
Cogency Global Inc.
122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor
New York, New York 10168
At the address of the Company set forth above
(Name, address, and telephone number of agent for service)
With a Copy to:
Ningxin Sun, Esq.
Charles Wilson LLP
418 Broadway
Albany
New York, 12207
+852 9565 6373
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of the registration statement.
If only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.C. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.C. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.
Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act, or until this registration statement shall become effective on such date as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting any offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where such offer or sale is not permitted.
| SUBJECT TO COMPLETION | DATED October 23, 2026 |
PROSPECTUS
$200,000,000 of
Class A Ordinary Shares
Debt Securities
Warrants
Rights
and
Units
MASONGLORY LIMITED
This is an offering of securities of Masonglory Limited, a Cayman Islands holding company with limited liability. We may, from time to time, in one or more offerings, offer and sell up to an aggregate of $200,000,000 of Class A ordinary shares of par value US$0.0008 each (each, a “Class A Ordinary Share,” and, collectively, the “Class A Ordinary Shares”), debt securities, warrants, rights, and units, or any combination thereof, together or separately as described in this prospectus. In this prospectus, references to the term “Securities” refers, collectively, to our Class A Ordinary Shares, debt securities, warrants, rights, and units. The prospectus supplement for each offering of securities will describe in detail the plan of distribution for that offering. For general information about the distribution of the securities offered, please see “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus.
This prospectus provides a general description of the securities we may offer. We will provide the specific terms of the securities offered in one or more supplements to this prospectus. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you in connection with these offerings. You should read carefully this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement, and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference, before you invest in any of the securities offered. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus may add, update, or change information in this prospectus. This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell any securities unless accompanied by the applicable prospectus supplement.
Our Class A Ordinary Shares are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or “Nasdaq,” under the symbol “MSGY.” The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to other listings, if any, on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or other securities exchange of the securities covered by the prospectus supplement. On October 22, 2026, the last reported sale price of our Class A Ordinary Shares as reported by the Nasdaq Capital Market was $2.46 per share.
As of October 23, 2026, the aggregate market value of outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates, or public float, was approximately $11.90 million based on 1,474,147 outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates, and the last sale price of Class A Ordinary Shares as reported by the Nasdaq Capital Market of $8.07 per share on September 25, 2026, which was the highest closing price of Class A Ordinary Shares reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market within the last 60 days prior to the date of this filing. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.5 of Form F-3, in no event will we sell our securities in a public primary offering with a value exceeding more than one-third of our public float in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75 million. During the 12 calendar months prior to and including the date of this prospectus, we have not offered or sold any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.5 of Form F-3.
Investing in our Class A Ordinary Shares involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, please read the information under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 14 of this prospectus and risk factors set forth in our most recent annual report on Form 20-F (the “2026 Annual Report”) and in the registration statement on Form F-1, as amended (Registration No. 333-283046), originally filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 7, 2024 (the “Form F-1”), which are incorporated herein by reference. You should also review the risk factors in any other periodic reports incorporated herein by reference, and in any applicable prospectus supplement under the heading “Risk Factors.”
We may offer and sell the securities from time to time at fixed prices, at market prices, or at negotiated prices, to or through underwriters, to other purchasers, through agents, or through a combination of these methods. If any underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such underwriters and any applicable commissions or discounts will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The offering price of such securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement. See “Plan of Distribution” elsewhere in this prospectus for a more complete description of the ways in which the securities may be sold.
Investors are cautioned that you are buying shares of a Cayman Islands holding company with operations in Hong Kong by its Operating Subsidiary.
Masonglory is a Cayman Islands holding company with no material operations of its own, and we conduct our operations primarily in Hong Kong through our Operating Subsidiary (as defined below). References to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” in the prospectus are to Masonglory, the Cayman Islands entity that will issue the Ordinary Shares being offered. This is an offering of the Ordinary Shares of Masonglory, the Cayman Islands holding company, and not of the shares of the Operating Subsidiary. Investors in this offering may never directly hold any equity interests in the Operating Subsidiary.
Our operations are primarily located in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”), with its own governmental and legal system that is independent from mainland China and has its own distinct rules and regulations. Due to long-arm provisions under the current PRC laws and regulations, there remains regulatory uncertainty with respect to the implementation and interpretation of laws in China. We are subject to the risks of uncertainty about any future actions of the PRC government or authorities in Hong Kong in this regard. We may also be subject to unique risks due to the uncertainty of the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations.
Should the PRC government choose to exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business, they may intervene in or influence our operations. Such governmental actions:
| ● | could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our securities; |
| ● | could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to continue our operations; |
| ● | could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our securities to investors; and |
| ● | may cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless. |
The legal and operational risks associated in operating in the PRC also apply to the Operating Subsidiary’s operations in Hong Kong, and we face the risks and uncertainties associated with the complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations and as to whether and how the recent PRC government statements and regulatory developments, such as those relating to data and cyberspace security, and anti-monopoly concerns, would be applicable to the Operating Subsidiary and us, given the substantial operations of the Operating Subsidiary in Hong Kong and the possibilities that Chinese government may exercise significant oversight over the conduct of business in Hong Kong. In the event that the Operating Subsidiary is to become subject to laws and regulations of the PRC, these risks could result in material costs to ensure compliance, fines, material changes in our operations and/or the value of the securities we are registering for sale, and/or could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. For example, if the recent regulatory actions of the PRC government on data security, anti-monopoly or other data-related laws and regulations were to apply to us and/or our subsidiaries, we and/or our subsidiaries could become subject to certain anti-monopoly, cybersecurity and data privacy obligations, including the potential requirement to conduct a cybersecurity review for our public offerings on a foreign stock exchange, and the failure to meet such obligations could result in penalties and other regulatory actions against us and/or our subsidiaries and may materially and adversely affect our subsidiaries’ business and our results of operations. We believe that we and the Operating Subsidiary is not currently required to obtain permission from or complete filing procedure with the PRC and/or Hong Kong government authorities to list on a U.S. securities exchange and consummate this offering, including the permission requirement or complete filing procedure for any data security or anti-monopoly concerns. However, there is no guarantee that this will continue to be the case in the future in relation to the continued listing of our securities on a securities exchange in the United States, or even when such permission is obtained or such filing is completed, it will not be subsequently denied or rescinded. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in Jurisdictions We Operate — Our key operations are in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. According to the long-arm provisions under the current PRC laws and regulations, the PRC government may exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and may intervene in or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of the Shares. The PRC government may intervene or impose restrictions on our ability to move money out of Hong Kong to distribute earnings and pay dividends or to reinvest in our business outside of Hong Kong. Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may also be quick with little advance notice and our assertions and beliefs of the risk imposed by the PRC legal and regulatory system cannot be certain.” on page 4; and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in Jurisdictions We Operate — If the PRC government chooses to extend the oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in mainland China-based issuers to Hong Kong-based issuers, such action may significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer Ordinary Shares to investors and cause the value of our Ordinary Shares to significantly decline or be worthless” on page 9 of the 2026 Annual Report.
We are aware that recently the PRC government has initiated a series of regulatory actions and new policies to regulate business operations in certain areas in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using a variable interest entity (“VIE”) structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. See “Prospectus Summary — Recent Regulatory Developments in the PRC” beginning on page 9.
On August 20, 2021, the 30th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress voted and passed the “Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China” (“PRC Personal Information Protection Law”), which became effective on November 1, 2021. The PRC Personal Information Protection Law applies to the processing of personal information of natural persons within the territory of China that is carried out outside of China where (1) such processing is for the purpose of providing products or services for natural persons within China, (2) such processing is to analyze or evaluate the behavior of natural persons within China, or (3) there are any other circumstances stipulated by related laws and administrative regulations.
On December 24, 2021, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”), together with other relevant government authorities in mainland China, issued the Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments), and the Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (“Draft Overseas Listing Regulations”). The Draft Overseas Listing Regulations require that a PRC domestic enterprise seeking to issue and list its shares overseas (“Overseas Issuance and Listing”) shall complete the filing procedures and submit the relevant information to CSRC. The Overseas Issuance and Listing includes direct and indirect issuance and listing. Where an enterprise whose principal business activities are conducted in PRC seeks to issue and list its shares in the name of an overseas enterprise on the basis of the equity, assets, income, or other similar rights and interests of the relevant PRC domestic enterprise, such activities shall be deemed an indirect overseas issuance and listing under the Draft Overseas Listing Regulations.
On December 28, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”), jointly with the relevant authorities, formally published Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021), which took effect on February 15, 2022, and replaced the former Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2020) issued on July 10, 2021. The Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021) stipulates that operators of critical information infrastructure purchasing network products and services, and online platform operators (together with the operators of critical information infrastructure, the (“Operators”) carrying out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, shall conduct a cybersecurity review, and any online platform operator who controls more than one million users’ personal information must go through a cybersecurity review by the cybersecurity review office if it seeks to be listed in a foreign country.
On February 17, 2023, the CSRC released the Trial Measures for Administration of Overseas Securities Offerings and Listings by Domestic Companies and five interpretive guidelines (collectively, the “CSRC Filing Rules”), which came into effect on March 31, 2023. Under the CSRC Filing Rules, a filing based regulatory system shall be applied to “indirect overseas offerings and listings” of PRC domestic companies, which refers to securities offerings and listings in an overseas market made under the name of an offshore entity but based on the underlying equity, assets, earnings, or other similar rights of a domestic company that operates its main business domestically. The CSRC Filing Rules state that any post-listing follow-on offering by an issuer in the same overseas market, including issuance of shares, convertible notes, and other similar securities, shall be subject to filing requirement within three business days after the completion of the offering.
The Operating Subsidiary may collect and store certain data (including certain personal information) from our clients, who may be mainland China individuals, in connection with our business and operations and for “Know Your Customers” purposes (to combat money laundering). The Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021), PRC Data Security Law, the PRC Personal Information Protection Law, and the Draft Overseas Listing Regulations currently does not have an impact on our business, operations or this offering, nor are we or the Operating Subsidiary are covered by permission requirements from the CAC that is required to approve our Hong Kong subsidiaries’ operations and our offering, as our Hong Kong subsidiaries will not be deemed to be an “Operator” or a “data processor” that required to file for cybersecurity review before listing in the United States, because: (i) the Operating Subsidiary was incorporated in Hong Kong and operate only in Hong Kong without any subsidiary or VIE structure in mainland China and each of the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021), the Personal Information Protection Law and the Draft Overseas Listing Regulations does not clearly provide whether it shall be applied to a company based in Hong Kong; (ii) as of date of this prospectus, the Operating Subsidiary has in aggregate collected and stored personal information of far less than one million users; (iii) all of the data the Operating Subsidiary has collected is stored in servers located in Hong Kong, and we and the Operating Subsidiary do not place any reliance on collection and processing of any personal information to maintain our business operation; (iv) as of the date of this prospectus, our Operating Subsidiary has not been informed by any PRC governmental authority of any requirement that it files for a CSRC review, nor has received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanction in such respect initiated by the CAC or related governmental regulatory authorities; and (v) data processed in our business should not have a bearing on national security nor affect or may affect national security, and we and the Operating Subsidiary have not been notified by any authorities of being classified as an Operator. Moreover, pursuant to the Basic Law, PRC laws and regulations shall not be applied in Hong Kong except for those listed in Annex III of the Basic Law (which is confined to laws relating to national defense, foreign affairs and other matters that are not within the scope of autonomy). Therefore, based on the PRC laws and regulations effective as of the date of this prospectus and subject to interpretations of these laws and regulations that may be adopted by mainland China authorities, neither we, nor the Operating Subsidiary in Hong Kong are currently required to obtain any permission or approval from the mainland China government authorities, including the CSRC and CAC, to operate our business or to offer the securities being registered to foreign investors. As of the date of this prospectus, neither we nor the Operating Subsidiary have ever applied for any such permission or approval.
However, given the uncertainties arising from the legal system in mainland China and Hong Kong, including uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of the PRC laws and regulations and the significant authority of the PRC government to intervene or influence the offshore holding company headquartered in Hong Kong, there remains significant uncertainty in the interpretation and enforcement of Draft Overseas Listing Regulations, CSRC Filing Rules, PRC Personal Information Protection Law, relevant mainland China data privacy, cybersecurity laws and other regulations. Since the CSRC Filing Rules are newly promulgated, their interpretation, application and enforcement remain unclear and there also remains significant uncertainty as to the enactment, interpretation and implementation of other regulatory requirements related to overseas securities offerings and other capital markets activities. If the CSRC Filing Rules become applicable to us or the Operating Subsidiary in Hong Kong, if the Operating Subsidiary is deemed to be an “Operator”, or if the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021) or the PRC Personal Information Protection Law become applicable to the Operating Subsidiary in Hong Kong, the business operation of the Operating Subsidiary and the listing of our Ordinary Shares in the United States could be subject to the CAC’s cybersecurity review or the CSRC Overseas Issuance and Listing review in the future. While, we do not believe we are covered by the permission requirements from CSRC or CAC, investors of our company and our business may face potential uncertainty from actions taken by the PRC government affecting our business. If the applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and the Operating Subsidiary become subject to the CAC or CSRC review, we cannot assure you that the Operating Subsidiary will be able to comply with the regulatory requirements in all respects and our current practice of collecting and processing personal information may be ordered to be rectified or terminated by regulatory authorities. If we were required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future in connection with the listing or continued listing of our securities on a stock exchange outside of the PRC, it is uncertain how long it will take for us to obtain such approval, and, even if we obtain such approval, the approval could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or a delay in obtaining the necessary permissions from the PRC authorities to conduct offerings or list outside of the PRC may subject us to sanctions imposed by the PRC regulatory authorities, which could include fines and penalties, proceedings against us, and other forms of sanctions, and our ability to conduct our business, invest into the mainland China as foreign investments or accept foreign investments, ability to offer or continue to offer Ordinary Shares to investors or list on the U.S. or other overseas exchange may be restricted, and the value of our Ordinary Shares may significantly decline or be worthless, our business, reputation, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in Jurisdictions We Operate — If the PRC government chooses to extend the oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in mainland China-based issuers to Hong Kong-based issuers, such action may significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer Ordinary Shares to investors and cause the value of our Ordinary Shares to significantly decline or be worthless” on page 9 of the 2026 Annual Report.
The PRC government may intervene or influence our operations at any time and may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and foreign investment in Hong Kong-based issuers. The PRC government may also intervene or impose restrictions on our ability to move out of Hong Kong to distribute earnings and pay dividends or to reinvest in our business outside of Hong Kong. Furthermore, PRC regulatory authorities may in the future promulgate laws, regulations or implementing rules that require our company or any of our subsidiaries to obtain regulatory approval from PRC authorities before this offering. These actions could result in a material change in our operations and could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to complete this offering or cause the value of the Shares to significantly decline or become worthless. See “Prospectus Summary — Recent Regulatory Developments in the PRC” beginning on page 10.
Furthermore, as more stringent criteria, including the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCA Act”), have been recently imposed by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), recently, the Shares may be prohibited from trading if our auditor cannot be fully inspected. Our auditor, J&S Associate PLT, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included in this prospectus, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess J&S Associate PLT’s compliance with applicable professional standards. J&S Associate PLT is headquartered in Malaysia, and can be inspected by the PCAOB. As of the date of this prospectus, our auditor is not subject to the determinations announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021, relating to the PCAOB’s inability to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong because of a position taken by one or more authorities in the PRC or Hong Kong. On August 26, 2022, CSRC, the Ministry of Finance of the PRC (the “MOF”), and the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol (the “Protocol”), governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in China and Hong Kong. The Protocol remains unpublished and is subject to further explanation and implementation. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the SEC, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB will consider the need to issue a new determination. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in Jurisdictions We Operate — Although the audit report included in this report is prepared by PCAOB registered auditor who are currently inspectable by the PCAOB, there is no guarantee that future audit reports will be prepared by auditors inspectable by the PCAOB and, as such, in the future investors may be deprived of the benefits of the PCAOB inspection program. Furthermore, trading in our securities may be prohibited under the HFCA Act if the SEC subsequently determines our audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely, and as a result, U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq, may determine to delist our securities. Furthermore, on December 29, 2022, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “AHFCAA”) was enacted, which amended the HFCA Act by requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, and thus reduced the time before the Shares may be prohibited from trading or delisted” on page 10 of the 2026 Annual Report. We cannot assure you whether Nasdaq or other regulatory authorities will apply additional or more stringent criteria to us. Such uncertainty could cause the market price of the Shares to be materially and adversely affected.
Our management monitors the cash position of the Operating Subsidiary regularly and prepares budgets on a monthly basis to ensure it has the necessary funds to fulfil its obligations for the foreseeable future and to ensure adequate liquidity. In the event that there is a need for cash or a potential liquidity issue, it will be reported to our Chief Financial Officer and subject to approval by our board of directors (“Board of Directors”).
For Masonglory to transfer cash to its subsidiaries, Masonglory is permitted under the laws of the Cayman Islands and its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles (as defined below) to provide funding to our subsidiaries incorporated in the BVI (as defined below) and Hong Kong through loans or capital contributions. Masonglory’s subsidiary incorporated under the laws of the BVI is permitted under the laws of the BVI to provide funding to the Operating Subsidiary subject to certain restrictions set forth in the BVI Business Companies Act, Revised Edition 2020 and the memorandum and articles of association of the relevant Masonglory’s subsidiary incorporated under the laws of the BVI. As a holding company, Masonglory may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by its subsidiaries for its cash and financing requirements. According to the BVI Business Companies Act, Revised Edition 2020, a BVI company may make dividends distribution to the extent that immediately after the distribution, the value of the company’s assets exceeds its liabilities and that such company is able to pay its debts as they fall due. According to the Companies Ordinance of Hong Kong, a Hong Kong company may only make a distribution out of profits available for distribution. If any of Masonglory’s subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to Masonglory. During the fiscal years ended March 31, 2026, 2025 and 2024, Masonglory did not declare or pay any dividends and there was no transfer of assets among Masonglory and its subsidiaries. We do not have any current intentions to distribute further earnings. If we decide to pay dividends on any of the Shares in the future, as a holding company, we will be dependent on receipt of funds from the Operating Subsidiary by way of dividend payments. See “Dividend Policy” on page 84 of the 2026 Annual Report, and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Ordinary Shares — We rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our subsidiaries to fund our cash and financing requirements, and any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business” on page 23 of the 2026 Annual Report, for further details.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “foreign private issuer” as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Summary — Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer” for additional information.
The information contained or incorporated in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of our securities.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2026.
We are responsible for the information contained and incorporated by reference in this prospectus, in any accompanying prospectus supplement, and in any related free writing prospectus we prepare or authorize. We have not authorized anyone to give you any other information, and we take no responsibility for any other information that others may give you. If you are in a jurisdiction where offers to sell, or solicitations of offers to purchase, the securities offered by this documentation are unlawful, or if you are a person to whom it is unlawful to direct these types of activities, then the offer presented in this document does not extend to you. The information contained in this document speaks only as of the date of this document, unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies. Neither the delivery of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, nor any sale of securities made under these documents, will, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date of this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus we may provide you in connection with an offering or that the information contained or incorporated by reference is correct as of any time subsequent to the date of such information. You should assume that the information in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, as well as the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, is accurate only as of the date of the documents containing the information, unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
i
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings, up to a total dollar amount of US$200,000,000.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not contain all the information included in the registration statement. We have omitted parts of the registration statement in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. Statements in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement about the provisions or contents of any agreement or other documents are not necessarily complete. If the SEC rules and regulations require that an agreement or other document be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, please see that agreement or document for a complete description of the matters. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or other offering materials together with additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” before investing in any of the securities offered.
Each time we sell securities under this shelf registration, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain certain specific information about the terms of that offering, including a description of any risks related to the offering. A prospectus supplement may also add, update, or change information contained in this prospectus (including documents incorporated herein by reference). If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement. The registration statement we filed with the SEC includes exhibits that provide more details on the matters discussed in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the related exhibits filed with the SEC and the accompanying prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the headings “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” before investing in any of the securities offered.
The information in this prospectus is accurate as of the date on the front cover. The information incorporated by reference into this prospectus is accurate as of the date of the document from which the information is incorporated. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any other date.
You should rely only on the information provided or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in the prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with additional or different information. This document may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities.
As permitted by SEC rules and regulations, the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part includes additional information not contained in this prospectus. You may read the registration statement and the other reports we file with the SEC at its website or at its offices described under “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
ii
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references in this prospectus to:
| ● | ‘‘Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles’’ refers to the second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of our Company, adopted by a special resolution of our shareholders passed on July 31, 2026, as the same may be amended from time to time; |
| ● | “BVI” refers to the British Virgin Islands; |
| ● | “Companies Act” refers to the Companies Act (as revised) of the Cayman Islands, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time; |
| ● | “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “Masonglory” refers to Masonglory Limited, an exempted Company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands on February 21, 2024, that will issue the Ordinary Shares being offered and does not include its subsidiaries, Masonglory BVI and Masontech. |
| ● | “Controlling Shareholders” refer to the ultimate beneficial owner of the Company, who are Mr. Tse Shing Fung and Mr. Tse Tsz Tun, who hold their interests in our Company through Fung & Tun Limited. See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees” and “Item 6.E. Share Ownership” of the 2026 Annual Report for more information; |
| ● | “Exchange Act” refers to the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; |
| ● | “Group” refers to the Company and its subsidiaries, Masonglory BVI and Masontech; |
| ● | “HKD” or “HK$” refers to Hong Kong dollar(s), the lawful currency of Hong Kong; |
| ● | “Hong Kong” refers to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China; |
| ● | “mainland China” refers to the PRC (excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan); |
| ● | “Masonglory BVI” refers to Masonglory (BVI) Limited, a BVI business company limited by shares incorporated in the BVI, a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Masonglory; |
| ● | “Nasdaq” refers to Nasdaq Stock Market LLC; |
| ● | “Operating Subsidiary” refers to Masontech Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability, an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of Masonglory and our sole operating subsidiary in Hong Kong; |
| ● | “Class A Ordinary Shares” refer to our class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0008 each, each carrying one (1) vote; “Class B Ordinary Shares” refer to our class B ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0008 each, each carrying fifty (50) votes; “Ordinary Shares” or “Shares” refer to our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, collectively; |
| ● | “our Group” or “the Group” refers to Masonglory Limited and its subsidiaries; |
| ● | “PCAOB” refers to Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; |
| ● | “PRC” or “China” refers to the People’s Republic of China; |
| ● | “PRC government” or “PRC authorities,” or variations of such words or similar expressions, refer to the central, provincial, and local governments of all levels in mainland China, including regulatory and administrative authorities, agencies and commissions, or any court, tribunal or any other judicial or arbitral body in mainland China; |
| ● | “PRC laws” refer to all applicable laws, statutes, rules, regulations, ordinances and other pronouncements having the binding effect of law in mainland China; |
| ● | “SEC” or “Securities and Exchange Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission; |
| ● | “Securities Act” refers to the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended; |
| ● | “U.S. dollars” or “$” or “USD” or “dollars” refers to United States dollar(s), the lawful currency of the United States. |
We have made rounding adjustments to some of the figures included in this prospectus. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that preceded them.
iii
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, and our SEC filings that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus contain or incorporate by reference forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements,” including any projections of earnings, revenue or other financial items, any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives of management for future operations, any statements concerning proposed new projects or other developments, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, any statements of management’s beliefs, goals, strategies, intentions, and objectives, and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. The words “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “potential,” “likely,” “projects,” “continue,” “will,” and “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. We cannot guarantee that we actually will achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations expressed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements. These important factors include those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in the applicable prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus we may authorize for use in connection with a specific offering. These factors and the other cautionary statements made in this prospectus should be read as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements whenever they appear in this prospectus. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
iv
Overview
We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with operations conducted in Hong Kong by our Operating Subsidiary, Masontech Limited. We have been engaged in the provision of wet trades services and other ancillary services as a subcontractor in Hong Kong since 2018. As a subcontractor, we provide our customers with comprehensive wet trades works solutions, which principally include (i) plastering on floors, ceilings and walls, (ii) tile laying on internal and external walls and floors, (iii) brick laying, (iv) floor screeding, and (v) marble works. In recognition of our achievements in the wet trades industry in Hong Kong, our Operating Subsidiary has been granted registration as a Group 2 Registered Specialist Trade Contractor under the Registered Specialist Trade Contractors Scheme (formerly known as the Subcontractor Registration Scheme) of the Construction Industry Council since 2020.
Our direct customers are generally main contractors of various building construction projects in Hong Kong and the ultimate owners of the projects undertaken by us mainly include property developers in Hong Kong as well as the Hong Kong government. Our project portfolio consists mainly of private sectors projects in Hong Kong, which include both private residential development and commercial development. We also engage in public sector projects in Hong Kong, which include infrastructure and public facilities developments, although to a lesser extent. We take pride in the quality of works which we deliver and we have developed stable relationship with a majority of our customers over the years.
For the years ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, our customers were primarily main contractors of property development and civil engineering projects in Hong Kong. Our five largest customers accounted for 99.3% and 100% of our revenue for the years ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively. For the years ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, three and four of our customers generated income which accounted for more than 10% of our annual revenue, respectively.
Our Competitive Strengths
We believe the following competitive strengths differentiate us from our competitors:
| ● | We have an established track record in the wet trades industry in Hong Kong; |
| ● | Long-term and stable relationship with our major customers; |
| ● | Strong network of pre-approved suppliers; |
| ● | Implementation of stringent quality assurance system; and |
| ● | Experienced and professional management team. |
Our Strategies
We intend to pursue the following strategies to further expand our business:
| ● | Expand our workforce; |
| ● | Acquisition of additional machineries; |
| ● | Diversifying our project portfolio; and |
| ● | Strengthening our marketing efforts. |
1
Corporate History and Structure
Our Operating Subsidiary, Masontech Limited, was incorporated as a company with limited liability under the laws of Hong Kong in September 2018.
Masonglory was incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands in February 2024. Masonglory’s direct subsidiary is Masonglory (BVI), a BVI company incorporated in February 2024 and the holding company of Masontech Limited.
On February 21, 2024, one (1) ordinary share was allotted and issued as fully paid to an initial subscriber, an independent third party, which was subsequently transferred to Mr. Tse Tsz Tun. On February 29, 2024, one (1) ordinary share was allotted and issued as fully paid to Mr. Tse Shing Fung at a consideration of US$0.0001.
On March 21, 2024, each of the Controlling Shareholders entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Masonglory (BVI), pursuant to which the Controlling Shareholders sold, and Masonglory (BVI) purchased from the Controlling Shareholders a total of twenty (20) ordinary shares in the Operating Subsidiary (representing the entire issued share capital of the Operating Subsidiary), at an aggregate consideration of HK$20.00. After the acquisition, Masonglory (BVI) became the sole shareholder of the Operating Subsidiary.
On March 25, 2024, as part of the reorganization for the purpose of this offering, each of the Controlling Shareholders entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Masonglory, pursuant to which the Controlling Shareholders sold, and Masonglory purchased from the Controlling Shareholders a total of two (2) ordinary shares of Masonglory (BVI) (representing the entire issued share capital of Masonglory (BVI)), at an aggregate consideration of US$0.0002. After the acquisition, Masonglory became the ultimate holding company of Masonglory (BVI) and the Operating Subsidiary.
On March 25, 2024, each of the Controlling Shareholders entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Fung & Tun Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of the BVI and jointly owned by the Controlling Shareholders (each holding one (1) Ordinary Share), pursuant to which each of the Controlling Shareholders sold, and Fung & Tun Limited purchased from the Controlling Shareholders a total of two (2) ordinary shares (representing the entire issued share capital of the Company), at an aggregate consideration US$0.0002. After the acquisition, Fung and Tun Limited, via its direct holding in Masonglory, became the ultimate holding company of the Operating Subsidiary.
Subsequently, on June 14, 2024, Masonglory allotted and issued 11,499,998 ordinary shares at a par value of US$0.0001 per Ordinary Share, credited as fully-paid in its share capital, to Fung & Tun Limited. Also on June 14, 2024, Masonglory allotted and issued 500,000 ordinary shares to each of Vision Win Enterprises Limited and Main Works International Limited for a consideration of HK$640,000, representing 4% and 4%, respectively, of the enlarged entire issued share capital of the Company immediately upon completion of the above transactions.
Vision Win Enterprises Limited and Main Works International Limited, all of whom and their ultimate beneficial owners have no affiliation with us.
On July 9, 2025, Masonglory completed its initial public offering of 1,500,000 ordinary shares at a price of US$4.00 per share and listed its Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “MSGY”. On January 9, 2026, the Company issued 2,732,000 Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Company’s registration statement on Form S-8 filed on December 10, 2025.
On July 31, 2026, the shareholders of the Company approved at an extraordinary general meeting, among other things, (i) the consolidation of every eight (8) issued and unissued shares of par value US$0.0001 each into one (1) share of par value US$0.0008 each (the “Share Consolidation”) and (ii) immediately after the Share Consolidation, the reclassification of the authorized share capital of the Company into 60,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares of par value US$0.0008 each and 2,500,000 Class B Ordinary Shares of par value US$0.0008 each, with the 682,500 issued shares held by Fung & Tun Limited re-designated as Class B Ordinary Shares and each other issued share re-designated as a Class A Ordinary Share, and adopted the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles. The Class A Ordinary Shares have continued to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “MSGY”.
2
On August 12, 2026, the Company entered into a share swap agreement with the holder of a 49% equity interest in Beta Beteiligungs und Besitz GmbH, a private limited liability company organized under the laws of the Republic of Austria, and the beneficial owner of such holder, pursuant to which the Company agreed to allot and issue an aggregate of 1,377,000 Class A Ordinary Shares as consideration for the transfer to a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company of 20% of the equity interests in such target company, which is engaged in the trading and distribution of construction materials in Continental Europe. The acquisition of the 20% equity interest in the Target was deemed significant under Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X, and the following separate financial statements of the Target are incorporated by reference into this prospectus from our Report on Form 6-K furnished with the SEC on October 22, 2026 (the “Beta 6-K”), as Exhibits 99.1, 99.2 and 99.3, respectively: (i) the audited consolidated financial statements of the Target as of and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, together with the report of the independent registered public accounting firm thereon; (ii) the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Target as of and for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025; and (iii) the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for the year ended March 31, 2026 and as of March 31, 2026, giving effect to the acquisition of the Target.
On September 25, 2026, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with four investors in a private placement and, on October 5, 2026, completed the issuance of an aggregate of 667,000 Class A Ordinary Shares at a purchase price of US$1.50 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of US$1,000,500, together with Series A warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 667,000 Class A Ordinary Shares at an exercise price of US$1.30 per share and Series B warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 667,000 Class A Ordinary Shares at an exercise price of US$1.10 per share.
The chart below illustrates our corporate structure and identifies our subsidiaries as of the date of this prospectus:

Recent Developments
On August 12, 2026, the Company entered into a share swap agreement with the holder of a 49% equity interest in Beta Beteiligungs und Besitz GmbH, a private limited liability company organized under the laws of the Republic of Austria (the “Target”), and the beneficial owner of such holder, pursuant to which such holder agreed to transfer 20% of the equity interests in the Target to a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and, as consideration therefor, the Company allotted and issued to such beneficial owner an aggregate of 1,377,000 Class A Ordinary Shares. The number of consideration shares was determined by reference to a valuation of 100% of the equity interests in the Target of US$23,400,000 performed by an independent third-party valuation firm, and a price per Class A Ordinary Share of US$3.40, which was determined by reference to the closing bid price of the Class A Ordinary Shares of US$3.43 on August 11, 2026.
The Target, operating under the BETA Wellness brand, is engaged in the trading and distribution of construction materials, principally bathtubs, hot tubs and swim spas, in Continental Europe, which is complementary to the Company’s existing wet trades and construction materials services business, and the transaction represents a horizontal, synergistic expansion of the Company’s geographic footprint and construction materials product portfolio into Continental Europe. BETA Wellness is a leading retailer of premium outdoor wellness products in Austria and Central Europe, specializing in high-quality whirlpools, swim spas, saunas and related health and leisure products, with seven large-scale experience showrooms in Austria, a business network extending to Southern Germany, Northern Italy and Eastern Switzerland, and an AI-powered smart spa management system integrated into the central control units of its spa equipment.
3
Holding Company Structure
Masonglory is a Cayman Islands holding company with no material operations of its own, and we conduct our operations primarily in Hong Kong through the Operating Subsidiary. This is an offering of the Ordinary Shares of Masonglory, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, instead of the shares of the Operating Subsidiary. Investors in this offering will not directly hold any equity interests in the Operating Subsidiary.
As a result of our corporate structure, Masonglory’s ability to pay dividends may depend upon dividends paid by the Operating Subsidiary. If our Operating Subsidiary or any newly formed ones incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us.
Transfers of Cash To and From Our Subsidiaries
Our management monitors the cash position of the Operating Subsidiary regularly and prepares budgets on a monthly basis to ensure it has the necessary funds to fulfil its obligations for the foreseeable future and to ensure adequate liquidity. In the event that there is a need for cash or a potential liquidity issue, it will be reported to our Chief Financial Officer and subject to approval by the board of directors.
No regulatory approval is required for Masonglory to transfer cash to its subsidiaries is subject to the following: Masonglory is permitted under the laws of the Cayman Islands and its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles to provide funding to our subsidiaries incorporated in the BVI and Hong Kong through loans or capital contributions. Masonglory’s subsidiary formed under the laws of the BVI is permitted under the laws of the BVI to provide funding to the Operating Subsidiary subject to certain restrictions laid down in the BVI Business Companies Act, Revised Edition 2020 and the memorandum and articles of association of the relevant Masonglory’s subsidiary incorporated under the laws of the BVI.
The ability of Masonglory BVI, the direct subsidiary of Masonglory, to transfer cash to Masonglory is subject to the following: according to the BVI Business Companies Act, Revised Edition 2020, Masonglory BVI may make dividends distribution to the extent that immediately after the distribution, the value of the company’s assets exceeds its liabilities and that such company is able to pay its debts as they fall due.
The ability of our Operating Subsidiary to transfer cash to Masonglory BVI is subject to the following: according to the Companies Ordinance of Hong Kong, our Operating Subsidiary may only make a distribution out of profits available for distribution. Other than the above, we did not adopt or maintain any cash management policies and procedures as of the date of this prospectus.
During the fiscal years ended March 31, 2026, 2025 and 2024, Masonglory did not declare or pay any dividends and there was no transfer of assets among Masonglory and its subsidiaries.
If we determine to pay dividends on any of the Shares in the future, as a holding company, we will be dependent on receipt of funds from our subsidiaries by way of dividend payments. Masonglory is permitted under the laws of Cayman Islands and its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles to provide funding to its subsidiaries through loans or capital contributions. The Operating Subsidiary is permitted under the laws of Hong Kong to provide funding to Masonglory through dividend distributions without restrictions on the amount of the funds distributed.
We currently intend to retain all available funds and future earnings, if any, for the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate declaring or paying any dividends in the foreseeable future. Subject to the Cayman Islands laws and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands exempted company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from the operating entities, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations, and hence there is no assurance that we will be able to pay dividends to our shareholders.
4
The Cayman Islands does not impose a withholding tax on payments of dividends to shareholders in the Cayman Islands.
Under Hong Kong law, dividends could only be paid out of distributable profits (that is, accumulated realized profits less accumulated realized losses) or other distributable reserves, as permitted under Hong Kong law. Dividends cannot be paid out of share capital. There are no restrictions or limitation under the laws of Hong Kong imposed on the conversion of HK dollar into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of Hong Kong, nor there is any restriction on foreign exchange to transfer cash between Masonglory and its subsidiaries, across borders and to U.S. investors, nor there is any restrictions and limitations to distribute earnings from our business and subsidiaries, to Masonglory and U.S. investors and amounts owed. Under the current practice of the Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong, no tax is payable in Hong Kong in respect to dividends paid by us.
Since Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the PRC and the basic policies of the PRC regarding Hong Kong are reflected in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, or the Basic Law, providing Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy and executive, legislative and independent judicial powers, including that of final adjudication under the principle of “one country, two systems.” The PRC laws and regulations do not currently have any material impact on transfer of cash from Masonglory to our Operating Subsidiary nor from our Operating Subsidiary to Masonglory and the investors in the U.S. There is currently no restriction or limitation under the laws and regulations of the PRC on currency conversion control do not currently have any material impact on the transfer of cash between the ultimate holding company and our Operating Subsidiary in Hong Kong. However, the PRC government may, in the future, impose restrictions or limitations on our ability to move money out of Hong Kong to distribute earnings and pay dividends to and from the other entities within our organization or to reinvest in our business outside of Hong Kong. Such restrictions and limitations, if imposed in the future, may delay or hinder the expansion of our business to outside of Hong Kong and may affect our ability to receive funds from our Operating Subsidiary in Hong Kong. The promulgation of new laws or regulations, or the new interpretation of existing laws and regulations, in each case, that restrict or otherwise unfavorably impact our ability to conduct our business could require us to change certain aspects of our business to ensure compliance; decrease demand for our services; reduce revenues; increase costs; require us to obtain more licenses, permits, approvals, or certificates; or subject us to additional liabilities. To the extent any new or more stringent measures are implemented, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected and the value of our Ordinary Shares could decrease or become worthless.
See “Dividend Policy” on page 84 of the 2026 Annual Report, “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Ordinary Shares — We rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our subsidiaries to fund our cash and financing requirements, and any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business” on page 23 of the 2026 Annual Report, “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in Jurisdictions We Operate — Our key operations are in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. According to the long-arm provisions under the current PRC laws and regulations, the PRC government may exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and may intervene in or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of the Shares. The PRC government may intervene or impose restrictions on our ability to move money out of Hong Kong to distribute earnings and pay dividends or to reinvest in our business outside of Hong Kong. Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may also be quick with little advance notice and our assertions and beliefs of the risk imposed by the PRC legal and regulatory system cannot be certain” on page 4 of the 2026 Annual Report, and the consolidated statements of changes in shareholders’ equity in the audited financial statements incorporated by reference in this prospectus, for more information.
5
Summary of Key Risks
Investing in our securities involves significant risks. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus before making an investment in our securities. Below please find a summary of the principal risks we face, organized under relevant headings. These risks are discussed more fully under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” in the 2026 Annual Report and in the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-283046).
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
| ● | A significant portion of our revenue was generated from contracts awarded by a limited number of customers, and any significant decrease in the number of projects with our major customers may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. |
| ● | Our revenue is mainly derived from projects which are non-recurrent in nature and there is no guarantee that our customers will provide us with new businesses. |
| ● | Failure to maintain safe construction sites and/or implement our safety management system may lead to the occurrence of personal injuries, property damages, fatal accidents or suspension or non-renewal of our registration under the Registered Specialist Trade Contractors Scheme of the Construction Industry Council. |
| ● | Unsatisfactory performance by our subcontractors or unavailability of subcontractors may adversely affect our operation and profitability. |
| ● | Any material inaccurate cost estimation or cost overruns may adversely affect our financial results. |
| ● | Rising costs and limited supply of raw materials may increase our costs and affect our performance. |
| ● | The total actual value of work done may differ from the original estimated contract sum stated in our contracts with customers. |
| ● | Cash inflows and outflows in connection with wet trades projects may be irregular and, thus, may affect our net cash flow position. |
| ● | Our performance depends on market conditions and trends in the wet trades industry and if there is any slowdown (in terms of transaction volume and price) of the property market in Hong Kong, the availability of wet trades works projects in Hong Kong may decrease significantly. |
| ● | We face keen competition from other players in the market. |
| ● | Our Group is dependent on key personnel and there is no assurance that our Group can retain them. |
| ● | Our ability to successfully tender for and undertake new projects is limited by the availability of our project management staff and subcontractors. |
| ● | Failure to complete our projects on a reliable and timely basis could materially affect our reputation, our financial performance or may subject us to claim. |
| ● | Amounts included in our backlog may not result in actual revenue or translate into profits. Our backlog is subject to cancellation and unexpected adjustments and therefore is an uncertain indicator of future results of operations. |
| ● | There is no assurance that we will be able to renew our registration under the Registered Specialist Trade Contractors Scheme of the Construction Industry Council. |
| ● | Our insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover potential liabilities. |
| ● | Our profitability may be affected by the potential increase in depreciation expenses and staff costs upon our planned acquisition of additional machinery and motor vehicles and our planned recruitment of additional staff. |
| ● | Possible difficulty in recruiting sufficient labour may hinder our future business strategies. |
| ● | Our business plans and strategies may not be successful or be achieved within the expected time frame or within the estimated budget. |
| ● | If we fail to comply with applicable anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, our reputation may be harmed and we could be subject to penalties and significant expenses that have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
| ● | We and the Operating Subsidiary are exposed to potential disruptions and risks from unforeseen disasters or crises. | |
| ● | We may be a party to legal proceedings from time to time and we cannot assure you that such legal proceedings will not have a material adverse impact on our business. |
Risks Relating to Our Acquisition
| ● | We hold only a minority, non-controlling interest in the Target and have limited ability to influence its business; | |
| ● | Failure to realize synergy effects of the share swap transaction; | |
| ● | Valuation decline and substantial asset impairment; and | |
| ● | Potential cooling of the outdoor wellness products market impacting the Target’s business. |
6
Risks Relating to Doing Business in Hong Kong
| ● | Our key operations are in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. According to the long-arm provisions under the current PRC laws and regulations, the PRC government may exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and may intervene in or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of the Shares. The PRC government may intervene or impose restrictions on our ability to move money out of Hong Kong to distribute earnings and pay dividends or to reinvest in our business outside of Hong Kong. Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may also be quick with little advance notice and our assertions and beliefs of the risk imposed by the PRC legal and regulatory system cannot be certain. |
| ● | There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC and Hong Kong laws, rules, and regulations. |
| ● | Adverse regulatory developments in China may subject us to additional regulatory review, and additional disclosure requirements and regulatory scrutiny to be adopted by the SEC in response to risks related to recent regulatory developments in China may impose additional compliance requirements for companies like us with Hong Kong-based operations, all of which could increase our compliance costs and subject us to additional disclosure requirements. |
| ● | We may become subject to a variety of PRC laws and other obligations regarding data security offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, and any failure to comply with applicable laws and obligations could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations and may hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer the Shares to investors and cause the value of the Shares to significantly decline or be worthless. |
| ● | If the PRC government chooses to extend the oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in mainland China-based issuers to Hong Kong-based issuers, such action may significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer Ordinary Shares to investors and cause the value of our Ordinary Shares to significantly decline or be worthless. |
| ● | Although the audit report included in this prospectus is prepared by PCAOB registered auditor who are currently inspectable by the PCAOB, there is no guarantee that future audit reports will be prepared by auditors inspectable by the PCAOB and, as such, in the future investors may be deprived of the benefits of the PCAOB inspection program. Furthermore, trading in our securities may be prohibited under the HFCA Act if the SEC subsequently determines our audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely, and as a result, U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq, may determine to delist our securities. Furthermore, on December 29, 2022, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was enacted, which amended the HFCA Act by requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, and thus reduced the time before the Shares may be prohibited from trading or delisted. |
| ● | The recent joint statement by the SEC, proposed rule changes submitted by Nasdaq, and an act passed by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies. These developments could add uncertainties to our offering, business operations, share price, and reputation. |
| ● | The effect of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (“HKAA”) and other U.S. government policies in response to the enactment of Law of the PRC on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the “Hong Kong National Security Law”) could impact our Operating Subsidiary. |
| ● | If we become subject to the recent scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity involving U.S.-listed China-based companies, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate and/or defend the matter, which could harm our business operations, this offering, and our reputation and could result in a loss of your investment in the Shares, in particular if such matter cannot be addressed and resolved favorably. |
| ● | A downturn in the political and socioeconomic conditions in Hong Kong, mainland China, or the global economy, or a change in the economic and political policies of China, could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition. |
7
| ● | Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the price of the Shares. |
| ● | There are political risks associated with conducting business in Hong Kong. |
| ● | The Hong Kong legal system embodies uncertainties that could limit the availability of legal protections. |
| ● | You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in Hong Kong against us or our management named in this prospectus based on Hong Kong laws. |
| ● | Changes in international trade policies, trade disputes, barriers to trade, or the emergence of a trade war may dampen growth in Hong Kong, where the majority of our clients reside. |
| ● | Heightened tensions in international relations, particularly between the United States and China, may adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. |
Risks Relating to our Ordinary Shares
| ● | The trading price of the Shares may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to you. |
| ● | We rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our subsidiaries to fund our cash and financing requirements, and any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business. |
| ● | We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, shareholders could lose confidence in our financial and other public reporting, which could harm the trading price of our Ordinary Shares. |
| ● | If we fail to meet applicable listing requirements, Nasdaq may delist the Shares from trading, in which case the liquidity and market price of the Shares could decline. |
| ● | Our directors, officers, and principal shareholders have significant voting power and may take actions that may not be in the best interests of our other shareholders. |
| ● | The board of directors may decline to register the transfer of Ordinary Shares in certain circumstances. |
| ● | Because the amount, timing, and whether or not we distribute dividends at all is entirely at the discretion of the board of directors, you must rely on price appreciation of the Shares for return on your investment. |
| ● | Our management has broad discretion to determine how to use the funds raised in the offering and may use them in ways that may not enhance our results of operations or the price of the Shares. |
| ● | Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud. |
| ● | Securities analysts may not publish favorable research or reports about our business or may publish no information at all, which could cause our Ordinary Share price or trading volume to decline. |
| ● | Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable. |
| ● | You may have more difficulties protecting your interests than you would as a shareholder of a U.S. corporation. |
| ● | Cayman Islands economic substance requirements may have an effect on our business and operations. |
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| ● | We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and, as such, we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies. |
| ● | As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. |
| ● | We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses. |
| ● | There can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders of the Shares. |
| ● | We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements. |
| ● | We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an “emerging growth company.” |
| ● | As a “controlled company” under the rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, we may choose to exempt our Company from certain corporate governance requirements that could have an adverse effect on our public shareholders. In addition, the interests of our Controlling Shareholders may not be the same as or may even conflict with your interests. |
Recent Regulatory Developments in the PRC
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the PRC and the basic policies of the PRC regarding Hong Kong are reflected in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, or the Basic Law, which is a national law of the PRC and the constitutional document for Hong Kong. The Basic Law provides Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy and executive, legislative and independent judicial powers, including that of final adjudication under the principle of “one country, two systems.” However, there is no assurance that there will not be any changes in the economic, political and legal environment in Hong Kong in the future. If there is a significant change to current political arrangements between mainland China and Hong Kong, companies operating in Hong Kong may face similar regulatory risks as those operated in the PRC, including their ability to offer securities to investors, list their securities on a U.S. or other foreign exchange, and conduct their business or accept foreign investment. In light of PRC government’s recent expansion of authority in Hong Kong, there are risks and uncertainties which we cannot foresee for the time being, and rules, regulations and the enforcement of laws in the PRC can change quickly with little or no advance notice. The PRC government may intervene or influence the current and future operations in Hong Kong at any time or may exert more oversight and control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in issuers like ourselves. Any actions by the PRC government to exert more oversight and control over offerings (including of businesses whose primary operations are in Hong Kong) that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investments in Hong Kong-based issuers could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. If there is a significant change to current political arrangements between mainland China and Hong Kong, or the applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change, and, in such event, if we are required to obtain such approvals in the future and we do not receive or maintain the approvals or is denied permission from mainland China or Hong Kong authorities, we will not be able to list our Ordinary Shares on a U.S. exchange, or continue to offer securities to investors, which would materially affect the interests of the investors and cause significant the value of our Ordinary Shares significantly decline or be worthless.
We are aware that, recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in certain areas in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using VIE structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. For example, on July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued a document to crack down on illegal activities in the securities market and promote the high-quality development of the capital market, which, among other things, requires the relevant governmental authorities to strengthen cross-border oversight of law enforcement and judicial cooperation, to enhance supervision over China-based companies listed overseas, and to establish and improve the system of extraterritorial application of the PRC securities laws. Also, on July 10, 2021, the CAC issued a revised draft of the Measures for Cybersecurity Review for public comments (the “Revised Draft”), which required that, in addition to “operators of critical information infrastructure,” any “data processor” controlling personal information of no less than one million users that seeks to list in a foreign stock exchange should also be subject to cybersecurity review, and it further elaborated the factors to be considered when assessing the national security risks of the relevant activities.
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On December 24, 2021, the CSRC released the Administrative Provisions of the State Council Regarding the Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Enterprises (Draft for Comments) (the “Draft Administrative Provisions”) and the Measures for the Overseas Issuance of Securities and Listing Record-Filings by Domestic Enterprises (Draft for Comments) (together with the Draft Administrative Provisions, the “Draft Rules Regarding Overseas Listing”). The Draft Rules Regarding Overseas Listing lays out the filing regulation arrangement for both direct and indirect overseas listing and clarifies the determination criteria for indirect overseas listing in overseas markets. Among other things, if a domestic enterprise intends to indirectly offer and list securities in an overseas market, the record-filing obligation is with a major operating entity incorporated in the PRC, and such filing obligation shall be completed within three working days after the overseas listing application is submitted. The required filing materials for an IPO and listing shall include, but not be limited to: regulatory opinions, record filing, approval, and other documents issued by competent regulatory authorities of relevant industries (if applicable), and security assessment opinions issued by relevant regulatory authorities (if applicable). On December 27, 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the Special Administrative Measures for Entry of Foreign Investment (Negative List) (2021 Version) (“Negative List”), which became effective and replaced the previous version. Pursuant to the Negative List, if a PRC company, which engages in any business where foreign investment is prohibited under the Negative List, or prohibited businesses seeks an overseas offering or listing, it must obtain the approval from competent governmental authorities. Based on a set of Q&A published on the NDRC’s official website, an NDRC official indicated that after a PRC company submits its application for overseas listing to the CSRC and where matters relating to prohibited businesses under the Negative List are implicated, the CSRC will consult the regulatory authorities having jurisdiction over the relevant industries and fields.
On January 4, 2022, the CAC, the NDRC, and several other administrations jointly adopted and published the revised Cybersecurity Review Measures (“CRM”), which took effect on February 15, 2022, and replaced the Revised Draft issued on July 10, 2021. Pursuant to the revised CRM, if a network platform operator holding personal information of over one million users seeks for “foreign” listing, it must apply for the cybersecurity review. In addition, operators of critical information infrastructure purchasing network products and services are also obligated to apply for the cybersecurity review for such purchasing activities. Although the CRM provides no further explanation on the extent of “network platform operator” and “foreign” listing, we do not believe we are obligated to apply for a cybersecurity review pursuant to the revised CRM, considering that (i) we are not in possession of or otherwise holding personal information of over one million users, and it is also very unlikely that we will reach such threshold in the near future; and (ii) as of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any notice or determination from applicable PRC governmental authorities identifying it as a critical information infrastructure operator.
On February 17, 2023, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, as approved by the State Council, released the CSRC Filing Rules, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. Under the CSRC Filing Rules, a filing based regulatory system shall be applied to “indirect overseas offerings and listings” of PRC domestic companies, which refers to securities offerings and listings in an overseas market made under the name of an offshore entity but based on the underlying equity, assets, earnings or other similar rights of a domestic company that operates its main business domestically. The CSRC Filing Rules state that, any post-listing follow-on offering by an issuer in the same overseas market, including issuance of shares, convertible notes and other similar securities, shall be subject to filing requirement within three business days after the completion of the offering. We believe that we are not subject to the CSRC Filing Rules, because we are incorporated in the Cayman Islands and our subsidiaries are incorporated in Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands and operate in Hong Kong without any subsidiary or VIE structure in mainland China, and we do not have any business operations or maintain any office or personnel in mainland China. However, as the CSRC Filing Rules and the supporting guidelines are newly published, there exists uncertainty with respect to the implementation and interpretation of the principle of “substance over form.” If our offering and listing is later deemed as “indirect overseas offering and listing by companies in mainland China” under the CSRC Filing Rules, we may need to complete the filing procedures for our offering and listing. If we are subject to the filing requirements, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete such filings in a timely manner or even at all. Since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain how soon the legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond or what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any. It is also highly uncertain what the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our daily business operations, its ability to accept foreign investments, and the listing of the Shares on a U.S. or other foreign exchange. There remains significant uncertainty in the interpretation and enforcement of relevant PRC cybersecurity laws and regulations. If the CSRC Filing Rules become applicable to the Operating Subsidiary or if the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021) or the PRC Personal Information Protection Law becomes applicable to the Operating Subsidiary, the business operation of the Operating Subsidiary and the listing of the Shares in the United States could be subject to the CAC’s cybersecurity review or CSRC Overseas Issuance and Listing review in the future. If the applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and the Operating Subsidiary becomes subject to the CAC or CSRC review, we cannot assure you that the Operating Subsidiary will be able to comply with the regulatory requirements in all respects, and our current practice of collecting and processing personal information may be ordered to be rectified or terminated by regulatory authorities. If the Operating Subsidiary fails to receive or maintain such permissions or if the required approvals are denied, the Operating Subsidiary may become subject to fines and other penalties that may have a material adverse effect on our business, operations, and financial condition and may hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer Ordinary Shares to investors and cause the value of the Shares to significantly decline or be worthless.
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Permission Required from Hong Kong and PRC Authorities
As of the date of this prospectus, the Operating Subsidiary has obtained all requisite licenses and approvals for the operation of their respective business in Hong Kong which remain in force and have not been suspended or revoked. The personnel of the Operating Subsidiary are also subject to the relevant laws and regulations. As of the date of this prospectus, Masonglory is not required to obtain any permission or approval from Hong Kong authorities to issue the Shares to foreign investors. We are also not required to obtain permissions or approvals from any PRC authorities before listing in the United State and to issue the Shares to foreign investors or operate our business as currently conducted, including the CSRC, the CAC, or any other governmental agency that is required to approve our operations.
As of the date of this prospectus, based on PRC laws and regulations effective as of the date of this prospectus, the Company is not required to obtain permissions or approvals from any PRC authorities before listing in the United States and to issue our Ordinary Shares to foreign investors or operate the business as currently conducted, including the CSRC, the CAC, or any other governmental agency that is required to approve our operations, because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to this regulation; and (ii) the Operating Subsidiary was established and operate in Hong Kong and is not included in the categories of industries and companies whose foreign securities offerings are subject to review by the CSRC or the CAC. Masonglory and the Operating Subsidiary are not required to obtain any permissions or approvals from any Chinese authorities to operate their business as of the date of this prospectus. No permissions or approvals have been applied for by the Company or denied by any relevant authority.
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the PRC and the basic policies of the PRC regarding Hong Kong are reflected in the Basic Law, which serves as Hong Kong’s constitution (the “Basic Law”). The Basic Law provides Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy and executive, legislative and independent judicial powers, including that of final adjudication under the principle of “one country, two systems.” However, there is no assurance that there will not be any changes in the economic, political and legal environment in Hong Kong in the future. In the event that (i) the PRC government expanded the categories of industries and companies whose foreign securities offerings are subject to review by the CSRC or the CAC and that we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals, (ii) we inadvertently concluded that relevant permissions or approvals were not required or that we did not receive or maintain relevant permissions or approvals required, or (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and require us to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, we may face similar regulatory risks as those operated in mainland China, including the ability to offer securities to investors, list their securities on a U.S. or other foreign exchanges, conduct their business or accept foreign investment or sanctions by the CSRC, the CAC, or other PRC regulatory agencies.
Recent PCAOB Developments
On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCA Act, which includes requirements for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a restriction imposed by a non-U.S. authority in the auditor’s local jurisdiction. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the HFCA Act on December 2, 2020, and the HFCA Act was signed into law on December 18, 2020. Pursuant to the HFCA act, our securities may be prohibited from trading on the Nasdaq or other U.S. stock exchanges if our auditor cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for three consecutive years, and this ultimately could result in the Shares being delisted.
On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCA Act. A company will be required to comply with these rules if the SEC identifies it as having a “non-inspection” year under a process to be subsequently established by the SEC. The SEC is assessing how to implement other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the listing and trading prohibition requirements described above.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the AHFCAA, which was signed into law on December 29, 2022, reduced the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCA Act from three years to two years.
On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCA Act, which took effect on January 10, 2022. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions.
On December 16, 2021, PCAOB issued a Determination Report, which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China of the PRC or Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in the PRC or Hong Kong.
Our auditor, J&S Associate PLT, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this prospectus, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is headquartered in Malaysia and is subject to inspection by the PCAOB. As of the date of this prospectus, our auditor is not subject to the determinations announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021 in mainland China or Hong Kong because of a position taken by one or more authorities in the PRC or Hong Kong.
On August 26, 2022, CSRC, the MOF, and the PCAOB signed the Protocol, governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in China and Hong Kong. The Protocol remains unpublished and is subject to further explanation and implementation. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the SEC, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has an exemption from the rule that a majority of the board of directors must be independent directors; unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC.
On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law by President Joseph Biden, which contained, among other things, an identical provision to AHFCAA and amended the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act by requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, thus reducing the time before the Shares may be prohibited from trading or delisted.”
See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in Jurisdictions We Operate — Although the audit report included in this report is prepared by PCAOB registered auditor who are currently inspectable by the PCAOB, there is no guarantee that future audit reports will be prepared by auditors inspectable by the PCAOB and, as such, in the future investors may be deprived of the benefits of the PCAOB inspection program. Furthermore, trading in our securities may be prohibited under the HFCA Act if the SEC subsequently determines our audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely, and as a result, U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq, may determine to delist our securities. Furthermore, on December 29, 2022, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was enacted, which amended the HFCA Act by requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, and thus reduced the time before the Shares may be prohibited from trading or delisted” on page 10 of the 2026 Annual Report.
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Implication of Being a Controlled Company
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules because Fung & Tun Limited, a company jointly owned by our Controlling Shareholders, beneficially owns 682,500 Class B Ordinary Shares, each carrying fifty (50) votes per share, and 630,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, together representing approximately 92.4% of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares, and, as a result, we may rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.
For so long as we are a controlled company under that definition, we are permitted to elect to rely, and may rely, on certain exemptions from corporate governance rules, including:
| ● | an exemption from the rule that a majority of our board of directors must be independent directors; |
| ● | an exemption from the rule that the compensation of our chief executive officer must be determined or recommended solely by independent directors; and |
| ● | an exemption from the rule that our director nominees must be selected or recommended solely by independent directors. |
As a result, you will not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements. Although we do not intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemption under the Nasdaq listing rules, we could elect to rely on this exemption. If we elected to rely on the “controlled company” exemption, a majority of the members of our board of directors might not be independent directors and our nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees might not consist entirely of independent directors.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer
As a company with less than $1.235 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”), enacted in April 2012, and may take advantage of reduced reporting requirements that are otherwise applicable to public companies. These provisions include, but are not limited to:
| ● | being permitted to present only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our filings with the SEC; |
| ● | not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting; |
| ● | reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in periodic reports, proxy statements, and registration statements; and |
| ● | exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. |
We may take advantage of these provisions until the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our Ordinary Shares pursuant to our initial public offering. However, if certain events occur before the end of such five-year period, including if we become a “large accelerated filer,” our annual gross revenues exceed US$1.235 billion, or we issue more than US$1 billion of non-convertible debt in any three-year period, we will cease to be an emerging growth company before the end of such five-year period.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We have elected to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards and acknowledge such election is irrevocable pursuant to Section 107 of the JOBS Act.
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We are a foreign private issuer as defined by the SEC. As a result, in accordance with the rules and regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, we may comply with home country governance requirements and certain exemptions thereunder rather than complying with Nasdaq corporate governance standards. We may choose to take advantage of the following exemptions afforded to foreign private issuers:
| ● | Exemption from filing quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or provide current reports on Form 8-K disclosing significant events within four days of their occurrence. |
| ● | Exemption from Section 16 rules regarding sales of Ordinary Shares by insiders, which will provide less data in this regard than shareholders of U.S. companies that are subject to the Exchange Act. |
| ● | Exemption from the Nasdaq rules applicable to domestic issuers requiring disclosure within four business days of any determination to grant a waiver of the code of business conduct and ethics to directors and officers. Although we will require board approval of any such waiver, we may choose not to disclose the waiver in the manner set forth in the Nasdaq rules, as permitted by the foreign private issuer exemption. |
Furthermore, Nasdaq Rule 5615(a)(3) provides that a foreign private issuer, such as us, may rely on our home country corporate governance practices in lieu of certain of the rules in the Nasdaq Rule 5600 Series and Rule 5250(d), provided that we nevertheless comply with Nasdaq’s Notification of Noncompliance requirement (Rule 5625), the Voting Rights requirement (Rule 5640) and that we have an audit committee that satisfies Rule 5605(c)(3), consisting of committee members that meet the independence requirements of Rule 5605(c)(2)(A)(ii). If we rely on our home country corporate governance practices in lieu of certain of the rules of Nasdaq, our shareholders may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq. If we choose to do so, we may utilize these exemptions for as long as we continue to qualify as a foreign private issuer.
Corporate Information
Our principal office is located at Room 8, 25/F, CRE Centre 889 Cheung Sha Wan Kowloon, Hong Kong. Our telephone number is +852 3997 3682. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the office of Ascentium (Cayman) Limited, 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, P.O. Box 10240, Grand Cayman KY1-1002, Cayman Islands.
Our agent for service of process in the United States is Cogency Global Inc., located at 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10168.
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An investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our Class A Ordinary Shares, you should carefully consider the risk described under “Risk Factors” under the heading “Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors” in the 2026 Annual Report on file with the SEC, as supplemented by the risk factors contained in the registration statement on Form F-1 that we have filed with the SEC on November 7, 2024, as amended (File No. 333-283046), as well as the risk factors described below, which augment the risk factors set forth in our 2026 Annual Report and Form F-1, together with any other information appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any accompanying prospectus supplement, in light of your particular investment objectives and financial circumstances. In addition to those risk factors, there may be additional risks and uncertainties of which our management is unaware or deems immaterial. Our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks. The trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Our Acquisition
We hold only a minority, non-controlling interest in the Target and have limited ability to influence its business.
On August 12, 2026, we acquired a 20% equity interest in the Target. We do not manage or control the Target’s business, operations or strategic direction, which remain under the control of its existing controlling shareholder and management. The Target’s management may make decisions with which we disagree or that are not in our best interests, and our ability to influence those decisions is limited. The success of our investment depends largely on the performance of the Target’s existing management team and on factors outside our control.
Failure to realize synergy effects of the share swap transaction
We entered into the share swap transaction with the expectation of realizing strategic benefits, including cross-referral of customers, expansion of our sales channels into Continental Europe and Australia and diversification of our revenue base. Following the acquisition, however, the anticipated synergy benefits may not materialize as projected. The two companies operate in different industries and jurisdictions and may encounter mismatches in corporate culture, operational workflows and business practices, and obstacles to cross-border collaboration could hinder the combination of customer channels and market resources. Should the expected synergies fail to materialize, the share swap transaction will fail to generate the planned returns, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
Valuation decline and substantial asset impairment
The consideration shares issued in the share swap transaction were determined by reference to a valuation of 100% of the equity interests in the Target of US$23,400,000 performed by an independent third-party valuation firm. The Target is a privately held company whose equity interests are illiquid and not traded on any market, and its valuation is heavily driven by growth expectations and future revenue forecasts. There is no assurance that such valuation reflects or will continue to reflect the fair value of the Target. If the Target’s actual business performance falls short of the projections underlying the valuation, or if its business or prospects otherwise deteriorate, we may be required to recognize substantial impairment losses on our investment, which would directly reduce our reported profits, distort our financial statements and exert negative pressure on our net asset position and the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
Potential cooling of the outdoor wellness products market impacting the Target’s business
There is a risk that the outdoor wellness products market in Continental Europe and Australia may cool down, which would adversely affect the Target’s core business. This market is characterized by shifting consumer preferences, volatile demand and evolving regulatory requirements. A market downturn could shrink consumer spending on outdoor wellness products, reduce new order wins and slow the Target’s revenue growth, and intensified competition or changes in regulatory requirements may further compress its profit margins. As the Target’s business results are closely tied to industry trends in markets in which we have no prior operating experience, a market cooling could weaken its operational outlook and undermine the long-term investment value of the share swap transaction for the Company.
OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE
We may, from time to time, offer and sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus up to a total dollar amount of $200,000,000 in one or more offerings. The securities offered under this prospectus may be offered separately, together, or in separate series, and in amounts, at prices, and on terms to be determined at the time of sale. We will keep the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part effective until such time as all of the securities covered by this prospectus have been disposed of pursuant to such registration statement.
CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS
Our capitalization will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or in a report on Form 6-K subsequently furnished to the SEC and specifically incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
If required, we will set forth in a prospectus supplement the following information regarding any material dilution of the equity interests of investors purchasing securities in an offering under this prospectus:
| ● | the net tangible book value per share of our equity securities before and after the offering; |
| ● | the amount of the increase in such net tangible book value per share attributable to the cash payments made by purchasers in the offering; and |
| ● | the amount of the immediate dilution from the public offering price which will be absorbed by such purchasers. |
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We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities we offer as indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus.
We were incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability in the Cayman Islands under the laws of the Cayman Islands on February 21, 2024 under the name “Masonglory Limited”. Our affairs are governed by our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands.
As of the date of this prospectus, our authorized share capital is US$50,000 divided into 62,500,000 shares of par value US$0.0008 each, comprising (i) 60,000,000 class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0008 each and (ii) 2,500,000 class B ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0008 each.
The following are summaries of the material provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles currently in force and the Companies Act, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles are filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Ordinary Shares
General
All of our outstanding Ordinary Shares are fully paid and non-assessable. Certificates representing the Ordinary Shares are issued in registered form. Our shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their Ordinary Shares. We may not issue shares to bearer.
Our Ordinary Shares consist of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares shall at all times vote together as one class on all resolutions submitted to a vote by our shareholders. Save and except for voting rights and conversion rights expressly provided in our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares rank pari passu with one another and have the same rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions.
Each Class B Ordinary Share is convertible into one (1) Class A Ordinary Share at any time at the option of the holder thereof. Upon any direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B Ordinary Share, or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such Class B Ordinary Share through voting proxy or otherwise, by a holder thereof to any person or entity which is not ultimately controlled by another holder of Class B Ordinary Shares or an affiliate of such another holder, all Class B Ordinary Shares held by such holder shall be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A Ordinary Shares. Subject to the unanimous prior approval of the holders of Class B Ordinary Shares, Class A Ordinary Shares are convertible into Class B Ordinary Shares in such number and/or at such conversion ratio as may be approved by all holders of Class B Ordinary Shares.
Dividends
Subject to the Companies Act, any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any shares and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, our board of directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on shares in issue and authorize payment of the same out of the funds of our Company lawfully available therefor. In addition, our Company in general meeting may by an ordinary resolution declare dividends, but no dividend shall be declared in excess of the amount recommended by our directors.
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Except in so far as the rights attaching to, or the terms of issue of, any share may otherwise provide:
| (i) | all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the shares in respect of which the dividend is paid, although no amount paid up on a share in advance of calls shall for this purpose be treated as paid up on the share; |
Any dividend, bonus or other sum payable in cash to the holder of shares may be paid by cheque or warrant sent through the post. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent and shall be sent at the holder’s or joint holders’ risk and payment of the cheque or warrant by the bank on which it is drawn shall constitute a good discharge to our Company. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any dividends or other monies payable or property distributable in respect of the shares held by such joint holders.
Whenever our directors or our Company in general meeting has resolved that a dividend be paid or declared, our board of directors may further resolve that such dividend be satisfied wholly or in part by the distribution of specific assets of any kind.
Our directors may, if it thinks fit, receive from any member willing to advance the same, and either in money or money’s worth, all or any part of the money uncalled and unpaid or instalments payable upon any shares held by him, and in respect of all or any of the monies so advanced may pay interest at such rate (if any) not exceeding, without the sanction of an ordinary resolution, eight percent (8%) per annum, as may be agreed upon between the member paying the sum in advance and our board of directors, but no such sum paid in advance of a call shall entitle the member paying such sum to any portion of a dividend declared in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such sum would, but for such payment, become presently payable.
Any dividend unclaimed after a period of six calendar years from the date of declaration of such dividend may be forfeited by our board of directors and, if so forfeited, shall revert to our Company.
No dividend or other monies payable by our Company on or in respect of any share shall bear interest against our Company.
Voting Rights
Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any share, every shareholder and every person representing a shareholder by proxy shall have one (1) vote for each Class A Ordinary Share and fifty (50) votes for each Class B Ordinary Share of which he or the person represented by proxy is the holder. At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided by a poll. All questions submitted to a meeting shall be decided by an ordinary resolution except where a greater majority is required by our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles or by the Companies Act. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman of the meeting shall be entitled to a second or casting vote. On a poll, a member entitled to more than one vote need not use all his votes or cast all the votes he does use in the same way.
Transfer of Ordinary Shares
Subject to the Companies Act and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, all transfers of shares shall be effected by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or in such other form as our board of directors may approve and may be under hand or, if the transferor or transferee is a clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or a central depository house (or its nominee(s)), under hand or by machine imprinted signature, or by such other manner of execution as our board of directors may approve from time to time.
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Execution of the instrument of transfer shall be by or on behalf of the transferor and, if in respect of a nil or partly paid up share or if so required by our board of directors, shall also be executed on behalf of the transferee. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a share until the name of the transferee is entered in the register of members of our Company in respect of that share.
Our directors may, in our absolute discretion, decline to register a transfer of any share (not being a fully paid up share) to a person of whom it does not approve or on which our Company has a lien. It may also decline to register a transfer of any share issued under any share option scheme upon which a restriction on transfer subsists or a transfer of any share to more than four joint holders.
Our directors may decline to recognize any instrument of transfer unless a certain fee, up to such maximum sum as Nasdaq may determine to be payable, is paid to our Company, the instrument of transfer is properly stamped (if applicable), is in respect of only one class of share and is lodged at our registered office or the place at which the principal register is located accompanied by the relevant share certificate(s) and such other evidence as our directors may reasonably require is provided to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer (and if the instrument of transfer is executed by some other person on his behalf, the authority of that person so to do).
The registration of transfers of shares or of any class of shares may, after compliance with any notice requirement of Nasdaq, be suspended at such times and for such periods (not exceeding in the whole thirty days in any year) as our board of directors may determine.
Fully paid shares shall be free from any restriction on transfer (except when permitted by Nasdaq) and shall also be free from all liens.
Procedures on liquidation
A resolution that our Company be wound up by the court or be wound up voluntarily shall be a special resolution of our shareholders.
Subject to any special rights, privileges or restrictions as to the distribution of available surplus assets on liquidation for the time being attached to any class or classes of shares:
| (i) | if our Company is wound up, the surplus assets remaining after payment to all creditors shall be divided among the members in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them respectively at the commencement of the winding up, subject to a deduction from those shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to our Company for unpaid calls or otherwise; and | |
| (ii) | if our Company is wound up and the surplus assets available for distribution among the members are insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, such assets shall be distributed, subject to the rights of any shares which may be issued on special terms and conditions, so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the members in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them, respectively. |
If our Company is wound up (whether the liquidation is voluntary or compelled by the court), the liquidator may, with the sanction of a special resolution and any other sanction required by the Companies Act, divide among the members in specie or kind the whole or any part of the assets of our Company, whether the assets consist of property of one kind or different kinds, and the liquidator may, for such purpose, set such value as he deems fair upon any one or more class or classes of property to be so divided and may determine how such division shall be carried out as between the members or different classes of members and the members within each class. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest any part of the assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of members as the liquidator thinks fit, but so that no member shall be compelled to accept any shares or other property upon which there is a liability.
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Calls on Ordinary Shares and Forfeiture of Ordinary Shares
Subject to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles and to the terms of allotment, our directors may, from time to time, make such calls as it thinks fit upon the members in respect of any monies unpaid on the shares held by them respectively (whether on account of the nominal value of the shares or by way of premium) and not by the conditions of allotment of such shares made payable at fixed times. A call may be made payable either in one sum or by instalments. If the sum payable in respect of any call or instalment is not paid on or before the day appointed for payment thereof, the person or persons from whom the sum is due shall pay interest on the same at the rate of eight percent (8%) per annum from the day appointed for payment to the time of actual payment, but our board of directors may waive payment of such interest wholly or in part. Our board of directors may, if it thinks fit, receive from any member willing to advance the same, either in money or money’s worth, all or any part of the money uncalled and unpaid or instalments payable upon any shares held by him, and in respect of all or any of the monies so advanced our Company may pay interest at such rate (if any) not exceeding, without the sanction of an ordinary resolution, eight percent (8%) per annum, as may be agreed upon between the member paying the sum in advance and our board of directors.
If a member fails to pay any call or instalment of a call on the day appointed for payment, our board of directors may, for so long as any part of the call or instalment remains unpaid, serve not less than 14 calendar days’ notice on the member requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued and which may still accrue up to the date of actual payment. The notice shall name a further day (not earlier than the expiration of 14 calendar days from the date of the notice) on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made, and shall also name the place where payment is to be made. The notice shall also state that, in the event of non-payment at or before the appointed time, the shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.
If the requirements of any such notice are not complied with, any share in respect of which the notice has been given may at any time thereafter, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of our board of directors to that effect. Such forfeiture will include all dividends and bonuses declared in respect of the forfeited share and not actually paid before the forfeiture.
A person whose shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a member in respect of the forfeited shares but shall, nevertheless, remain liable to pay to our Company all monies which, at the date of forfeiture, were payable by him to our Company in respect of the shares but his liability shall cease if and when our Company receives payment in full of the amount unpaid on the forfeited shares.
Redemption of Ordinary Shares
Subject to the Companies Act, our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, and, where applicable, the Nasdaq listing rules or any other law or so far as not prohibited by any law and subject to any rights conferred on the holders of any class of shares, any power of our Company to purchase or otherwise acquire all or any of its own shares (including any redeemable shares) be exercisable by our board of directors in such manner, upon such terms and subject to such conditions as it thinks fit.
Subject to the Companies Act, our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, and to any special rights conferred on the holders of any shares or attaching to any class of shares, shares may be issued on the terms that they may, at the option of our Company or the holders thereof, be liable to be redeemed on such terms and in such manner, including out of capital, as our board of directors may deem fit.
Variations of Rights of Shares
Subject to the Companies Act and without prejudice to our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, if at any time the share capital of our Company is divided into different classes of shares, all or any of the special rights attached to any class of shares may (unless otherwise provided for by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) only be materially and adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of at least two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of an ordinary resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class. These provisions relating to general meetings shall mutatis mutandis apply to every such separate general meeting, but so that the necessary quorum shall be one or more persons holding or representing by proxy at least one-third in nominal or par value amount of the issued shares of that class (but so that if at any adjourned meeting of such holders a quorum as above defined is not present, those shareholders who are present shall form a quorum). Every holder of shares of the class shall be entitled on a poll to one vote for every such share held by him, and any holder of shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll.
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Any special rights conferred upon the holders of any shares or class of shares shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided in the rights attaching to the terms of issue of such shares, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu therewith.
General Meetings of Shareholders
As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Act to call shareholders’ annual general meetings. Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles provide that our Company may (but shall not be obliged to) in each calendar year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting, which shall be specified as such in the notice calling it and shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by our directors.
Extraordinary general meetings may be convened on the requisition of one or more members holding, at the date of deposit of the requisition, shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3) of all votes attaching to all the issued and outstanding shares of our Company that as at the date of the deposit carry the right to vote at general meetings. Such requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at our registered office. If our board of directors does not within twenty-one (21) calendar days from the date of the deposit of the requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further forty-five (45) calendar days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half (1/2) of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three (3) calendar months after the expiration of the said forty-five (45) calendar days.
Every general meeting of our Company shall be called by at least seven (7) calendar days’ notice in writing. The notice shall be exclusive of the day on which it is given or deemed to be given and of the day for which it is given, and shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be considered at that meeting.
Although a meeting of our Company may be called by shorter notice than as specified above, such meeting may be deemed to have been duly called if it is so agreed:
| (i) | in the case of an annual general meeting, by all members of our Company entitled to attend and vote thereat; and | |
| (ii) | in the case of any other meeting, by holders of two-thirds (2/3) of our shareholders having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, present in person or, in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, represented by its duly authorized representative or by proxy. |
No business other than the appointment of a chairman of a meeting shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present when the meeting proceeds to business, and continues to be present until the conclusion of the meeting.
The quorum for a general meeting shall be one or more members present in person (or in the case of a member being a corporation, by its duly authorized representative) or by proxy holding shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3) of all votes attaching to all shares in issue and entitled to vote at such general meeting.
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Inspection of Books and Records
Holders of our Ordinary Shares have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our register of members or corporate records (except for our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, any special resolutions passed by our Company and the register of mortgages and charges of our Company). However, we will provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements.
Changes in Capital
Subject to the Companies Act, our shareholders may, by ordinary resolution:
| (a) | increase our share capital by new shares of the amount fixed by that ordinary resolution and with the attached rights, priorities and privileges set out in that ordinary resolution; | |
| (b) | consolidate and divide all or any of our share capital into shares of larger amount than our existing shares; | |
| (c) | sub-divide our shares or any of them into our shares of smaller amount than is fixed by our Company’s memorandum of association, so, however, that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced our shares shall be the same as it was in case of the share from which the reduced our shares is derived; | |
| (d) | cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of that ordinary resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of our share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled; and | |
| (e) | divide our shares into several classes and, without prejudice to any special rights previously conferred on the holders of existing shares, attach thereto respectively any preferential, deferred, qualified or special rights, privileges, conditions or such restrictions as our board of directors may determine. |
Subject to the Companies Act and to any rights for the time being conferred on the shareholders holding a particular class of shares, our shareholders may, by special resolution, reduce our share capital or any capital redemption reserve in any way.
Differences in Corporate Law
The Companies Act is modeled after that of England and Wales but does not follow recent statutory enactments in England. In addition, the Companies Act differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the comparable laws applicable to companies incorporated in the State of Delaware in the United States.
This discussion does not purport to be a complete statement of the rights of holders of our ordinary shares under applicable law in the Cayman Islands or the rights of holders of the common stock of a typical corporation under applicable Delaware law.
| Delaware | Cayman Islands | |||
| Title of Organizational Documents | Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws | Certificate of Incorporation and Memorandum and Articles of Association | ||
| Duties of Directors | Under Delaware law, the business and affairs of a corporation are managed by or under the direction of its board of directors. In exercising their powers, directors are charged with a fiduciary duty of care to protect the interests of the corporation and a fiduciary duty of loyalty to act in the best interests of its shareholders. The duty of care requires that directors act in an informed and deliberative manner and inform themselves, prior to making a business decision, of all material information reasonably available to them. The duty of care also requires that directors exercise care in overseeing and investigating the conduct of the corporation’s employees. The duty of loyalty may be summarized as the duty to act in good faith, not out of self-interest, and in a manner which the director reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the shareholders. | As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands exempted company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company and therefore it is considered that he owes the following duties to the company — a duty to act bona fide in the best interests of the company, a duty not to make a profit based on his or her position as director (unless our Company permits him to do so) and a duty not to put himself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his or her personal interest or his or her duty to a third party. A director of a Cayman Islands exempted company owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director needs not exhibit in the performance of his or her duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his or her knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands. | ||
| Limitations on Personal Liability of Directors | Subject to the limitations described below, a certificate of incorporation may provide for the elimination or limitation of the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director. Such provision cannot limit liability for breach of loyalty, bad faith, intentional misconduct, unlawful payment of dividends or unlawful share purchase or redemption. In addition, the certificate of incorporation cannot limit liability for any act or omission occurring prior to the date when such provision becomes effective. | The Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. |
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| Delaware | Cayman Islands | |||
| Indemnification of Directors, Officers, Agents, and Others | A corporation has the power to indemnify any director, officer, employee, or agent of corporation who was, is, or is threatened to be made a party who acted in good faith and in a manner he believed to be in the best interests of the corporation, and if with respect to a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct would be unlawful, against amounts actually and reasonably incurred. | Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles provide that that we shall indemnify our officers and directors against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such directors or officer, other than by reason of such person’s dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. | ||
| Interested Directors | Under Delaware law, a transaction in which a director who has an interest in such transaction would not be voidable if (i) the material facts as to such interested director’s relationship or interests are disclosed or are known to the board of directors and the board in good faith authorizes the transaction by the affirmative vote of a majority of the disinterested directors, even though the disinterested directors are less than a quorum, (ii) such material facts are disclosed or are known to the shareholders entitled to vote on such transaction and the transaction is specifically approved in good faith by vote of the shareholders, or (iii) the transaction is fair as to the corporation as of the time it is authorized, approved or ratified. Under Delaware law, a director could be held liable for any transaction in which such director derived an improper personal benefit. | Declaration of director’s interest is mainly governed by the terms of a company’s memorandum and articles of association. | ||
| Voting Requirements |
The certificate of incorporation may include a provision requiring supermajority approval by the directors or shareholders for any corporate action.
In addition, under Delaware law, certain business combinations involving interested shareholders require approval by a supermajority of the non-interested shareholders. |
For the protection of shareholders, certain matters must be approved by special resolution of the shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, including but not limited to, alteration of the memorandum or articles of association, reduction of share capital (subject, in relevant circumstances, to court approval), change of name, authorization of a plan of merger or transfer by way of continuation to another jurisdiction or consolidation or voluntary winding up of the company.
The Companies Act requires that a special resolution be passed by a majority of at least two-thirds of such members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given, except that a company may in its articles of association specify that the required majority shall be a number greater than two-thirds, and may additionally so provide that any such majority (being not less than two-thirds) may differ as between matters required to be approved by a special resolution. |
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| Delaware | Cayman Islands | |||
| Voting for Directors | Under Delaware law, unless otherwise specified in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation, directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors. | Subject to our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles and the Companies Act, our Company may from time to time in general meeting by ordinary resolution elect any person to be a director either to fill a casual vacancy or as an additional director. | ||
| Cumulative Voting | No cumulative voting for the election of directors unless so provided in the certificate of incorporation. | As permitted under Cayman Islands law, our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles do not provide for cumulative voting. | ||
| Directors’ Powers Regarding Bylaws | The certificate of incorporation may grant the directors the power to adopt, amend or repeal bylaws. | As permitted by Cayman Islands law, the memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution of the shareholders. | ||
| Nomination and Removal of Directors and Filling Vacancies on Board | Shareholders may generally nominate directors if they comply with advance notice provisions and other procedural requirements in company bylaws. Holders of a majority of the shares may remove a director with or without cause, except in certain cases involving a classified board or if the company uses cumulative voting. Unless otherwise provided for in the certificate of incorporation, directorship vacancies are filled by a majority of the directors elected or then in office. | Nomination and removal of directors filling a casual vacancy are governed by the terms of the memorandum and articles of association. | ||
| Mergers and Similar Arrangements | Under Delaware law, with certain exceptions, a merger, consolidation, exchange or sale of all or substantially all the assets of a corporation must be approved by the board of directors and a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon. Under Delaware law, a shareholder of a corporation participating in certain major corporate transactions may, under certain circumstances, be entitled to appraisal rights pursuant to which such shareholder may receive cash in the amount of the fair value of the shares held by such shareholder (as determined by a court) in lieu of the consideration such shareholder would otherwise receive in the transaction. | The Companies Act permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company, and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated |
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| Delaware | Cayman Islands | |||
| Delaware law also provides that a parent corporation, by resolution of its board of directors, may merge with any subsidiary, of which it owns at least 90% of each class of capital stock without a vote by shareholders of such subsidiary. Upon any such merger, dissenting shareholders of the subsidiary would have appraisal rights. |
company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The plan must be filed with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the shareholders and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.
A merger between a Cayman Islands parent company and its Cayman Islands subsidiary or subsidiaries does not require authorization by a resolution of shareholders. For this purpose a subsidiary is a company of which at least 90% of the issued shares entitled to vote are owned by the parent company.
The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest over a constituent company is required unless this requirement is waived by a court in the Cayman Islands.
Save in certain circumstances, a dissentient shareholder of a Cayman constituent company is entitled to payment of the fair value of his shares upon dissenting to a merger or consolidation. The exercise of appraisal rights will preclude the exercise of any other rights save for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful.
Separate from the statutory provisions relating to mergers and consolidations, the Companies Act also contains statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies by way of schemes of arrangement, provided that the arrangement is approved by, in the case of a scheme of arrangement with members or class of members, seventy-five (75) per cent in value of the members or class of members, as the case may be, with whom the arrangement is to be made and in the case of a scheme of arrangement with creditors, a majority in number of the creditors or class of creditors, as the case may be, with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent seventy-five (75) per cent in value of the creditors or each such class of creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:
|
| ● | the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met; |
| ● | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class; | |||||
| ● | the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and | |||||
| ● | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act. |
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| Delaware | Cayman Islands | |||
|
The Companies Act also contains a statutory power of compulsory acquisition which may facilitate the “squeeze out” of dissentient minority shareholder upon a tender offer. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of not less than ninety percent (90%) of the shares affected, the offeror may, within a two-month period after the approval by the said holders, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares to the offeror on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.
If an arrangement and reconstruction is thus approved, the dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares. | ||||
| Shareholder Suits | Class actions and derivative actions generally are available to shareholders under Delaware law for, among other things, breach of fiduciary duty, corporate waste and actions not taken in accordance with applicable law. In such actions, the court generally has discretion to permit the winning party to recover attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with such action. |
In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) so that a non-controlling shareholder may be permitted to commence a class action against or derivative actions in the name of the company to challenge actions where:
● a company acts or proposes to act illegally or ultra vires;
● the act complained of, although not ultra vires, could only be effected duly if authorized by more than a simple majority vote that has not been obtained; and
● those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority”. | ||
| Inspection of Corporate Records | Under Delaware law, shareholders of a Delaware corporation have the right during normal business hours to inspect for any proper purpose, and to obtain copies of list(s) of shareholders and other books and records of the corporation and its subsidiaries, if any, to the extent the books and records of such subsidiaries are available to the corporation. | Holders of our Ordinary Shares have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records. Under our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles , our shareholders (not being a director) or other person have no right to inspect our account or book or document except as conferred by the Companies Act or ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction or authorized by our board of directors or our Company in general meeting. |
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| Delaware | Cayman Islands | |||
| Shareholder Proposals | Unless provided in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, Delaware law does not include a provision restricting the manner in which shareholders may bring business before a meeting. | The Companies Act does not provide shareholders with any right to requisition a general meeting or to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles provide that extraordinary general meetings shall be convened on the requisition of one or more members holding, at the date of deposit of the requisition, shares carrying in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3) of all votes attaching to all the issued and outstanding shares of our Company that carry the right to vote at general meetings. | ||
| Approval of Corporate Matters by Written Consent | Delaware law permits shareholders to take action by written consent signed by the holders of outstanding shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting of shareholders. | Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles provide that any action required or permitted to be taken at general meetings of our Company may only be taken upon the vote of shareholders at general meeting and shareholders may approve corporate matters by way of a unanimous written resolution without a meeting being held. | ||
| Variation of rights of shares | Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. | Subject to the Companies Act and without prejudice to our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, if at any time the share capital of our Company is divided into different classes of shares, all or any of the special rights attached to any class of shares may (unless otherwise provided for by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) only be materially and adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of at least two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of an ordinary resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class. | ||
| Amendment of governing documents | Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. | As permitted by Cayman Islands law, the memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution of the shareholders. | ||
| Calling of Special Shareholders Meetings | Delaware law permits the board of directors or any person who is authorized under a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws to call a special meeting of shareholders. | Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles provide that our chairman or our directors may call general meetings. Extraordinary general meetings shall also be convened on the requisition of one or more of our shareholders holding, at the date of deposit of the requisition, shares carrying in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3) of all votes attaching to all the issued and outstanding shares of our Company that carry the right to vote at general meetings. | ||
| Dissolution; Winding Up | Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board of directors. | Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so. Under the Companies Act and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, our Company may be dissolved, liquidated or wound up by a special resolution of our shareholders. |
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
General
As used in this prospectus, the term “debt securities” means the debentures, notes, bonds, and other forms of indebtedness that we may issue from time to time. The debt securities will either be senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities. Debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a trustee to be named therein. We have filed the forms of indentures as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We may issue debt securities which may or may not be converted into our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares. We may issue the debt securities independently or together with any underlying securities, and debt securities may be attached or separate from the underlying securities.
The following description is a summary of selected provisions relating to the debt securities that we may issue. The summary is not complete. When debt securities are offered in the future, a prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or a free writing prospectus, as applicable, will explain the particular terms of those securities and the extent to which these general provisions may apply. The specific terms of the debt securities as described in a prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus will supplement and, if applicable, may modify or replace the general terms described in this section.
This summary and any description of debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus is subject to and is qualified in its entirety by reference to all the provisions of any specific debt securities document or agreement. We will file each of these documents, as applicable, with the SEC and incorporate them by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part on or before the time we issue a series of debt securities. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” below for information on how to obtain a copy of a debt securities document when it is filed.
When we refer to a series of debt securities, we mean all debt securities issued as part of the same series under the applicable indenture.
Terms
The applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus, may describe the terms of any debt securities that we may offer, including, but not limited to, the following:
| ● | the title of the debt securities; | |
| ● | the total amount of the debt securities; | |
| ● | the amount or amounts of the debt securities will be issued and interest rate; | |
| ● | the conversion price at which the debt securities may be converted; | |
| ● | the date on which the right to convert the debt securities will commence and the date on which the right will expire; | |
| ● | if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of debt securities that may be converted at any one time; | |
| ● | if applicable, a discussion of material federal income tax consideration; | |
| ● | if applicable, the terms of the payoff of the debt securities; | |
| ● | the identity of the indenture agent, if any; | |
| ● | the procedures and conditions relating to the conversion of the debt securities; and | |
| ● | any other terms of the debt securities, including terms, procedure and limitation relating to the exchange or conversion of the debt securities. |
Form, Exchange, and Transfer
We may issue the debt securities in registered form or bearer form. Debt securities issued in registered form, i.e., book-entry form, will be represented by a global security registered in the name of a depository, which will be the holder of all the debt securities represented by the global security. Those investors who own beneficial interests in global debt securities will do so through participants in the depository’s system, and the rights of these indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of the depository and its participants. In addition, we may issue debt securities in non-global form, i.e., bearer form. If any debt securities are issued in non-global form, debt securities certificates may be exchanged for new debt securities certificates of different denominations, and holders may exchange, transfer, or convert their debt securities at the debt securities agent’s office or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference or free writing prospectus.
Prior to the conversion of their debt securities, holders of debt securities convertible for Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares will not have any rights of holders of Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares, and will not be entitled to dividend payments, if any, or voting rights of the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares.
Conversion of Debt Securities
A debt security may entitle the holder to purchase, in exchange for the extinguishment of debt, an amount of securities at a conversion price that will be stated in the debt security. Debt securities may be converted at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date set forth in the terms of such debt security. After the close of business on the expiration date, debt securities not exercised will be paid in accordance with their terms.
Debt securities may be converted as set forth in the applicable offering material. Upon receipt of a notice of conversion properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the indenture agent, if any, or to us, we will forward, as soon as practicable, the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If less than all of the debt security represented by such security is converted, a new debt security will be issued for the remaining debt security.
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General
We may issue warrants to purchase our securities. We may issue the warrants independently or together with any underlying securities, and the warrants may be attached or separate from the underlying securities. We may also issue a series of warrants under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants of such series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency for or with holders or beneficial owners of warrants.
The following description is a summary of selected provisions relating to the warrants that we may issue. The summary is not complete. When warrants are offered in the future, a prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or a free writing prospectus, as applicable, will explain the particular terms of those securities and the extent to which these general provisions may apply. The specific terms of the warrants as described in a prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus will supplement and, if applicable, may modify or replace the general terms described in this section.
This summary and any description of warrants in the applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus is subject to and is qualified in its entirety by reference to all the provisions of any specific warrant document or agreement, if applicable. We will file each of these documents, as applicable, with the SEC and incorporate them by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part on or before the time we issue a series of warrants. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” below for information on how to obtain a copy of a warrant document when it is filed.
When we refer to a series of warrants, we mean all warrants issued as part of the same series under the applicable warrant agreement.
Terms
The applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus, may describe the terms of any warrants that we may offer, including, but not limited to, the following:
| ● | the title of the warrants; | |
| ● | the total number of warrants; | |
| ● | the price or prices at which the warrants will be issued; | |
| ● | the price or prices at which the warrants may be exercised; | |
| ● | the currency or currencies that investors may use to pay for the warrants; | |
| ● | the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right will expire; | |
| ● | whether the warrants will be issued in registered form or bearer form; | |
| ● | information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; | |
| ● | if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of warrants that may be exercised at any one time; | |
| ● | if applicable, the designation and terms of the underlying securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each underlying security; | |
| ● | if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related underlying securities will be separately transferable; | |
| ● | if applicable, a discussion of material federal income tax considerations; | |
| ● | if applicable, the terms of redemption of the warrants; | |
| ● | the identity of the warrant agent, if any; | |
| ● | the procedures and conditions relating to the exercise of the warrants; and | |
| ● | any other terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants. |
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Warrant Agreement
We may issue the warrants in one or more series under one or more warrant agreements, each to be entered into between us and a bank, trust company, or other financial institution as warrant agent. We may add, replace, or terminate warrant agents from time to time. We may also choose to act as our own warrant agent or may choose one of our subsidiaries to do so.
The warrant agent under a warrant agreement will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants issued under that agreement. Any holder of warrants may, without the consent of any other person, enforce by appropriate legal action, on its own behalf, its right to exercise those warrants in accordance with their terms.
Form, Exchange, and Transfer
We may issue the warrants in registered form or bearer form. Warrants issued in registered form, i.e., book-entry form, will be represented by a global security registered in the name of a depository, which will be the holder of all the warrants represented by the global security. Those investors who own beneficial interests in a global warrant will do so through participants in the depository’s system, and the rights of these indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of the depository and its participants. In addition, we may issue warrants in non-global form, i.e., bearer form. If any warrants are issued in non-global form, warrant certificates may be exchanged for new warrant certificates of different denominations, and holders may exchange, transfer, or exercise their warrants at the warrant agent’s office or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus.
Prior to the exercise of their warrants, holders of warrants exercisable for Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares will not have any rights of holders of Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares and will not be entitled to dividend payments, if any, or voting rights of the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares.
Exercise of Warrants
A warrant will entitle the holder to purchase for cash an amount of securities at an exercise price that will be stated in, or that will be determinable as described in, the applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus. Warrants may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date set forth in the applicable offering material. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void. Warrants may be redeemed as set forth in the applicable offering material.
Warrants may be exercised as set forth in the applicable offering material. Upon receipt of payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable offering material, we will forward, as soon as practicable, the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If less than all of the warrants represented by such warrant certificate are exercised, a new warrant certificate will be issued for the remaining warrants.
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We may issue rights to purchase our securities. The rights may or may not be transferable by the persons purchasing or receiving the rights. In connection with any rights offering, we may enter into a standby underwriting or other arrangement with one or more underwriters or other persons pursuant to which such underwriters or other persons would purchase any offered securities remaining unsubscribed for after such rights offering. Each series of rights will be issued under a separate rights agent agreement to be entered into between us and one or more banks, trust companies, or other financial institutions, as rights agent, that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement. The rights agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the rights and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders of rights certificates or beneficial owners of rights.
The prospectus supplement relating to any rights that we offer will include specific terms relating to the offering, including, among other matters:
| ● | the date of determining the security holders entitled to the rights distribution; | |
| ● | the aggregate number of rights issued and the aggregate amount of securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights; | |
| ● | the exercise price; | |
| ● | the conditions to completion of the rights offering; | |
| ● | the date on which the right to exercise the rights will commence and the date on which the rights will expire; and | |
| ● | any applicable federal income tax considerations. |
Each right would entitle the holder of the rights to purchase for cash the principal amount of securities at the exercise price set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Rights may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date for the rights provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, all unexercised rights will become void.
If less than all of the rights issued in any rights offering are exercised, we may offer any unsubscribed securities directly to persons other than our security holders, to or through agents, underwriters, or dealers, or through a combination of such methods, including pursuant to standby arrangements, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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We may issue units composed of any combination of our securities. We will issue each unit so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. As a result, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.
The following description is a summary of selected provisions relating to units that we may offer. The summary is not complete. When units are offered in the future, a prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or a free writing prospectus, as applicable, will explain the particular terms of those securities and the extent to which these general provisions may apply. The specific terms of the units as described in a prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus will supplement and, if applicable, may modify or replace the general terms described in this section.
This summary and any description of units in the applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus, is subject to and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the unit agreement, collateral arrangements, and depositary arrangements, if applicable. We will file each of these documents, as applicable, with the SEC and incorporate them by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part on or before the time we issue a series of units. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” below for information on how to obtain a copy of a document when it is filed.
The applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus may describe:
| ● | The designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately; |
| ● | Any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer, or exchange of the units or of the securities composing the units; |
| ● | Whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form; and |
| ● | Any other terms of the units. |
The applicable provisions described in this section, as well as those described under “Description of Share Capital,” “Description of Debt Securities,” “Description of Warrants,” and “Description of Rights” above, will apply to each unit and to each security included in each unit, respectively.
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We may sell the securities offered by this prospectus from time to time in one or more transactions, including, without limitation:
| ● | through agents; | |
| ● | to or through underwriters; | |
| ● | through broker-dealers (acting as agent or principal); | |
| ● | directly by us to purchasers (including our affiliates and shareholders), through a specific bidding or auction process, a rights offering, or other method; | |
| ● | through a combination of any such methods of sale; or | |
| ● | through any other methods described in a prospectus supplement. |
The distribution of securities may be effected, from time to time, in one or more transactions, including:
| ● | block transactions (which may involve crosses) and transactions on Nasdaq or any other organized market where the securities may be traded; | |
| ● | purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its own account pursuant to a prospectus supplement; | |
| ● | ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which a broker-dealer solicits purchasers; | |
| ● | sales “at the market” to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise; and | |
| ● | sales in other ways not involving market makers or established trading markets, including direct sales to purchasers. |
The securities may be sold at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, or at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices relating to the prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. The consideration may be cash, extinguishment of debt, or another form negotiated by the parties. Agents, underwriters, or broker-dealers may be paid compensation for offering and selling the securities. That compensation may be in the form of discounts, concessions, or commissions to be received from us or from the purchasers of the securities. Dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters, and compensation received by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. If such dealers or agents were deemed to be underwriters, they may be subject to statutory liabilities under the Securities Act.
We may also make direct sales through subscription rights distributed to our existing shareholders on a pro rata basis, which may or may not be transferable. In any distribution of subscription rights to our shareholders, if all of the underlying securities are not subscribed for, we may then sell the unsubscribed securities directly to third parties or may engage the services of one or more underwriters, dealers, or agents, including standby underwriters, to sell the unsubscribed securities to third parties.
Some or all of the securities that we offer through this prospectus may be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters to whom we sell our securities for public offering and sale may make a market in those securities, but they will not be obligated to do so and they may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. Accordingly, we cannot assure you of the liquidity of, or continued trading markets for, any securities that we offer.
Agents may, from time to time, solicit offers to purchase the securities. If required, we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement, document incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus, as applicable, any agent involved in the offer or sale of the securities and set forth any compensation payable to the agent. Unless otherwise indicated, any agent will be acting on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment. Any agent selling the securities covered by this prospectus may be deemed to be an underwriter of the securities.
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If underwriters are used in an offering, securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own account and may be resold, from time to time, in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or under delayed delivery contracts or other contractual commitments. Securities may be offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms acting as underwriters. If an underwriter or underwriters are used in the sale of securities, an underwriting agreement will be executed with the underwriter or underwriters at the time an agreement for the sale is reached. The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the managing underwriter or underwriters, as well as any other underwriter or underwriters, with respect to a particular underwritten offering of securities, and will set forth the terms of the transactions, including compensation of the underwriters and dealers and the public offering price, if applicable. This prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement, and any applicable free writing prospectus will be used by the underwriters to resell the securities.
If a dealer is used in the sale of the securities, we, or an underwriter, will sell the securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale. To the extent required, we will set forth in the prospectus supplement, document incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus, as applicable, the name of the dealer and the terms of the transactions.
We may directly solicit offers to purchase the securities and may make sales of securities directly to institutional investors or others. These persons may be deemed to be underwriters with respect to any resale of the securities. To the extent required, the prospectus supplement, document incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus, as applicable, will describe the terms of any such sales, including the terms of any bidding or auction process, if used.
Agents, underwriters, and dealers may be entitled under agreements which may be entered into with us to indemnification by us against specified liabilities, including liabilities incurred under the Securities Act, or to contribution by us to payments they may be required to make in respect of such liabilities. If required, the prospectus supplement, document incorporated by reference, or free writing prospectus, as applicable, will describe the terms and conditions of such indemnification or contribution. Some of the agents, underwriters, or dealers, or their affiliates may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us or our subsidiaries or affiliates in the ordinary course of business.
Under the securities laws of some states, the securities offered by this prospectus may be sold in those states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers.
Any person participating in the distribution of securities registered under the registration statement that includes this prospectus will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act, and the applicable SEC rules and regulations, including, among others, Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of our securities by any such person. Furthermore, Regulation M may restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of our securities to engage in market-making activities with respect to our securities.
These restrictions may affect the marketability of our securities and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to our securities.
Certain persons participating in an offering may engage in stabilizing transactions, short-covering transactions, and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the price of the offered securities. If any such activities will occur, they will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
To the extent required, this prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time to describe a specific plan of distribution.
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Material income tax consequences relating to the purchase, ownership, and disposition of the securities offered by this prospectus are set forth in “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation” in the 2026 Annual Report, which is incorporated herein by reference, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference and, if applicable, in any accompanying prospectus supplement or relevant free writing prospectus.
The following table sets forth the aggregate expenses in connection with this offering, all of which will be paid by us. All amounts shown are estimates, except for the SEC registration fee.
| SEC registration fee | $ | 17,400 | ||
| FINRA fees | $ | * | ||
| Legal fees and expenses | $ | * | ||
| Accounting fees and expenses | $ | * | ||
| Printing and postage expenses | $ | * | ||
| Miscellaneous expenses | $ | * | ||
| Total | $ | * |
| * | To be provided by a prospectus supplement or as an exhibit to a report of foreign private issuer on Form 6-K that is incorporated by reference into this registration statement. Estimated solely for this item. Actual expenses may vary. |
Our material contracts are described in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. See “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” below.
Except as otherwise described in the 2026 Annual Report, in our reports of foreign issuer on Form 6-K filed or furnished under the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference herein, and as disclosed in this prospectus or an applicable prospectus supplement, no reportable material changes have occurred since March 31, 2026.
We are being represented by Charles Wilson LLP with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities law and New York State law, as well as certain legal matters as to Hong Kong law. The validity of the securities offered in this offering and certain other legal matters as to Cayman Islands law will be passed upon for us by Harney Westwood & Riegels, our legal counsel as to Cayman Islands law. If legal matters in connection with offerings made pursuant to this prospectus are passed upon by counsel to underwriters, dealers, or agents, such counsel will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any such offering.
The consolidated financial statements of Masonglory Limited for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2026, 2025 and 2024 incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement, and the consolidated financial statements of Beta Beteiligungs und Besitz GmbH for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 incorporated by reference in this prospectus, have been so incorporated by reference in reliance on the reports of J&S Associate PLT, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting. The office of J&S Associate PLT is located at B-11-14, Megan Avenue II, 12, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, 50450, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
INTERESTS OF EXPERTS AND COUNSEL
No named expert of or counselor to us was employed on a contingent basis, or owns an amount of our shares (or those of our subsidiaries) which is material to that person, or has a material, direct or indirect economic interest in us or that depends on the success of the offering.
INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
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INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus certain information we file with the SEC. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein, or in any subsequently filed document, which is incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes such earlier statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.
We hereby incorporate by reference into this prospectus the following documents:
| ● | our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, filed with the SEC on July 30, 2026; |
| ● | our reports of foreign private issuer on Form 6-K filed or furnished with the SEC on July 31, 2026, August 6, 2026, August 13, 2026, August 25, 2026, September 24, 2026, September 28, 2026, October 6, 2026 and October 21, 2026, and the Beta 6-K furnished on October 22, 2026; |
| ● | the description of the Ordinary Shares contained in the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, on July 1, 2025, and all other amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating such description, including the report of foreign private issuer on Form 6-K filed on August 6, 2026 in respect of the share consolidation and the reclassification of the Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. | |
| ● | any future annual reports on Form 20-F filed with the SEC after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities offered by this prospectus; and | |
| ● | any future reports of foreign private issuer on Form 6-K that we furnish to the SEC after the date of this prospectus that are identified in such reports as being incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. |
Our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 filed with the SEC on July 30, 2026 contains a description of our business and audited consolidated financial statements with a report by our independent auditors. These financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Beta 6-K contains the audited consolidated financial statements of the Target for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Target for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for the year ended March 31, 2026 and as of March 31, 2026 giving effect to the acquisition of control of the Target, and it is incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Unless expressly incorporated by reference, nothing in this prospectus shall be deemed to incorporate by reference information furnished to, but not filed with, the SEC. Copies of all documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits to those document unless such exhibits are specially incorporated by reference in this prospectus, will be provided at no cost to each person, including any beneficial owner, who receives a copy of this prospectus on the written or oral request of that person made to:
Masonglory Limited
Room 8, 25/F, CRE Centre
889 Cheung Sha Wan
Kowloon, Hong Kong
+852 3997 3682
Attention: Mr. Tsoi Chi Hei, Chief Financial Officer
You also may access the incorporated reports and other documents referenced above on our website at https://www.masontech.com.hk. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus.
You should rely only on the information that we incorporate by reference or provide in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making any offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained or incorporated in this prospectus by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document containing the information.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
As permitted by SEC rules, this prospectus omits certain information and exhibits that are included in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Since this prospectus may not contain all of the information that you may find important, you should review the full text of these documents. If we have filed a contract, agreement, or other document as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, you should read the exhibit for a more complete understanding of the document or matter involved. Each statement in this prospectus, including statements incorporated by reference as discussed above, regarding a contract, agreement, or other document is qualified in its entirety by reference to the actual document.
We are subject to periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act as applicable to foreign private issuers. Accordingly, we are required to file reports, including annual reports on Form 20-F, and other information with the SEC. All information electronically filed with the SEC can be inspected over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our executive officers, directors, and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic or current reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act.
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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands in order to enjoy the following benefits: (a) political and economic stability; (b) an effective judicial system; (c) a favorable tax system; (d) the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions; (e) and the availability of professional and support services. However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include: (a) the Cayman Islands has a less exhaustive body of securities laws than the United States and these securities laws provides less protection to investors; and (b) the Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.
All of our assets are located in Hong Kong. In addition, all of our directors and officers reside outside the United States and all or a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. Due to the lack of reciprocity and treaties between the United States and Hong Kong, together with cost and time constraints, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or the persons who are nationals or residents of Hong Kong, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
Our constitutional documents do not contain provisions requiring that disputes, including those arising under the securities laws of the United States, among us, our officers, directors and shareholders, be arbitrated.
We have appointed Cogency Global Inc. as our agent to receive service of process with respect to any action brought against us in the United States in connection with this offering under the federal securities laws of the United States or of any state in the United States.
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Enforceability
Harney Westwood & Riegels, our counsel as to the laws of Cayman Islands, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would: (i) recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of any state in the United States.
We have been advised by Harney Westwood & Riegels that although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands will at common law enforce final and conclusive in personam judgments of federal or state courts of the United States of America (the “Foreign Court”) of a debt or definite sum of money against the Company (other than a sum of money payable in respect of taxes or other charges of a like nature, a fine or other penalty (which may include a multiple damages judgment in an anti-trust action or where enforcement would be contrary to public policy). The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands may also at common law enforce final and conclusive in personam judgments of the Foreign Court that are non-monetary against the Company, exercising its discretion having regard to comity, fairness and mutuality, such as orders for specific performance or declaratory judgments. To be treated as final and conclusive, any relevant judgment must be regarded as res judicata by the Foreign Court. In addition, the foreign judgment must not already have been wholly satisfied and must still be capable of enforcement in the country of origin. A debt claim on a foreign judgment must be brought within six years of the date of the judgment, and arrears of interest on a judgment debt cannot be recovered after six years from the date on which the interest was due. The courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the Foreign Court under civil liability provisions of United States federal securities law if such a judgment is found by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are in the nature of a final or other penalty. Such a determination has not yet been made by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. A court of the Cayman Islands may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere. A judgment entered in default of appearance by a defendant who has had notice of the Foreign Court’s intention to proceed may be final and conclusive notwithstanding that the Foreign Court has power to set aside its own judgment and despite the fact that it may be subject to an appeal despite the time-limit for which having not yet expired. The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands may safeguard the defendant’s rights by granting a stay of execution pending an appeal against the foreign judgment and may also grant interim injunctive relief as appropriate for the purpose of enforcement.
Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. In addition, most of our directors and executive officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and substantially all of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons, or to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against us or them, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States, or any state in the United States. It may also be difficult for you to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our executive officers and directors.
All of our directors and officers reside outside the United States. There is uncertainty as to whether the courts of Hong Kong would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in Hong Kong against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
A judgment of a court in the United States predicated upon U.S. federal or state securities laws may be enforced in Hong Kong at common law by bringing an action in a Hong Kong court on that judgment for the amount due thereunder and then seeking summary judgment on the strength of the foreign judgment, provided that the foreign judgment, among other things, is (1) for a debt or a definite sum of money (not being taxes or similar charges to a foreign government taxing authority or a fine or other penalty), and (2) final and conclusive on the merits of the claim, but not otherwise. Such a judgment may not, in any event, be so enforced in Hong Kong if (a) it was obtained by fraud, (b) the proceedings in which the judgment was obtained were opposed to natural justice, (c) its enforcement or recognition would be contrary to the public policy of Hong Kong, (d) the court of the United States was not jurisdictionally competent, or (e) the judgment was in conflict with a prior Hong Kong judgment.
Hong Kong has no arrangement for the reciprocal enforcement of judgments with the United States. As a result, there is uncertainty as to the enforceability in Hong Kong, in original actions or in actions for enforcement, of judgments of U.S. courts of civil liabilities predicated solely upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state or territory within the United States.
It is also uncertain whether, in the future, the Hong Kong government will implement regulations and policies of the Chinese government or adopt regulations and policies of its own that are substantially similar to those of the Chinese government.
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 8. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which an exempted company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles provide that that we shall indemnify our officers and directors against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such directors or officer, other than by reason of such person’s dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.
Item 9. Exhibits
| * | To be filed, if applicable, by amendment or as an exhibit to a report filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and incorporated herein by reference. |
| ** | Filed herewith. |
| *** | To be filed, if necessary, on electronic Form 305b2 pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 |
Item 10 Undertakings
| (a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement. |
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement. |
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provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b).
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (4) | To file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to include any financial statements required by Item 8.A. of Form 20-F at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous offering. Financial statements and information otherwise required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 need not be furnished, provided, that the registrant includes in the prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment, financial statements required pursuant to this paragraph (4) and other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rule 3-19 of Regulation S-K if such financial statements and information are contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this registration statement. |
| (5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser: |
| (i) | Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and |
| (ii) | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date. |
| (6) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
| (b) | That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (c) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Hong Kong, on October 23, 2026.
| Masonglory Limited | |||
| By: | /s/ Jinyu Xie | ||
| Name: | Jinyu Xie | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer, Co-Chairman of the Board and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | ||
KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints and each of them, his or her true and lawful agent, proxy and attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to (1) act on, sign and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement together with all schedules and exhibits thereto and any subsequent registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, together with all schedules and exhibits thereto, (2) act on, sign and file such certificates, instruments, agreements and other documents as may be necessary or appropriate in connection therewith, (3) act on and file any supplement to any prospectus included in this Registration Statement or any such amendment or any subsequent registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and (4) take any and all actions which may be necessary or appropriate to be done, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby approving, ratifying and confirming all that such agent, proxy and attorney-in-fact or any of his or her substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Tse Shing Fung | Co-Chairman of the Board and Director | October 23, 2026 | ||
| Name: Tse Shing Fung | ||||
| /s/ Jinyu Xie | Chief Executive Officer, Co-Chairman of the Board and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | October 23, 2026 | ||
| Name: Jinyu Xie | ||||
| /s/ Tsoi Chi Hei | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | October 23, 2026 | ||
| Name: Tsoi Chi Hei | ||||
| /s/ Lui Po Yuen | Independent Director | October 23, 2026 | ||
| Name: Lui Po Yuen | ||||
| /s/ Man Wing Wa | Independent Director | October 23, 2026 | ||
| Name: Man Wing Wa | ||||
| /s/ Cheng Shing Yan | Independent Director | October 23, 2026 | ||
| Name: Cheng Shing Yan |
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SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES
Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of America of Masonglory Limited, has signed this registration statement thereto in New York, NY on October 23, 2026.
| Cogency Global Inc. | |||
| Authorized U.S. Representative | |||
| By: | /s/ Colleen A. De Vries | ||
| Name: | Colleen A. De Vries | ||
| Title: | Sr. Vice President on behalf of Cogency Global Inc. | ||
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Exhibit 4.5
Masonglory Limited
(the “Issuer”)
AND
[TRUSTEE]
(the “Trustee”)
INDENTURE
Dated as of [●], 20[●]
Senior Debt Securities
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | |||
| ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS | 1 | ||
| Section 1.01 | Definitions of Terms | 1 | |
| ARTICLE 2 ISSUE, DESCRIPTION, TERMS, EXECUTION, REGISTRATION AND EXCHANGE OF SECURITIES | 5 | ||
| Section 2.01 | Designation and Terms of Securities | 5 | |
| Section 2.02 | Form of Securities and Trustee’s Certificate | 7 | |
| Section 2.03 | Denominations: Provisions for Payment | 7 | |
| Section 2.04 | Execution and Authentication | 9 | |
| Section 2.05 | Registration of Transfer and Exchange | 10 | |
| Section 2.06 | Temporary Securities | 11 | |
| Section 2.07 | Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Securities | 11 | |
| Section 2.08 | Cancellation | 12 | |
| Section 2.09 | Benefits of Indenture | 12 | |
| Section 2.10 | Authenticating Agent | 12 | |
| Section 2.11 | Global Securities | 13 | |
| ARTICLE 3 REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES AND SINKING FUND PROVISIONS | 14 | ||
| Section 3.01 | Redemption | 14 | |
| Section 3.02 | Notice of Redemption | 14 | |
| Section 3.03 | Payment Upon Redemption | 15 | |
| Section 3.04 | Sinking Fund | 16 | |
| Section 3.05 | Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities | 16 | |
| Section 3.06 | Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund | 16 | |
| ARTICLE 4 COVENANTS | 17 | ||
| Section 4.01 | Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest | 17 | |
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| Page | |||
| Section 4.02 | Maintenance of Office or Agency | 17 | |
| Section 4.03 | Paying Agents | 17 | |
| Section 4.04 | Appointment to Fill Vacancy in Office of Trustee | 19 | |
| Section 4.05 | Compliance with Consolidation Provisions | 19 | |
| ARTICLE 5 SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE | 19 | ||
| Section 5.01 | Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Securityholders | 19 | |
| Section 5.02 | Preservation of Information; Communications with Securityholders | 19 | |
| Section 5.03 | Reports by the Company | 20 | |
| Section 5.04 | Reports by the Trustee | 20 | |
| ARTICLE 6 REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS ON EVENT OF DEFAULT | 20 | ||
| Section 6.01 | Events of Default | 20 | |
| Section 6.02 | Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee | 22 | |
| Section 6.03 | Application of Moneys or Property Collected | 24 | |
| Section 6.04 | Limitation on Suits | 24 | |
| Section 6.05 | Rights and Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver | 25 | |
| Section 6.06 | Control by Securityholders | 25 | |
| Section 6.07 | Undertaking to Pay Costs | 26 | |
| ARTICLE 7 CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE | 26 | ||
| Section 7.01 | Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee | 26 | |
| Section 7.02 | Certain Rights of Trustee | 27 | |
| Section 7.03 | Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance or Securities | 29 | |
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| Page | |||
| Section 7.04 | May Hold Securities | 29 | |
| Section 7.05 | Moneys Held in Trust | 29 | |
| Section 7.06 | Compensation and Reimbursement | 29 | |
| Section 7.07 | Reliance on Officers’ Certificate | 30 | |
| Section 7.08 | Disqualification; Conflicting Interests | 30 | |
| Section 7.09 | Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility | 30 | |
| Section 7.10 | Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor | 31 | |
| Section 7.11 | Acceptance of Appointment by Successor | 32 | |
| Section 7.12 | Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business | 33 | |
| Section 7.13 | Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Company | 34 | |
| Section 7.14 | Notice of Default | 34 | |
| ARTICLE 8 CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS | 34 | ||
| Section 8.01 | Evidence of Action by Securityholders | 34 | |
| Section 8.02 | Proof of Execution by Securityholders | 35 | |
| Section 8.03 | Who May be Deemed Owners | 35 | |
| Section 8.04 | Certain Securities Owned by Company Disregarded | 35 | |
| Section 8.05 | Actions Binding on Future Securityholders | 36 | |
| ARTICLE 9 SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES | 36 | ||
| Section 9.01 | Supplemental Indentures without the Consent of Securityholders | 36 | |
| Section 9.02 | Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders | 38 | |
| Section 9.03 | Effect of Supplemental Indentures | 38 | |
| Section 9.04 | Securities Affected by Supplemental Indentures | 38 | |
| Section 9.05 | Execution of Supplemental Indentures | 39 | |
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| Page | |||
| ARTICLE 10 SUCCESSOR ENTITY | 39 | ||
| Section 10.01 | Company May Consolidate, Etc. | 39 | |
| Section 10.02 | Successor Entity Substituted | 40 | |
| Section 10.03 | Evidence of Consolidation, Etc. to Trustee | 40 | |
| ARTICLE 11 SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE | 40 | ||
| Section 11.01 | Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture | 40 | |
| Section 11.02 | Discharge of Obligations | 41 | |
| Section 11.03 | Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust | 41 | |
| Section 11.04 | Payment of Moneys Held by Paying Agents | 41 | |
| Section 11.05 | Repayment to Company | 42 | |
| ARTICLE 12 IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, SHAREHOLDERS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS | 42 | ||
| Section 12.01 | No Recourse | 42 | |
| ARTICLE 13 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS | 43 | ||
| Section 13.01 | Effect on Successors and Assigns | 43 | |
| Section 13.02 | Actions by Successor | 43 | |
| Section 13.03 | Surrender of Company Powers | 43 | |
| Section 13.04 | Notices | 43 | |
| Section 13.05 | Governing Law | 43 | |
| Section 13.06 | Treatment of Securities as Debt | 44 | |
| Section 13.07 | Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent | 44 | |
| Section 13.08 | Payments on Business Days | 44 | |
| Section 13.09 | Conflict with Trust Indenture Act | 44 | |
| Section 13.10 | Indenture and Securities Solely Corporate Obligations | 45 | |
| Section 13.11 | Counterparts | 45 | |
| Section 13.12 | Separability | 45 | |
| Section 13.13 | Compliance Certificates | 45 | |
| (1) | This Table of Contents does not constitute part of the Indenture and shall not have any bearing on the interpretation of any of its terms or provisions. |
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INDENTURE
INDENTURE, dated as of [●], 20[●], among Masonglory Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability (the “Company”), and [TRUSTEE], as trustee (the “Trustee”).
WHEREAS, for its lawful corporate purposes, the Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance of debt securities (hereinafter referred to as the “Securities”), in an unlimited aggregate principal amount to be issued from time to time in one or more series as in this Indenture provided, as registered Securities without coupons, to be authenticated by the certificate of the Trustee;
WHEREAS, to provide the terms and conditions upon which the Securities are to be authenticated, issued and delivered, the Company has duly authorized the execution of this Indenture; and
WHEREAS, all things necessary to make this Indenture a valid agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed as follows for the equal and ratable benefit of the holders of Securities:
ARTICLE 1
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01 Definitions of Terms.
The terms defined in this Section (except as in this Indenture or any indenture supplemental hereto otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires) for all purposes of this Indenture and of any indenture supplemental hereto shall have the respective meanings specified in this Section and shall include the plural as well as the singular. All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined in the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or that are by reference in such Act defined in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (except as herein or any indenture supplemental hereto otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires), shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in said Trust Indenture Act and in said Securities Act as in force at the date of the execution of this instrument.
“Authenticating Agent” means an authenticating agent with respect to all or any of the series of Securities appointed by the Trustee pursuant to Section 2.10.
“Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
“Board of Directors” means the Board of Directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee of such Board.
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“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by any director of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification.
“Business Day” means, with respect to any series of Securities, any day other than a day on which federal or state banking institutions in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York, or in the city of the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, are authorized or obligated by law, executive order or regulation to close.
“Certificate” means a certificate signed by any Officer. The Certificate need not comply with the provisions of Section 13.07.
“Company” means Masonglory Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability, and, subject to the provisions of Article Ten, shall also include its successors and assigns.
“Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which, at any particular time, its corporate trust business shall be principally administered, which office at the date hereof is located at [ ].
“Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
“Default” means any event, act or condition that with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default.
“Depositary” means, with respect to Securities of any series for which the Company shall determine that such Securities will be issued as a Global Security, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, another clearing agency, or any successor registered as a clearing agency under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or other applicable statute or regulation, which, in each case, shall be designated by the Company pursuant to either Section 2.01 or 2.11.
“Event of Default” means, with respect to Securities of a particular series, any event specified in Section 6.01, continued for the period of time, if any, therein designated.
“Global Security” means, with respect to any series of Securities, a Security executed by the Company and delivered by the Trustee to the Depositary or pursuant to the Depositary’s instruction, all in accordance with the Indenture, which shall be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee.
“Governmental Obligations” means securities that are (a) direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (b) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America that, in either case, are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof at any time prior to the stated maturity of the Securities, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such Governmental Obligation or a specific payment of principal of or interest on any such Governmental Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of such depositary receipt; provided, however, that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the Governmental Obligation or the specific payment of principal of or interest on the Governmental Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.
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“herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder”, and other words of similar import, refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.
“Indenture” means this instrument as originally executed or as it may from time to time be supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into in accordance with the terms hereof.
“Interest Payment Date”, when used with respect to any installment of interest on a Security of a particular series, means the date specified in such Security or in a Board Resolution or in an indenture supplemental hereto with respect to such series as the fixed date on which an installment of interest with respect to Securities of that series is due and payable.
“Officer” means, with respect to the Company, the chairman of the Board of Directors, a chief executive officer, a president, a chief financial officer, chief operating officer, any executive vice president, any senior vice president, any vice president, the treasurer or any assistant treasurer, the controller or any assistant controller or the secretary or any assistant secretary.
“Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed by any two Officers. Each such certificate shall include the statements provided for in Section 13.07, if and to the extent required by the provisions thereof.
“Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion in writing subject to customary exceptions of legal counsel, who may be an employee of or counsel for the Company, that is delivered to the Trustee in accordance with the terms hereof. Each such opinion shall include the statements provided for in Section 13.07, if and to the extent required by the provisions thereof.
“Outstanding”, when used with reference to Securities of any series, means, subject to the provisions of Section 8.04, as of any particular time, all Securities of that series theretofore authenticated and delivered by the Trustee under this Indenture, except (a) Securities theretofore canceled by the Trustee or any paying agent, or delivered to the Trustee or any paying agent for cancellation or that have previously been canceled; (b) Securities or portions thereof for the payment or redemption of which moneys or Governmental Obligations in the necessary amount shall have been deposited in trust with the Trustee or with any paying agent (other than the Company) or shall have been set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own paying agent); provided, however, that if such Securities or portions of such Securities are to be redeemed prior to the maturity thereof, notice of such redemption shall have been given as in Article Three provided, or provision satisfactory to the Trustee shall have been made for giving such notice; and (c) Securities in lieu of or in substitution for which other Securities shall have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to the terms of Section 2.07.
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“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, joint-stock company, limited liability company, association, trust, unincorporated organization, any other entity or organization, including a government or political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality thereof.
“Predecessor Security” of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 2.07 in lieu of a lost, destroyed or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the lost, destroyed or stolen Security.
“Responsible Officer” when used with respect to the Trustee means the chairman of its board of directors, the chief executive officer, the president, any vice president, the secretary, the treasurer, any trust officer, any corporate trust officer or any other officer or assistant officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by the Persons who at the time shall be such officers, respectively, or to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
“Securities” means the debt Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.
“Securityholder”, “holder of Securities”, “registered holder”, or other similar term, means the Person or Persons in whose name or names a particular Security shall be registered on the books of the Company kept for that purpose in accordance with the terms of this Indenture.
“Security Register” and “Security Registrar” shall have the meanings as set forth in Section 2.05.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, (i) any corporation at least a majority of whose outstanding Voting Stock shall at the time be owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person or by one or more of its Subsidiaries or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries, (ii) any general partnership, joint venture or similar entity, at least a majority of whose outstanding partnership or similar interests shall at the time be owned by such Person, or by one or more of its Subsidiaries, or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries and (iii) any limited partnership of which such Person or any of its Subsidiaries is a general partner.
“Trustee” means [TRUSTEE], and, subject to the provisions of Article Seven, shall also include its successors and assigns, and, if at any time there is more than one Person acting in such capacity hereunder, “Trustee” shall mean each such Person. The term “Trustee” as used with respect to a particular series of the Securities shall mean the trustee with respect to that series.
“Trust Indenture Act” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
“Voting Stock”, as applied to stock of any Person, means shares, interests, participations or other equivalents in the equity interest (however designated) in such Person having ordinary voting power for the election of a majority of the directors (or the equivalent) of such Person, other than shares, interests, participations or other equivalents having such power only by reason of the occurrence of a contingency.
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ARTICLE 2
ISSUE, DESCRIPTION, TERMS, EXECUTION, REGISTRATION AND EXCHANGE OF SECURITIES
Section 2.01 Designation and Terms of Securities.
(a) The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more series up to the aggregate principal amount of Securities of that series from time to time authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution or pursuant to one or more indentures supplemental hereto. Prior to the initial issuance of Securities of any series, there shall be established in or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto:
(1) the title of the Securities of the series (which shall distinguish the Securities of that series from all other Securities);
(2) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of that series);
(3) the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the series is payable, any original issue discount that may apply to the Securities of that series upon their issuance, the principal amount due at maturity, and the place(s) of payment;
(4) the rate or rates at which the Securities of the series shall bear interest or the manner of calculation of such rate or rates, if any;
(5) the date or dates from which such interest shall accrue, the Interest Payment Dates on which such interest will be payable or the manner of determination of such Interest Payment Dates, the place(s) of payment, and the record date for the determination of holders to whom interest is payable on any such Interest Payment Dates or the manner of determination of such record dates;
(6) the right, if any, to extend the interest payment periods and the duration of such extension;
(7) the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;
(8) the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase Securities of the series pursuant to any sinking fund, mandatory redemption, or analogous provisions (including payments made in cash in satisfaction of future sinking fund obligations) or at the option of a holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which, and the terms and conditions upon which, Securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
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(9) the form of the Securities of the series including the form of the Certificate of Authentication for such series;
(10) if other than denominations of one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the series shall be issuable;
(11) any and all other terms (including terms, to the extent applicable, relating to any auction or remarketing of the Securities of that series and any security for the obligations of the Company with respect to such Securities) with respect to such series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the terms of this Indenture, as amended by any supplemental indenture) including any terms which may be required by or advisable under United States laws or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that series;
(12) whether the Securities are issuable as a Global Security and, in such case, the terms and the identity of the Depositary for such series;
(13) whether the Securities will be convertible into or exchangeable for ordinary shares or other securities of the Company or any other Person and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such Securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, including the conversion or exchange price, as applicable, or how it will be calculated and may be adjusted, any mandatory or optional (at the Company’s option or the holders’ option) conversion or exchange features, and the applicable conversion or exchange period;
(14) if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of Securities of the series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.01;
(15) any additional or different Events of Default or restrictive covenants (which may include, among other restrictions, restrictions on the Company’s ability or the ability of the Company’s Subsidiaries to: incur additional indebtedness; issue additional securities; create liens; pay dividends or make distributions in respect of their capital stock; redeem capital stock; place restrictions on such Subsidiaries placing restrictions on their ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets; make investments or other restricted payments; sell or otherwise dispose of assets; enter into sale-leaseback transactions; engage in transactions with shareholders and affiliates; issue or sell shares of their Subsidiaries; or effect a consolidation or merger) or financial covenants (which may include, among other financial covenants, financial covenants that require the Company and its Subsidiaries to maintain specified interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based or asset-based ratios) provided for with respect to the Securities of the series;
(16) if other than dollars, the coin or currency in which the Securities of the series are denominated (including, but not limited to, foreign currency);
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(17) the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the Company shall pay amounts in addition to the stated interest, premium, if any and principal amounts of the Securities of the series to any Securityholder that is not a “United States person” for federal tax purposes; and
(18) any restrictions on transfer, sale or assignment of the Securities of the series.
All Securities of any one series shall be substantially identical except as to denomination and except as may otherwise be provided in or pursuant to any such Board Resolution or in any indentures supplemental hereto.
If any of the terms of the series are established by action taken pursuant to a Board Resolution of the Company, a copy of an appropriate record of such action shall be certified by the secretary or an assistant secretary of the Company and delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officers’ Certificate of the Company setting forth the terms of the series.
Securities of any particular series may be issued at various times, with different dates on which the principal or any installment of principal is payable, with different rates of interest, if any, or different methods by which rates of interest may be determined, with different dates on which such interest may be payable and with different redemption dates.
Section 2.02 Form of Securities and Trustee’s Certificate.
The Securities of any series and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication to be borne by such Securities shall be substantially of the tenor and purport as set forth in one or more indentures supplemental hereto or as provided in a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, and they may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements printed, lithographed or engraved thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, or as may be required to comply with any law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any securities exchange on which Securities of that series may be listed, or to conform to usage.
Section 2.03 Denominations: Provisions for Payment.
The Securities shall be issuable as registered Securities and in the denominations of one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple thereof, subject to Section 2.01(a)(10). The Securities of a particular series shall bear interest payable on the dates and at the rate specified with respect to that series. Subject to Section 2.01(a)(16), the principal of and the interest on the Securities of any series, as well as any premium thereon in case of redemption thereof prior to maturity, shall be payable in the coin or currency of the United States of America that at the time is legal tender for public and private debt, at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication. Interest on the Securities shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.
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The interest installment on any Security that is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Securities of that series shall be paid to the Person in whose name said Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment. In the event that any Security of a particular series or portion thereof is called for redemption and the redemption date is subsequent to a regular record date with respect to any Interest Payment Date and prior to such Interest Payment Date, interest on such Security will be paid upon presentation and surrender of such Security as provided in Section 3.03.
Any interest on any Security that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Securities of the same series (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the registered holder on the relevant regular record date by virtue of having been such holder; and such Defaulted Interest shall be paid by the Company, at its election, as provided in clause (1) or clause (2) below:
(1) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on Securities to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner: the Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each such Security and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall not be more than 15 nor less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such special record date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor to be mailed, first class postage prepaid, to each Securityholder at his or her address as it appears in the Security Register (as hereinafter defined), not less than 10 days prior to such special record date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered on such special record date.
(2) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on any Securities in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.
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Unless otherwise set forth in a Board Resolution or one or more indentures supplemental hereto establishing the terms of any series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof, the term “regular record date” as used in this Section with respect to a series of Securities and any Interest Payment Date for such series shall mean either the fifteenth day of the month immediately preceding the month in which an Interest Payment Date established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof shall occur, if such Interest Payment Date is the first day of a month, or the first day of the month in which an Interest Payment Date established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof shall occur, if such Interest Payment Date is the fifteenth day of a month, whether or not such date is a Business Day.
Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Security of a series delivered under this Indenture upon transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security of such series shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, that were carried by such other Security.
Section 2.04 Execution and Authentication.
The Securities shall be signed on behalf of the Company by one of its Directors. Signatures may be in the form of a manual or facsimile signature.
The Company may use the facsimile signature of any Person who shall have been an Officer, notwithstanding the fact that at the time the Securities shall be authenticated and delivered or disposed of such Person shall have ceased to be such an officer of the Company. The Securities may contain such notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule or usage. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication by the Trustee.
A Security shall not be valid until authenticated manually by an authorized signatory of the Trustee, or by an Authenticating Agent. Such signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security so authenticated has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and that the holder is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture. At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities of any series executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a written order of the Company for the authentication and delivery of such Securities, signed by an Officer, and the Trustee in accordance with such written order shall authenticate and deliver such Securities.
In authenticating such Securities and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 7.01) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel stating that the form and terms thereof have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture.
The Trustee shall not be required to authenticate such Securities if the issue of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner that is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.
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Section 2.05 Registration of Transfer and Exchange.
(a) Securities of any series may be exchanged upon presentation thereof at the office or agency of the Company designated for such purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, for other Securities of such series of authorized denominations, and for a like aggregate principal amount, upon payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge in relation thereto, all as provided in this Section. In respect of any Securities so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver in exchange therefor the Security or Securities of the same series that the Securityholder making the exchange shall be entitled to receive, bearing numbers not contemporaneously outstanding.
(b) The Company shall keep, or cause to be kept, at its office or agency designated for such purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, or such other location designated by the Company, a register or registers (herein referred to as the “Security Register”) in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall register the Securities and the transfers of Securities as in this Article provided and which at all reasonable times shall be open for inspection by the Trustee. The registrar for the purpose of registering Securities and transfer of Securities as herein provided shall be appointed as authorized by Board Resolution (the “Security Registrar”).
Upon surrender for transfer of any Security at the office or agency of the Company designated for such purpose, the Company shall execute, the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver in the name of the transferee or transferees a new Security or Securities of the same series as the Security presented for a like aggregate principal amount.
All Securities presented or surrendered for exchange or registration of transfer, as provided in this Section, shall be accompanied (if so required by the Company or the Security Registrar) by a written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form satisfactory to the Company or the Security Registrar, duly executed by the registered holder or by such holder’s duly authorized attorney in writing.
(c) Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental to this Indenture, no service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Securities, or issue of new Securities in case of partial redemption of any series, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge in relation thereto, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 2.06, Section 3.03(b) and Section 9.04 not involving any transfer.
(d) The Company shall not be required (i) to issue, exchange or register the transfer of any Securities during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of the mailing of a notice of redemption of less than all the Outstanding Securities of the same series and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing, nor (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any Securities of any series or portions thereof called for redemption, other than the unredeemed portion of any such Securities being redeemed in part. The provisions of this Section 2.05 are, with respect to any Global Security, subject to Section 2.11 hereof.
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Section 2.06 Temporary Securities.
Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any series, the Company may execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities (printed, lithographed or typewritten) of any authorized denomination. Such temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, but with such omissions, insertions and variations as may be appropriate for temporary Securities, all as may be determined by the Company. Every temporary Security of any series shall be executed by the Company and be authenticated by the Trustee upon the same conditions and in substantially the same manner, and with like effect, as the definitive Securities of such series. Without unnecessary delay the Company will execute and will furnish definitive Securities of such series and thereupon any or all temporary Securities of such series may be surrendered in exchange therefor (without charge to the holders), at the office or agency of the Company designated for the purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, and the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver in exchange for such temporary Securities an equal aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of such series, unless the Company advises the Trustee to the effect that definitive Securities need not be executed and furnished until further notice from the Company. Until so exchanged, the temporary Securities of such series shall be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such series authenticated and delivered hereunder.
Section 2.07 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Securities.
In case any temporary or definitive Security shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company (subject to the next succeeding sentence) shall execute, and upon the Company’s request the Trustee (subject as aforesaid) shall authenticate and deliver, a new Security of the same series, bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, in exchange and substitution for the mutilated Security, or in lieu of and in substitution for the Security so destroyed, lost or stolen. In every case the applicant for a substituted Security shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless, and, in every case of destruction, loss or theft, the applicant shall also furnish to the Company and the Trustee evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of the applicant’s Security and of the ownership thereof. The Trustee may authenticate any such substituted Security and deliver the same upon the written request or authorization of any officer of the Company. Upon the issuance of any substituted Security, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.
In case any Security that has matured or is about to mature shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company may, instead of issuing a substitute Security, pay or authorize the payment of the same (without surrender thereof except in the case of a mutilated Security) if the applicant for such payment shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as they may require to save them harmless, and, in case of destruction, loss or theft, evidence to the satisfaction of the Company and the Trustee of the destruction, loss or theft of such Security and of the ownership thereof.
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Every replacement Security issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall constitute an additional contractual obligation of the Company whether or not the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be found at any time, or be enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of the same series duly issued hereunder. All Securities shall be held and owned upon the express condition that the foregoing provisions are exclusive with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities, and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) any and all other rights or remedies, notwithstanding any law or statute existing or hereafter enacted to the contrary with respect to the replacement or payment of negotiable instruments or other securities without their surrender.
Section 2.08 Cancellation.
All Securities surrendered for the purpose of payment, redemption, exchange or registration of transfer shall, if surrendered to the Company or any paying agent, be delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, or, if surrendered to the Trustee, shall be cancelled by it, and no Securities shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly required or permitted by any of the provisions of this Indenture. In the absence of such request the Trustee may dispose of canceled Securities in accordance with its standard procedures and deliver a certificate of disposition to the Company. If the Company shall otherwise acquire any of the Securities, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Securities unless and until the same are delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.
Section 2.09 Benefits of Indenture.
Nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities, express or implied, shall give or be construed to give to any Person, other than the parties hereto and the holders of the Securities any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Indenture, or under any covenant, condition or provision herein contained; all such covenants, conditions and provisions being for the sole benefit of the parties hereto and of the holders of the Securities.
Section 2.10 Authenticating Agent.
So long as any of the Securities of any series remain Outstanding there may be an Authenticating Agent for any or all such series of Securities which the Trustee shall have the right to appoint. Said Authenticating Agent shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of such series issued upon exchange, transfer or partial redemption thereof, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. All references in this Indenture to the authentication of Securities by the Trustee shall be deemed to include authentication by an Authenticating Agent for such series. Each Authenticating Agent shall be acceptable to the Company and shall be a corporation that has a combined capital and surplus, as most recently reported or determined by it, sufficient under the laws of any jurisdiction under which it is organized or in which it is doing business to conduct a trust business, and that is otherwise authorized under such laws to conduct such business and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authorities. If at any time any Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with these provisions, it shall resign immediately.
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Any Authenticating Agent may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time (and upon request by the Company shall) terminate the agency of any Authenticating Agent by giving written notice of termination to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon resignation, termination or cessation of eligibility of any Authenticating Agent, the Trustee may appoint an eligible successor Authenticating Agent acceptable to the Company. Any successor Authenticating Agent, upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder, shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder as if originally named as an Authenticating Agent pursuant hereto.
Section 2.11 Global Securities.
(a) If the Company shall establish pursuant to Section 2.01 that the Securities of a particular series are to be issued as a Global Security, then the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall, in accordance with Section 2.04, authenticate and deliver, a Global Security that (i) shall represent, and shall be denominated in an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of, all of the Outstanding Securities of such series, (ii) shall be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee, (iii) shall be delivered by the Trustee to the Depositary or pursuant to the Depositary’s instruction and (iv) shall bear a legend substantially to the following effect: “Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.11 of the Indenture, this Security may be transferred, in whole but not in part, only to another nominee of the Depositary or to a successor Depositary or to a nominee of such successor Depositary.”
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2.05, the Global Security of a series may be transferred, in whole but not in part and in the manner provided in Section 2.05, only to another nominee of the Depositary for such series, or to a successor Depositary for such series selected or approved by the Company or to a nominee of such successor Depositary.
(c) If at any time the Depositary for a series of the Securities notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for such series or if at any time the Depositary for such series shall no longer be registered or in good standing under the Exchange Act, or other applicable statute or regulation, and a successor Depositary for such series is not appointed by the Company within 90 days after the Company receives such notice or becomes aware of such condition, as the case may be, or if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Company has received a request from the Depositary, this Section 2.11 shall no longer be applicable to the Securities of such series and the Company will execute, and subject to Section 2.04, the Trustee will authenticate and deliver the Securities of such series in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, and in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security of such series in exchange for such Global Security. In addition, the Company may at any time determine that the Securities of any series shall no longer be represented by a Global Security and that the provisions of this Section 2.11 shall no longer apply to the Securities of such series. In such event the Company will execute and, subject to Section 2.04, the Trustee, upon receipt of an Officers’ Certificate evidencing such determination by the Company, will authenticate and deliver the Securities of such series in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, and in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security of such series in exchange for such Global Security. Upon the exchange of the Global Security for such Securities in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, the Global Security shall be canceled by the Trustee. Such Securities in definitive registered form issued in exchange for the Global Security pursuant to this Section 2.11(c) shall be registered in such names and in such authorized denominations as the Depositary, pursuant to instructions from its direct or indirect participants or otherwise, shall instruct the Trustee. The Trustee shall deliver such Securities to the Depositary for delivery to the Persons in whose names such Securities are so registered.
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ARTICLE 3
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES AND SINKING FUND PROVISIONS
Section 3.01 Redemption.
The Company may redeem the Securities of any series issued hereunder on and after the dates and in accordance with the terms established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof.
Section 3.02 Notice of Redemption.
(a) In case the Company shall desire to exercise such right to redeem all or, as the case may be, a portion of the Securities of any series in accordance with any right the Company reserved for itself to do so pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof, the Company shall, or shall cause the Trustee to, give notice of such redemption to holders of the Securities of such series to be redeemed by mailing, first class postage prepaid, a notice of such redemption not less than 30 days and not more than 90 days before the date fixed for redemption of that series to such holders at their last addresses as they shall appear upon the Security Register, unless a shorter period is specified in the Securities to be redeemed. Any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the registered holder receives the notice. In any case, failure duly to give such notice to the holder of any Security of any series designated for redemption in whole or in part, or any defect in the notice, shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Securities of such series or any other series. In the case of any redemption of Securities prior to the expiration of any restriction on such redemption provided in the terms of such Securities or elsewhere in this Indenture, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officers’ Certificate evidencing compliance with any such restriction.
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Each such notice of redemption shall specify the date fixed for redemption and the redemption price at which Securities of that series are to be redeemed, and shall state that payment of the redemption price of such Securities to be redeemed will be made at the office or agency of the Company in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, upon presentation and surrender of such Securities, that interest accrued to the date fixed for redemption will be paid as specified in said notice, that from and after said date interest will cease to accrue and that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case. If less than all the Securities of a series are to be redeemed, the notice to the holders of Securities of that series to be redeemed in part shall specify the particular Securities to be so redeemed.
In case any Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice that relates to such Security shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed, and shall state that on and after the redemption date, upon surrender of such Security, a new Security or Securities of such series in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued.
(b) If less than all the Securities of a series are to be redeemed, the Company shall give the Trustee at least 45 days’ notice (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee) in advance of the date fixed for redemption as to the aggregate principal amount of Securities of the series to be redeemed, and thereupon the Trustee shall select, by lot or in such other manner as it shall deem appropriate and fair in its discretion and that may provide for the selection of a portion or portions (equal to one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple thereof) of the principal amount of such Securities of a denomination larger than $1,000, the Securities to be redeemed and shall thereafter promptly notify the Company in writing of the numbers of the Securities to be redeemed, in whole or in part. The Company may, if and whenever it shall so elect, by delivery of instructions signed on its behalf by an Officer, instruct the Trustee or any paying agent to call all or any part of the Securities of a particular series for redemption and to give notice of redemption in the manner set forth in this Section, such notice to be in the name of the Company or its own name as the Trustee or such paying agent may deem advisable. In any case in which notice of redemption is to be given by the Trustee or any such paying agent, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to, or permit to remain with, the Trustee or such paying agent, as the case may be, such Security Register, transfer books or other records, or suitable copies or extracts therefrom, sufficient to enable the Trustee or such paying agent to give any notice by mail that may be required under the provisions of this Section.
Section 3.03 Payment Upon Redemption.
(a) If the giving of notice of redemption shall have been completed as above provided, the Securities or portions of Securities of the series to be redeemed specified in such notice shall become due and payable on the date and at the place stated in such notice at the applicable redemption price, together with interest accrued to the date fixed for redemption and interest on such Securities or portions of Securities shall cease to accrue on and after the date fixed for redemption, unless the Company shall default in the payment of such redemption price and accrued interest with respect to any such Security or portion thereof. On presentation and surrender of such Securities on or after the date fixed for redemption at the place of payment specified in the notice, said Securities shall be paid and redeemed at the applicable redemption price for such series, together with interest accrued thereon to the date fixed for redemption (but if the date fixed for redemption is an interest payment date, the interest installment payable on such date shall be payable to the registered holder at the close of business on the applicable record date pursuant to Section 2.03).
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(b) Upon presentation of any Security of such series that is to be redeemed in part only, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and the office or agency where the Security is presented shall deliver to the holder thereof, at the expense of the Company, a new Security of the same series of authorized denominations in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the Security so presented.
Section 3.04 Sinking Fund.
The provisions of Sections 3.04, 3.05 and 3.06 shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a series, except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.01 for Securities of such series.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment,” and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment”. If provided for by the terms of Securities of any series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 3.05. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any series as provided for by the terms of Securities of such series.
Section 3.05 Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.
The Company (i) may deliver Outstanding Securities of a series and (ii) may apply as a credit Securities of a series that have been redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Securities or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities, in each case in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of such series required to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities as provided for by the terms of such series, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the redemption price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly.
Section 3.06 Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.
Not less than 45 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for any series of Securities (unless a shorter period shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing sinking fund payment for that series pursuant to the terms of the series, the portion thereof, if any, that is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting Securities of that series pursuant to Section 3.05 and the basis for such credit and will, together with such Officers’ Certificate, deliver to the Trustee any Securities to be so delivered. Not less than 30 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 3.02 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in Section 3.02. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Section 3.03.
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ARTICLE 4
COVENANTS
Section 4.01 Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest.
The Company will duly and punctually pay or cause to be paid the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Securities of that series at the time and place and in the manner provided herein and established with respect to such Securities.
Section 4.02 Maintenance of Office or Agency.
So long as any series of the Securities remain Outstanding, the Company agrees to maintain an office or agency in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, with respect to each such series and at such other location or locations as may be designated as provided in this Section 4.02, where (i) Securities of that series may be presented for payment, (ii) Securities of that series may be presented as herein above authorized for registration of transfer and exchange, and (iii) notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of that series and this Indenture may be given or served, such designation to continue with respect to such office or agency until the Company shall, by written notice signed by any officer authorized to sign an Officers’ Certificate and delivered to the Trustee, designate some other office or agency for such purposes or any of them. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations, notices and demands. The Company initially appoints the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee located in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York as its paying agent with respect to the Securities.
Section 4.03 Paying Agents.
(a) If the Company shall appoint one or more paying agents for all or any series of the Securities, other than the Trustee, the Company will cause each such paying agent to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section:
(1) that it will hold all sums held by it as such agent for the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Securities of that series (whether such sums have been paid to it by the Company or by any other obligor of such Securities) in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto;
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(2) that it will give the Trustee notice of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor of such Securities) to make any payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Securities of that series when the same shall be due and payable;
(3) that it will, at any time during the continuance of any failure referred to in the preceding paragraph (a)(2) above, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such paying agent; and
(4) that it will perform all other duties of paying agent as set forth in this Indenture.
(b) If the Company shall act as its own paying agent with respect to any series of the Securities, it will on or before each due date of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on Securities of that series, set aside, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum sufficient to pay such principal (and premium, if any) or interest so becoming due on Securities of that series until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided and will promptly notify the Trustee of such action, or any failure (by it or any other obligor on such Securities) to take such action. Whenever the Company shall have one or more paying agents for any series of Securities, it will, prior to each due date of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on any Securities of that series, deposit with the paying agent a sum sufficient to pay the principal (and premium, if any) or interest so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such principal, premium or interest, and (unless such paying agent is the Trustee) the Company will promptly notify the Trustee of this action or failure so to act.
(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section to the contrary, (i) the agreement to hold sums in trust as provided in this Section is subject to the provisions of Section 11.05, and (ii) the Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or direct any paying agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or such paying agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same terms and conditions as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such paying agent; and, upon such payment by the Company or any paying agent to the Trustee, the Company or such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such money.
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Section 4.04 Appointment to Fill Vacancy in Office of Trustee.
The Company, whenever necessary to avoid or fill a vacancy in the office of Trustee, will appoint, in the manner provided in Section 7.10, a Trustee, so that there shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder.
Section 4.05 Compliance with Consolidation Provisions.
The Company will not, while any of the Securities remain Outstanding, consolidate with or merge into any other Person, in either case where the Company is not the survivor of such transaction, or sell or convey all or substantially all of its property to any other Person unless the provisions of Article Ten hereof are complied with.
ARTICLE 5
SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE
Section 5.01 Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Securityholders.
The Company will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee (a) within 15 days after each regular record date (as defined in Section 2.03) a list, in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the holders of each series of Securities as of such regular record date, provided that the Company shall not be obligated to furnish or cause to furnish such list at any time that the list shall not differ in any respect from the most recent list furnished to the Trustee by the Company and (b) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished; provided, however, that, in either case, no such list need be furnished for any series for which the Trustee shall be the Security Registrar.
Section 5.02 Preservation of Information; Communications with Securityholders.
(a) The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably practicable, all information as to the names and addresses of the holders of Securities contained in the most recent list furnished to it as provided in Section 5.01 and as to the names and addresses of holders of Securities received by the Trustee in its capacity as Security Registrar (if acting in such capacity).
(b) The Trustee may destroy any list furnished to it as provided in Section 5.01 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.
(c) Securityholders may communicate as provided in Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act with other Securityholders with respect to their rights under this Indenture or under the Securities, and, in connection with any such communications, the Trustee shall satisfy its obligations under Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the provisions of Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
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Section 5.03 Reports by the Company.
The Company covenants and agrees to provide a copy to the Trustee, after the Company files the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Securities and Exchange Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) that the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, the Company shall not be required to deliver to the Trustee any materials for which the Company has sought and received confidential treatment by the SEC. The Company shall also comply with the requirements of Section 314 of the Trust Indenture Act, but only to the extent then applicable to the Company.
Section 5.04 Reports by the Trustee.
(a) On or before July 1 in each year in which any of the Securities are Outstanding, the Trustee shall transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register, a brief report dated as of the preceding May 1, if and to the extent required under Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act.
(b) The Trustee shall comply with Section 313(b) and 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act.
(c) A copy of each such report shall, at the time of such transmission to Securityholders, be filed by the Trustee with the Company, with each securities exchange upon which any Securities are listed (if so listed) and also with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company agrees to notify the Trustee when any Securities become listed on any securities exchange.
ARTICLE 6
REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS ON EVENT OF DEFAULT
Section 6.01 Events of Default.
(a) Whenever used herein with respect to Securities of a particular series, “Event of Default” means any one or more of the following events that has occurred and is continuing:
(1) the Company defaults in the payment of any installment of interest upon any of the Securities of that series, as and when the same shall become due and payable, and such default continues for a period of 90 days; provided, however, that a valid extension of an interest payment period by the Company in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental hereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of interest for this purpose;
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(2) the Company defaults in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any of the Securities of that series as and when the same shall become due and payable whether at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration or otherwise, or in any payment required by any sinking or analogous fund established with respect to that series; provided, however, that a valid extension of the maturity of such Securities in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental hereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of principal or premium, if any;
(3) the Company fails to observe or perform any other of its covenants or agreements with respect to that series contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to that series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof (other than a covenant or agreement that has been expressly included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of one or more series of Securities other than such series) for a period of 90 days after the date on which written notice of such failure, requiring the same to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder, shall have been given to the Company by the Trustee, by registered or certified mail, or to the Company and the Trustee by the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Securities of that series at the time Outstanding;
(4) the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law (i) commences a voluntary case, (ii) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case, (iii) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property or (iv) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or
(5) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order under any Bankruptcy Law that (i) is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case, (ii) appoints a Custodian of the Company for all or substantially all of its property or (iii) orders the liquidation of the Company, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 90 days.
(b) In each and every such case (other than an Event of Default specified in clause (4) or clause (5) above), unless the principal of all the Securities of that series shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series then Outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by such Securityholders), may declare the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on all the Securities of that series to be due and payable immediately, and upon any such declaration the same shall become and shall be immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in clause (4) or clause (5) above occurs, the principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on all the Securities of that series shall automatically be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or the holders of the Securities.
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(c) At any time after the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on the Securities of that series shall have been so declared due and payable, and before any judgment or decree for the payment of the moneys due shall have been obtained or entered as hereinafter provided, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series then Outstanding hereunder, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if: (i) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest upon all the Securities of that series and the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any and all Securities of that series that shall have become due otherwise than by acceleration (with interest upon such principal and premium, if any, and, to the extent that such payment is enforceable under applicable law, upon overdue installments of interest, at the rate per annum expressed in the Securities of that series to the date of such payment or deposit) and the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06, and (ii) any and all Events of Default under the Indenture with respect to such series, other than the nonpayment of principal on (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on Securities of that series that shall not have become due by their terms, shall have been remedied or waived as provided in Section 6.06.
No such rescission and annulment shall extend to or shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
(d) In case the Trustee shall have proceeded to enforce any right with respect to Securities of that series under this Indenture and such proceedings shall have been discontinued or abandoned because of such rescission or annulment or for any other reason or shall have been determined adversely to the Trustee, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such proceedings, the Company and the Trustee shall be restored respectively to their former positions and rights hereunder, and all rights, remedies and powers of the Company and the Trustee shall continue as though no such proceedings had been taken.
Section 6.02 Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.
(a) The Company covenants that (i) in case it shall default in the payment of any installment of interest on any of the Securities of a series, or in any payment required by any sinking or analogous fund established with respect to that series as and when the same shall have become due and payable, and such default shall have continued for a period of 90 Business Days, or (ii) in case it shall default in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any of the Securities of a series when the same shall have become due and payable, whether upon maturity of the Securities of a series or upon redemption or upon declaration or otherwise then, upon demand of the Trustee, the Company will pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the holders of the Securities of that series, the whole amount that then shall have been become due and payable on all such Securities for principal (and premium, if any) or interest, or both, as the case may be, with interest upon the overdue principal (and premium, if any) and (to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law) upon overdue installments of interest at the rate per annum expressed in the Securities of that series; and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, and the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06.
(b) If the Company shall fail to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, shall be entitled and empowered to institute any action or proceedings at law or in equity for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute any such action or proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce any such judgment or final decree against the Company or other obligor upon the Securities of that series and collect the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law or equity out of the property of the Company or other obligor upon the Securities of that series, wherever situated.
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(c) In case of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, readjustment, arrangement, composition or judicial proceedings affecting the Company, or its creditors or property, the Trustee shall have power to intervene in such proceedings and take any action therein that may be permitted by the court and shall (except as may be otherwise provided by law) be entitled to file such proofs of claim and other papers and documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee and of the holders of Securities of such series allowed for the entire amount due and payable by the Company under the Indenture at the date of institution of such proceedings and for any additional amount that may become due and payable by the Company after such date, and to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claim, and to distribute the same after the deduction of the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06; and any receiver, assignee or trustee in bankruptcy or reorganization is hereby authorized by each of the holders of Securities of such series to make such payments to the Trustee, and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to such Securityholders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due it under Section 7.06.
(d) All rights of action and of asserting claims under this Indenture, or under any of the terms established with respect to Securities of that series, may be enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of such Securities, or the production thereof at any trial or other proceeding relative thereto, and any such suit or proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for payment to the Trustee of any amounts due under Section 7.06, be for the ratable benefit of the holders of the Securities of such series.
In case of an Event of Default hereunder, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce the rights vested in it by this Indenture by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any of such rights, either at law or in equity or in bankruptcy or otherwise, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement contained in the Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Indenture, or to enforce any other legal or equitable right vested in the Trustee by this Indenture or by law.
Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Securityholder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities of that series or the rights of any holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Securityholder in any such proceeding.
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Section 6.03 Application of Moneys or Property Collected.
Any moneys or property collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article with respect to a particular series of Securities shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such moneys or property on account of principal (or premium, if any) or interest, upon presentation of the Securities of that series, and notation thereon of the payment, if only partially paid, and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
FIRST: To the payment of reasonable costs and expenses of collection and of all amounts payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06;
SECOND: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon Securities of such series for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, respectively; and
THIRD: To the payment of the remainder, if any, to the Company or any other Person lawfully entitled thereto as requested by the Company.
Section 6.04 Limitation on Suits.
No holder of any Security of any series shall have any right by virtue or by availing of any provision of this Indenture to institute any suit, action or proceeding in equity or at law upon or under or with respect to this Indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless (i) such holder previously shall have given to the Trustee written notice of an Event of Default and of the continuance thereof with respect to the Securities of such series specifying such Event of Default, as hereinbefore provided; (ii) the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding shall have made written request upon the Trustee to institute such action, suit or proceeding in its own name as Trustee hereunder; (iii) such holder or holders shall have offered to the Trustee such reasonable indemnity as it may require against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred therein or thereby; (iv) the Trustee for 90 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity, shall have failed to institute any such action, suit or proceeding and (v) during such 90 day period, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of that series do not give the Trustee a direction inconsistent with the request.
Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary or any other provisions of this Indenture, the right of any holder of any Security to receive payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on such Security, as therein provided, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Security (or in the case of redemption, on the redemption date), or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates or redemption date, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such holder and by accepting a Security hereunder it is expressly understood, intended and covenanted by the taker and holder of every Security of such series with every other such taker and holder and the Trustee, that no one or more holders of Securities of such series shall have any right in any manner whatsoever by virtue or by availing of any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of the holders of any other of such Securities, or to obtain or seek to obtain priority over or preference to any other such holder, or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal, ratable and common benefit of all holders of Securities of such series. For the protection and enforcement of the provisions of this Section, each and every Securityholder and the Trustee shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or in equity.
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Section 6.05 Rights and Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.07, all powers and remedies given by this Article to the Trustee or to the Securityholders shall, to the extent permitted by law, be deemed cumulative and not exclusive of any other powers and remedies available to the Trustee or the holders of the Securities, by judicial proceedings or otherwise, to enforce the performance or observance of the covenants and agreements contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to such Securities.
(b) No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any holder of any of the Securities to exercise any right or power accruing upon any Event of Default occurring and continuing as aforesaid shall impair any such right or power, or shall be construed to be a waiver of any such default or an acquiescence therein; and, subject to the provisions of Section 6.04, every power and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or the Securityholders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as shall be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Securityholders.
Section 6.06 Control by Securityholders.
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding, determined in accordance with Section 8.04, shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to such series; provided, however, that such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture. Subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall, by a Responsible Officer or officers of the Trustee, determine that the proceeding so directed, subject to the Trustee’s duties under the Trust Indenture Act, would involve the Trustee in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the Securityholders not involved in the proceeding. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding affected thereby, determined in accordance with Section 8.04, may on behalf of the holders of all of the Securities of such series waive any past default in the performance of any of the covenants contained herein or established pursuant to Section 2.01 with respect to such series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on, any of the Securities of that series as and when the same shall become due by the terms of such Securities otherwise than by acceleration (unless such default has been cured and a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest and principal and any premium has been deposited with the Trustee (in accordance with Section 6.01(c)). Upon any such waiver, the default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of this Indenture and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Securities of such series shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or impair any right consequent thereon.
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Section 6.07 Undertaking to Pay Costs.
All parties to this Indenture agree, and each holder of any Securities by such holder’s acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Securityholder, or group of Securityholders, holding more than 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, or to any suit instituted by any Securityholder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Security of such series, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Security or established pursuant to this Indenture.
ARTICLE 7
CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
Section 7.01 Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee.
(a) The Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the curing of all Events of Default with respect to the Securities of that series that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform with respect to the Securities of such series such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. In case an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series has occurred (that has not been cured or waived), the Trustee shall exercise with respect to Securities of that series such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs.
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(b) No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
(i) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default with respect to that series that may have occurred:
(A) the duties and obligations of the Trustee shall with respect to the Securities of such series be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to the Securities of such series except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and
(B) in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Trustee, the Trustee may with respect to the Securities of such series conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirement of this Indenture;
(ii) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or Responsible Officers of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
(iii) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of that series; and
(iv) None of the provisions contained in this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if there is reasonable ground for believing that the repayment of such funds or liability is not reasonably assured to it under the terms of this Indenture or adequate indemnity against such risk is not reasonably assured to it.
Section 7.02 Certain Rights of Trustee.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 7.01:
(a) The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, security or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;
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(b) Any request, direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution or an instrument signed in the name of the Company by any authorized officer of the Company (unless other evidence in respect thereof is specifically prescribed herein);
(c) The Trustee may consult with counsel and the written advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken or suffered or omitted hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon;
(d) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request, order or direction of any of the Securityholders pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, unless such Securityholders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that may be incurred therein or thereby; nothing contained herein shall, however, relieve the Trustee of the obligation, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to a series of the Securities (that has not been cured or waived), to exercise with respect to Securities of that series such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and to use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs;
(e) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;
(f) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, security, or other papers or documents, unless requested in writing so to do by the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of the particular series affected thereby (determined as provided in Section 8.04); provided, however, that if the payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the security afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require reasonable indemnity against such costs, expenses or liabilities as a condition to so proceeding. The reasonable expense of every such examination shall be paid by the Company or, if paid by the Trustee, shall be repaid by the Company upon demand; and
(g) The Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder.
In addition, the Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any Default or Event of Default except (1) any Event of Default occurring pursuant to Sections 6.01(a)(1), 6.01(a)(2) and 4.01 hereof or (2) any Default or Event of Default of which the Trustee shall have received written notification in the manner set forth in this Indenture or a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have obtained actual knowledge. Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under Section 5.03 is for informational purposes only and the information and the Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein, or determinable from information contained therein including the Company’s compliance with any of their covenants thereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely conclusively on an Officers’ Certificate).
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Section 7.03 Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance or Securities.
(a) The recitals contained herein and in the Securities shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee assumes no responsibility for the correctness of the same.
(b) The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities.
(c) The Trustee shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of any of the Securities or of the proceeds of such Securities, or for the use or application of any moneys paid over by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture or established pursuant to Section 2.01, or for the use or application of any moneys received by any paying agent other than the Trustee.
Section 7.04 May Hold Securities.
The Trustee or any paying agent or Security Registrar, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee, paying agent or Security Registrar.
Section 7.05 Moneys Held in Trust.
Subject to the provisions of Section 11.05, all moneys received by the Trustee shall, until used or applied as herein provided, be held in trust for the purposes for which they were received, but need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any moneys received by it hereunder except such as it may agree with the Company to pay thereon.
Section 7.06 Compensation and Reimbursement.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees to pay to the Trustee, and the Trustee shall be entitled to, such reasonable compensation (which shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust) as the Company and the Trustee may from time to time agree in writing, for all services rendered by it in the execution of the trusts hereby created and in the exercise and performance of any of the powers and duties hereunder of the Trustee, and, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the Company will pay or reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any of the provisions of this Indenture (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its counsel and of all Persons not regularly in its employ), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may arise from its negligence or bad faith and except as the Company and Trustee may from time to time agree in writing. The Company also covenants to indemnify the Trustee (and its officers, agents, directors and employees) for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability or expense incurred without negligence or bad faith on the part of the Trustee and arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this trust, including the reasonable costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim of liability in the premises.
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(b) The obligations of the Company under this Section to compensate and indemnify the Trustee and to pay or reimburse the Trustee for reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances shall constitute additional indebtedness hereunder. Such additional indebtedness shall be secured by a lien prior to that of the Securities upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the benefit of the holders of particular Securities.
Section 7.07 Reliance on Officers’ Certificate.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 7.01, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it reasonably necessary or desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking or suffering or omitting to take any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of negligence or bad faith on the part of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officers’ Certificate delivered to the Trustee and such certificate, in the absence of negligence or bad faith on the part of the Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.
Section 7.08 Disqualification; Conflicting Interests.
If the Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee and the Company shall in all respects comply with the provisions of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 7.09 Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility.
There shall at all times be a Trustee with respect to the Securities issued hereunder which shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any state or territory thereof or of the District of Columbia, or a corporation or other Person permitted to act as trustee by the Securities and Exchange Commission, authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least fifty million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000), and subject to supervision or examination by federal, state, territorial, or District of Columbia authority.
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If such corporation or other Person publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such corporation or other Person shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. The Company may not, nor may any Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company, serve as Trustee. In case at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in Section 7.10.
Section 7.10 Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.
(a) The Trustee or any successor hereafter appointed may at any time resign with respect to the Securities of one or more series by giving written notice thereof to the Company and by transmitting notice of resignation by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders of such series, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register.
Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor trustee with respect to Securities of such series by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the resigning Trustee and one copy to the successor trustee. If no successor trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 30 days after the mailing of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to Securities of such series, or any Securityholder of that series who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months may on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any such court for the appointment of a successor trustee. Such court may thereupon after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, appoint a successor trustee.
(b) In case at any time any one of the following shall occur:
(i) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of Section 7.08 after written request therefor by the Company or by any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months; or
(ii) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of Section 7.09 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any such Securityholder; or
(iii) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent, or commence a voluntary bankruptcy proceeding, or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or consented to, or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation; then, in any such case, the Company may remove the Trustee with respect to all Securities and appoint a successor trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the Trustee so removed and one copy to the successor trustee, or any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months may, on behalf of that holder and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor trustee. Such court may thereupon after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, remove the Trustee and appoint a successor trustee.
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(c) The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding may at any time remove the Trustee with respect to such series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company and may appoint a successor Trustee for such series with the consent of the Company.
(d) Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the Securities of a series pursuant to any of the provisions of this Section shall become effective upon acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee as provided in Section 7.11.
(e) Any successor trustee appointed pursuant to this Section may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more series or all of such series, and at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular series.
Section 7.11 Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.
(a) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor trustee with respect to all Securities, every such successor trustee so appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee; but, on the request of the Company or the successor trustee, such retiring Trustee shall, upon payment of its charges, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor trustee all the rights, powers, and trusts of the retiring Trustee and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder.
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(b) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) series, the Company, the retiring Trustee and each successor trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto wherein each successor trustee shall accept such appointment and which (i) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates, (ii) shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee, and (iii) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust, that each such Trustee shall be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee and that no Trustee shall be responsible for any act or failure to act on the part of any other Trustee hereunder; and upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein, such retiring Trustee shall with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates have no further responsibility for the exercise of rights and powers or for the performance of the duties and obligations vested in the Trustee under this Indenture, and each such successor trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or any successor trustee, such retiring Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor trustee, to the extent contemplated by such supplemental indenture, the property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates.
(c) Upon request of any such successor trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, as the case may be.
(d) No successor trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor trustee shall be qualified and eligible under this Article.
(e) Upon acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee as provided in this Section, the Company shall transmit notice of the succession of such trustee hereunder by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register. If the Company fails to transmit such notice within ten days after acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee, the successor trustee shall cause such notice to be transmitted at the expense of the Company.
Section 7.12 Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.
Any corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided that such corporation shall be qualified under the provisions of Section 7.08 and eligible under the provisions of Section 7.09, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated, but not delivered, by the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation to such authenticating Trustee may adopt such authentication and deliver the Securities so authenticated with the same effect as if such successor Trustee had itself authenticated such Securities.
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Section 7.13 Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Company.
The Trustee shall comply with Section 311(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, excluding any creditor relationship described in Section 311(b) of the Trust Indenture Act. A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to Section 311(a) of the Trust Indenture Act to the extent included therein.
Section 7.14 Notice of Default
If any Default or any Event of Default occurs and is continuing and if such Default or Event of Default is known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall mail to each Securityholder in the manner and to the extent provided in Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act notice of the Default or Event of Default within 45 days after it occurs and becomes known to the Trustee, unless such Default or Event of Default has been cured; provided, however, that, except in the case of a default in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Security, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as the board of directors, the executive committee or a trust committee of directors and/or Responsible
Officers of the Trustee in good faith determine that the withholding of such notice is in the interest of the Securityholders.
ARTICLE 8
CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
Section 8.01 Evidence of Action by Securityholders.
Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the holders of a majority or specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a particular series may take any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action), the fact that at the time of taking any such action the holders of such majority or specified percentage of that series have joined therein may be evidenced by any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by such holders of Securities of that series in person or by agent or proxy appointed in writing.
If the Company shall solicit from the Securityholders of any series any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, the Company may, at its option, as evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate, fix in advance a record date for such series for the determination of Securityholders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action may be given before or after the record date, but only the Securityholders of record at the close of business on the record date shall be deemed to be Securityholders for the purposes of determining whether Securityholders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities of that series have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities of that series shall be computed as of the record date; provided, however, that no such authorization, agreement or consent by such Securityholders on the record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than six months after the record date.
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Section 8.02 Proof of Execution by Securityholders.
Subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, proof of the execution of any instrument by a Securityholder (such proof will not require notarization) or his agent or proxy and proof of the holding by any Person of any of the Securities shall be sufficient if made in the following manner:
(a) The fact and date of the execution by any such Person of any instrument may be proved in any reasonable manner acceptable to the Trustee.
(b) The ownership of Securities shall be proved by the Security Register of such Securities or by a certificate of the Security Registrar thereof.
The Trustee may require such additional proof of any matter referred to in this Section as it shall deem necessary.
Section 8.03 Who May be Deemed Owners.
Prior to the due presentment for registration of transfer of any Security, the Company, the Trustee, any paying agent and any Security Registrar may deem and treat the Person in whose name such Security shall be registered upon the books of the Company as the absolute owner of such Security (whether or not such Security shall be overdue and notwithstanding any notice of ownership or writing thereon made by anyone other than the Security Registrar) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, and (subject to Section 2.03) interest on such Security and for all other purposes; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any paying agent nor any Security Registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
Section 8.04 Certain Securities Owned by Company Disregarded.
In determining whether the holders of the requisite aggregate principal amount of Securities of a particular series have concurred in any direction, consent or waiver under this Indenture, the Securities of that series that are owned by the Company or any other obligor on the Securities of that series or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with the Company or any other obligor on the Securities of that series shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding for the purpose of any such determination, except that for the purpose of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such direction, consent or waiver, only Securities of such series that the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. The Securities so owned that have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding for the purposes of this Section, if the pledgee shall establish to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right so to act with respect to such Securities and that the pledgee is not a Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any such other obligor. In case of a dispute as to such right, any decision by the Trustee taken upon the advice of counsel shall be full protection to the Trustee.
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Section 8.05 Actions Binding on Future Securityholders.
At any time prior to (but not after) the evidencing to the Trustee, as provided in Section 8.01, of the taking of any action by the holders of the majority or percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a particular series specified in this Indenture in connection with such action, any holder of a Security of that series that is shown by the evidence to be included in the Securities the holders of which have consented to such action may, by filing written notice with the Trustee, and upon proof of holding as provided in Section 8.02, revoke such action so far as concerns such Security. Except as aforesaid any such action taken by the holder of any Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such holder and upon all future holders and owners of such Security, and of any Security issued in exchange therefor, on registration of transfer thereof or in place thereof, irrespective of whether or not any notation in regard thereto is made upon such Security. Any action taken by the holders of the majority or percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a particular series specified in this Indenture in connection with such action shall be conclusively binding upon the Company, the Trustee and the holders of all the Securities of that series.
ARTICLE 9
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
Section 9.01 Supplemental Indentures Without the Consent of Securityholders.
In addition to any supplemental indenture otherwise authorized by this Indenture, the Company and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect), without the consent of the Securityholders, for one or more of the following purposes:
(a) to cure any ambiguity, defect, or inconsistency herein or in the Securities of any series;
(b) to comply with Article Ten;
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(c) to provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;
(d) to add to the covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions relating to the Company for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of Securities (and if such covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions are to be for the benefit of less than all series of Securities, stating that such covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such series), to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an Event of Default, or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company;
(e) to add to, delete from, or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication, and delivery of Securities, as herein set forth;
(f) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder in any material respect;
(g) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the Securities of any series as provided in Section 2.01, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of this Indenture or any series of Securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of Securities;
(h) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee; or
(i) to comply with any requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor in connection with the qualification of this Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act.
The Trustee is hereby authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein contained, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to enter into any such supplemental indenture that affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
Any supplemental indenture authorized by the provisions of this Section may be executed by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of the holders of any of the Securities at the time Outstanding, notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 9.02.
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Section 9.02 Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders.
With the consent (evidenced as provided in Section 8.01) of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of each series affected by such supplemental indenture or indentures at the time Outstanding, the Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect) for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner not covered by Section 9.01 the rights of the holders of the Securities of such series under this Indenture; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall, without the consent of the holders of each Security then Outstanding and affected thereby, (a) extend the fixed maturity of any Securities of any series, or reduce the principal amount thereof, or reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any premium payable upon the redemption thereof or (b) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture.
It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Securityholders of any series affected thereby under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such consent shall approve the substance thereof.
Section 9.03 Effect of Supplemental Indentures.
Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Section 10.01, this Indenture shall, with respect to such series, be and be deemed to be modified and amended in accordance therewith and the respective rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities under this Indenture of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of Securities of the series affected thereby shall thereafter be determined, exercised and enforced hereunder subject in all respects to such modifications and amendments, and all the terms and conditions of any such supplemental indenture shall be and be deemed to be part of the terms and conditions of this Indenture for any and all purposes.
Section 9.04 Securities Affected by Supplemental Indentures.
Securities of any series affected by a supplemental indenture, authenticated and delivered after the execution of such supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Section 10.01, may bear a notation in form approved by the Company, provided such form meets the requirements of any securities exchange upon which such series may be listed, as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company shall so determine, new Securities of that series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, to any modification of this Indenture contained in any such supplemental indenture may be prepared by the Company, authenticated by the Trustee and delivered in exchange for the Securities of that series then Outstanding.
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Section 9.05 Execution of Supplemental Indentures.
Upon the request of the Company, accompanied by its Board Resolutions authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence of the consent of Securityholders required to consent thereto as aforesaid, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such supplemental indenture unless such supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion but shall not be obligated to enter into such supplemental indenture. The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, will be entitled to receive and will be fully protected in relying upon an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article is authorized or permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Article and that it is proper for the Trustee under the provisions of this Article to join in the execution thereof; provided, however, that such Officers’ Certificate or Opinion of Counsel need not be provided in connection with the execution of a supplemental indenture that establishes the terms of a series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof.
Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Section, the Trustee shall transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, a notice, setting forth in general terms the substance of such supplemental indenture, to the Securityholders of all series affected thereby as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register. Any failure of the Trustee to mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture.
ARTICLE 10
SUCCESSOR ENTITY
Section 10.01 Company May Consolidate, Etc.
Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental to this Indenture, nothing contained in this Indenture shall prevent any consolidation or merger of the Company with or into any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company) or successive consolidations or mergers in which the Company or its successor or successors shall be a party or parties, or shall prevent any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of the property of the Company or its successor or successors as an entirety, or substantially as an entirety, to any other corporation (whether or not affiliated with the Company or its successor or successors) authorized to acquire and operate the same; provided, however, the Company hereby covenants and agrees that, upon any such consolidation or merger (in each case, if the Company is not the survivor of such transaction), sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (premium, if any) and interest on all of the Securities of all series in accordance with the terms of each series, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual performance and observance of all the covenants and conditions of this Indenture with respect to each series or established with respect to such series pursuant to Section 2.01 to be kept or performed by the Company shall be expressly assumed, by supplemental indenture (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, as then in effect) reasonably satisfactory in form to the Trustee executed and delivered to the Trustee by the entity formed by such consolidation, or into which the Company shall have been merged, or by the entity which shall have acquired such property.
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Section 10.02 Successor Entity Substituted.
(a) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition and upon the assumption by the successor entity by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the obligations set forth under Section 10.01 on all of the Securities of all series Outstanding, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for the Company with the same effect as if it had been named as the Company herein, and thereupon the predecessor corporation shall be relieved of all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.
(b) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, such changes in phraseology and form (but not in substance) may be made in the Securities thereafter to be issued as may be appropriate.
(c) Nothing contained in this Article shall require any action by the Company in the case of a consolidation or merger of any Person into the Company where the Company is the survivor of such transaction, or the acquisition by the Company, by purchase or otherwise, of all or any part of the property of any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company).
Section 10.03 Evidence of Consolidation, Etc. to Trustee.
The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, may receive an Officers’ Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, and any such assumption, comply with the provisions of this Article.
ARTICLE 11
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
Section 11.01 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.
If at any time: (a) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee for cancellation all Securities of a series theretofore authenticated and not delivered to the Trustee for cancellation (other than any Securities that shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.07 and Securities for whose payment money or Governmental Obligations have theretofore been deposited in trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereupon repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in Section 11.05); or (b) all such Securities of a particular series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation shall have become due and payable, or are by their terms to become due and payable within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption, and the Company shall deposit or cause to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds the entire amount in moneys or Governmental Obligations or a combination thereof, sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay at maturity or upon redemption all Securities of that series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal (and premium, if any) and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or date fixed for redemption, as the case may be, and if the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable hereunder with respect to such series by the Company then this Indenture shall thereupon cease to be of further effect with respect to such series except for the provisions of Sections 2.03, 2.05, 2.07, 4.01, 4.02, 4.03 and 7.10, that shall survive until the date of maturity or redemption date, as the case may be, and Sections 7.06 and 11.05, that shall survive to such date and thereafter, and the Trustee, on demand of the Company and at the cost and expense of the Company shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction of and discharging this Indenture with respect to such series.
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Section 11.02 Discharge of Obligations.
If at any time all such Securities of a particular series not heretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation or that have not become due and payable as described in Section 11.01 shall have been paid by the Company by depositing irrevocably with the Trustee as trust funds moneys or an amount of Governmental Obligations sufficient to pay at maturity or upon redemption all such Securities of that series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal (and premium, if any) and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or date fixed for redemption, as the case may be, and if the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company with respect to such series, then after the date such moneys or Governmental Obligations, as the case may be, are deposited with the Trustee the obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to such series shall cease to be of further effect except for the provisions of Sections 2.03, 2.05, 2.07, 4,01, 4.02, 4,03, 7.05, 7.10 and 11.05 hereof that shall survive until such Securities shall mature and be paid.
Thereafter, Sections 7.06 and 11.05 shall survive.
Section 11.03 Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust.
All moneys or Governmental Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Sections 11.01 or 11.02 shall be held in trust and shall be available for payment as due, either directly or through any paying agent (including the Company acting as its own paying agent), to the holders of the particular series of Securities for the payment or redemption of which such moneys or Governmental Obligations have been deposited with the Trustee.
Section 11.04 Payment of Moneys Held by Paying Agents.
In connection with the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture all moneys or Governmental Obligations then held by any paying agent under the provisions of this Indenture shall, upon demand of the Company, be paid to the Trustee and thereupon such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys or Governmental Obligations.
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Section 11.05 Repayment to Company.
Any moneys or Governmental Obligations deposited with any paying agent or the Trustee, or then held by the Company, in trust for payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the Securities of a particular series that are not applied but remain unclaimed by the holders of such Securities for at least two years after the date upon which the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on such Securities shall have respectively become due and payable, or such other shorter period set forth in applicable escheat or abandoned or unclaimed property law, shall be repaid to the Company on May 31 of each year or upon the Company’s request or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and thereupon the paying agent and the Trustee shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys or Governmental Obligations, and the holder of any of the Securities entitled to receive such payment shall thereafter, as a general creditor, look only to the Company for the payment thereof.
ARTICLE 12
IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, SHAREHOLDERS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Section 12.01 No Recourse.
No recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of this Indenture, or of any Security, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, shall be had against any incorporator, shareholder, officer or director, past, present or future as such, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation, either directly or through the Company or any such predecessor or successor corporation, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly understood that this Indenture and the obligations issued hereunder are solely corporate obligations, and that no such personal liability whatever shall attach to, or is or shall be incurred by, the incorporators, shareholders, officers or directors as such, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation, or any of them, because of the creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities or implied therefrom; and that any and all such personal liability of every name and nature, either at common law or in equity or by constitution or statute, of, and any and all such rights and claims against, every such incorporator, shareholder, officer or director as such, because of the creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities or implied therefrom, are hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issuance of such Securities.
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ARTICLE 13
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Section 13.01 Effect on Successors and Assigns.
All the covenants, stipulations, promises and agreements in this Indenture made by or on behalf of the Company shall bind its successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.
Section 13.02 Actions by Successor.
Any act or proceeding by any provision of this Indenture authorized or required to be done or performed by any board, committee or officer of the Company shall and may be done and performed with like force and effect by the corresponding board, committee or officer of any corporation that shall at the time be the lawful successor of the Company.
Section 13.03 Surrender of Company Powers.
The Company by instrument in writing executed by authority of its Board of Directors and delivered to the Trustee may surrender any of the powers reserved to the Company, and thereupon such power so surrendered shall terminate both as to the Company and as to any successor corporation.
Section 13.04 Notices.
Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, any notice, request or demand that by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given, made or served by the Trustee or by the holders of Securities or by any other Person pursuant to this Indenture to or on the Company may be given or served by being deposited in first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Trustee), as follows: 18/F, Block D, Huirong Plaza, No. 88, Section 3, Jinhua Road, Jinjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China, with a copy to Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC, 950 Third Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10022, Attn: Ying Li, Esq. Any notice, election, request or demand by the Company or any Securityholder or by any other Person pursuant to this Indenture to or upon the Trustee shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or made in writing at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee.
Section 13.05 Governing Law.
This Indenture and each Security shall be deemed to be a contract made under the internal laws of the State of New York, and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the laws of said State, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.
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Section 13.06 Treatment of Securities as Debt.
It is intended that the Securities will be treated as indebtedness and not as equity for federal income tax purposes. The provisions of this Indenture shall be interpreted to further this intention.
Section 13.07 Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent.
(a) Upon any application or demand by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any of the provisions of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture (other than the certificate to be delivered pursuant to Section 13.13) relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such conditions precedent have been complied with, except that in the case of any such application or demand as to which the furnishing of such documents is specifically required by any provision of this Indenture relating to such particular application or demand, no additional certificate or opinion need be furnished.
(b) Each certificate or opinion provided for in this Indenture and delivered to the Trustee with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant in this Indenture shall include (i) a statement that the Person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition; (ii) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based; (iii) a statement that, in the opinion of such Person, he has made such examination or investigation as is reasonably necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and (iv) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such Person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
Section 13.08 Payments on Business Days.
Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental to this Indenture, in any case where the date of maturity of interest or principal of any Security or the date of redemption of any Security shall not be a Business Day, then payment of interest or principal (and premium, if any) may be made on the next succeeding Business Day with the same force and effect as if made on the nominal date of maturity or redemption, and no interest shall accrue for the period after such nominal date.
Section 13.09 Conflict with Trust Indenture Act.
If and to the extent that any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by Sections 310 to 317, inclusive, of the Trust Indenture Act, such imposed duties shall control.
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Section 13.10 Indenture and Securities Solely Corporate Obligations.
No recourse for the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Securities, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in this Indenture or in any supplemental indenture or in any Security, or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator, shareholder, employee, agent, officer, director or subsidiary, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor entity, either directly or through the Company or any successor entity, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute, or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issuance of the Securities.
Section 13.11 Counterparts.
This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
Section 13.12 Separability.
In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Indenture or in the Securities of any series shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Indenture or of such Securities, but this Indenture and such Securities shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein or therein.
Section 13.13 Compliance Certificates.
The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year during which any Securities of any series were outstanding, a compliance certificate stating whether or not the signer knows of any Default or Event of Default that occurred during such fiscal year. Such certificate shall contain a certification from the principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer of the Company that a review has been conducted of the activities of the Company and the Company’s performance under this Indenture and that the Company has complied with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture. For purposes of this Section 13.13, such compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice provided under this Indenture. If the officer of the Company signing such certificate has knowledge of such a Default or Event of Default, the certificate shall describe any such Default or Event of Default and its status.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed all as of the day and year first above written.
| Masonglory Limited | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| [TRUSTEE], as Trustee | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
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CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE (1)
| Section of Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as Amended | Section of Indenture | |
| 310(a) | 7.09 | |
| 310(b) | 7.08 | |
| 7.10 | ||
| 310(c) | Inapplicable | |
| 311(a) | 7.13 | |
| 311(b) | 7.13 | |
| 311(c) | Inapplicable | |
| 312(a) | 5.01 | |
| 5.02(a) | ||
| 312(b) | 5.02(c) | |
| 312(c) | 5.02(c) | |
| 313(a) | 5.04(a) | |
| 313(b) | 5.04(b) | |
| 313(c) | 5.04(a) | |
| 5.04(b) | ||
| 313(d) | 5.04(c) | |
| 314(a) | 5.03 | |
| 13.12 | ||
| 314(b) | Inapplicable | |
| 314(c) | 13.07(a) | |
| 314(d) | Inapplicable | |
| 314(e) | 13.07(b) | |
| 314(f) | Inapplicable | |
| 315(a) | 7.01(a) | |
| 7.01(b) | ||
| 315(b) | 7.14 | |
| 315(c) | 7.01 | |
| 315(d) | 7.01(b) | |
| 315(e) | 6.07 | |
| 316(a) | 6.06 | |
| 8.04 | ||
| 316(b) | 6.04 | |
| 316(c) | 8.01 | |
| 317(a) | 6.02 | |
| 317(b) | 4.03 | |
| 318(a) | 13.09 |
| (1) | This Cross-Reference Table does not constitute part of the Indenture and shall not have any bearing on the interpretation of any of its terms or provisions. |
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Exhibit 4.6
Masonglory
Limited
(the “Issuer”)
AND
[TRUSTEE]
(the “Trustee”)
INDENTURE
Dated as of [●], 20[●]
Subordinated Debt Securities
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS | 1 | ||
| Section 1.01 | Definitions of Terms | 1 | |
| ARTICLE 2 ISSUE, DESCRIPTION, TERMS, EXECUTION, REGISTRATION AND EXCHANGE OF SECURITIES | 4 | ||
| Section 2.01 | Designation and Terms of Securities | 4 | |
| Section 2.02 | Form of Securities and Trustee’s Certificate | 6 | |
| Section 2.03 | Denominations: Provisions for Payment | 6 | |
| Section 2.04 | Execution and Authentication | 8 | |
| Section 2.05 | Registration of Transfer and Exchange | 8 | |
| Section 2.06 | Temporary Securities. | 9 | |
| Section 2.07 | Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Securities | 10 | |
| Section 2.08 | Cancellation | 10 | |
| Section 2.09 | Benefits of Indenture | 10 | |
| Section 2.10 | Authenticating Agent | 11 | |
| Section 2.11 | Global Securities | 11 | |
| ARTICLE 3 REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES AND SINKING FUND PROVISIONS | 12 | ||
| Section 3.01 | Redemption | 12 | |
| Section 3.02 | Notice of Redemption | 12 | |
| Section 3.03 | Payment Upon Redemption | 13 | |
| Section 3.04 | Sinking Fund | 14 | |
| Section 3.05 | Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities | 14 | |
| Section 3.06 | Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund | 14 | |
| ARTICLE 4 COVENANTS | 14 | ||
| Section 4.01 | Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest | 14 | |
| Section 4.02 | Maintenance of Office or Agency | 15 | |
| Section 4.03 | Paying Agents | 15 | |
| Section 4.04 | Appointment to Fill Vacancy in Office of Trustee | 16 | |
| Section 4.05 | Compliance with Consolidation Provisions | 16 | |
| ARTICLE 5 SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE | 16 | ||
| Section 5.01 | Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Securityholders | 16 | |
| Section 5.02 | Preservation of Information; Communications with Securityholders | 16 | |
| Section 5.03 | Reports by the Company | 17 | |
| Section 5.04 | Reports by the Trustee | 17 | |
| ARTICLE 6 REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS ON EVENT OF DEFAULT | 17 | ||
| Section 6.01 | Events of Default | 17 | |
| Section 6.02 | Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee | 19 | |
| Section 6.03 | Application of Moneys or Property Collected | 20 | |
| Section 6.04 | Limitation on Suits | 20 | |
| Section 6.05 | Rights and Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver | 21 | |
| Section 6.06 | Control by Securityholders | 21 | |
| Section 6.07 | Undertaking to Pay Costs | 22 | |
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| ARTICLE 7 CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE | 22 | ||
| Section 7.01 | Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee | 22 | |
| Section 7.02 | Certain Rights of Trustee | 23 | |
| Section 7.03 | Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance or Securities | 24 | |
| Section 7.04 | May Hold Securities | 24 | |
| Section 7.05 | Moneys Held in Trust | 25 | |
| Section 7.06 | Compensation and Reimbursement | 25 | |
| Section 7.07 | Reliance on Officers’ Certificate | 25 | |
| Section 7.08 | Disqualification; Conflicting Interests | 25 | |
| Section 7.09 | Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility | 26 | |
| Section 7.10 | Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor | 26 | |
| Section 7.11 | Acceptance of Appointment by Successor | 27 | |
| Section 7.12 | Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business | 28 | |
| Section 7.13 | Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Company | 28 | |
| Section 7.14 | Notice of Default | 28 | |
| ARTICLE 8 CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS | 29 | ||
| Section 8.01 | Evidence of Action by Securityholders | 29 | |
| Section 8.02 | Proof of Execution by Securityholders | 29 | |
| Section 8.03 | Who May be Deemed Owners | 29 | |
| Section 8.04 | Certain Securities Owned by Company Disregarded | 30 | |
| Section 8.05 | Actions Binding on Future Securityholders | 30 | |
| ARTICLE 9 SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES | 30 | ||
| Section 9.01 | Supplemental Indentures Without the Consent of Securityholders | 30 | |
| Section 9.02 | Supplemental Indentures With Consent of Securityholders | 31 | |
| Section 9.03 | Effect of Supplemental Indentures | 32 | |
| Section 9.04 | Securities Affected by Supplemental Indentures | 32 | |
| Section 9.05 | Execution of Supplemental Indentures | 32 | |
| ARTICLE 10 SUCCESSOR ENTITY | 33 | ||
| Section 10.01 | Company May Consolidate, Etc | 33 | |
| Section 10.02 | Successor Entity Substituted | 33 | |
| Section 10.03 | Evidence of Consolidation, Etc. to Trustee | 33 | |
| ARTICLE 11 SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE | 34 | ||
| Section 11.01 | Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture | 34 | |
| Section 11.02 | Discharge of Obligations | 34 | |
| Section 11.03 | Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust | 34 | |
| Section 11.04 | Payment of Moneys Held by Paying Agents | 35 | |
| Section 11.05 | Repayment to Company | 35 | |
| ARTICLE 12 IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, SHAREHOLDERS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS | 35 | ||
| Section 12.01 | No Recourse | 35 | |
| ARTICLE 13 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS | 36 | ||
| Section 13.01 | Effect on Successors and Assigns | 36 | |
| Section 13.02 | Actions by Successor | 36 | |
| Section 13.03 | Surrender of Company Powers | 36 | |
| Section 13.04 | Notices | 36 | |
| Section 13.05 | Governing Law | 36 | |
| Section 13.06 | Treatment of Securities as Debt | 36 | |
| Section 13.07 | Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent | 36 | |
| Section 13.08 | Payments on Business Days | 37 | |
| Section 13.09 | Conflict with Trust Indenture Act | 37 | |
| Section 13.10 | Indenture and Securities Solely Corporate Obligations | 37 | |
| Section 13.11 | Counterparts | 37 | |
| Section 13.12 | Separability | 38 | |
| Section 13.13 | Compliance Certificates | 38 | |
| ARTICLE 14 SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES | 38 | ||
| Section 14.01 | Subordination Terms | 38 | |
| (1) | This Table of Contents does not constitute part of the Indenture and shall not have any bearing on the interpretation of any of its terms or provisions. |
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INDENTURE
INDENTURE, dated as of [●], 20[●], among Masonglory Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability (the “Company”), and [TRUSTEE], as trustee (the “Trustee”).
WHEREAS, for its lawful corporate purposes, the Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance of subordinated debt securities (hereinafter referred to as the “Securities”), in an unlimited aggregate principal amount to be issued from time to time in one or more series as in this Indenture provided, as registered Securities without coupons, to be authenticated by the certificate of the Trustee;
WHEREAS, to provide the terms and conditions upon which the Securities are to be authenticated, issued and delivered, the Company has duly authorized the execution of this Indenture; and
WHEREAS, all things necessary to make this Indenture a valid agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed as follows for the equal and ratable benefit of the holders of Securities:
ARTICLE 1
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01 Definitions of Terms.
The terms defined in this Section (except as in this Indenture or any indenture supplemental hereto otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires) for all purposes of this Indenture and of any indenture supplemental hereto shall have the respective meanings specified in this Section and shall include the plural as well as the singular. All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined in the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or that are by reference in such Act defined in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (except as herein or any indenture supplemental hereto otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires), shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in said Trust Indenture Act and in said Securities Act as in force at the date of the execution of this instrument.
“Authenticating Agent” means an authenticating agent with respect to all or any of the series of Securities appointed by the Trustee pursuant to Section 2.10.
“Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
“Board of Directors” means the Board of Directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee of such Board.
“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by any director of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification.
“Business Day” means, with respect to any series of Securities, any day other than a day on which federal or state banking institutions in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York, or in the city of the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, are authorized or obligated by law, executive order or regulation to close.
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“Certificate” means a certificate signed by any Officer. The Certificate need not comply with the provisions of Section 13.07.
“Company” means Masonglory Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability, and, subject to the provisions of Article Ten, shall also include its successors and assigns.
“Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which, at any particular time, its corporate trust business shall be principally administered, which office at the date hereof is located at [ ].
“Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
“Default” means any event, act or condition that with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default.
“Depositary” means, with respect to Securities of any series for which the Company shall determine that such Securities will be issued as a Global Security, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, another clearing agency, or any successor registered as a clearing agency under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or other applicable statute or regulation, which, in each case, shall be designated by the Company pursuant to either Section 2.01 or 2.11.
“Event of Default” means, with respect to Securities of a particular series, any event specified in Section 6.01, continued for the period of time, if any, therein designated.
“Global Security” means, with respect to any series of Securities, a Security executed by the Company and delivered by the Trustee to the Depositary or pursuant to the Depositary’s instruction, all in accordance with the Indenture, which shall be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee.
“Governmental Obligations” means securities that are (a) direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (b) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America that, in either case, are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof at any time prior to the stated maturity of the Securities, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such Governmental Obligation or a specific payment of principal of or interest on any such Governmental Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of such depositary receipt; provided, however, that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the Governmental Obligation or the specific payment of principal of or interest on the Governmental Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.
“herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder”, and other words of similar import, refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.
“Indenture” means this instrument as originally executed or as it may from time to time be supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into in accordance with the terms hereof.
2
“Interest Payment Date”, when used with respect to any installment of interest on a Security of a particular series, means the date specified in such Security or in a Board Resolution or in an indenture supplemental hereto with respect to such series as the fixed date on which an installment of interest with respect to Securities of that series is due and payable.
“Officer” means, with respect to the Company, the chairman of the Board of Directors, a chief executive officer, a president, a chief financial officer, chief operating officer, any executive vice president, any senior vice president, any vice president, the treasurer or any assistant treasurer, the controller or any assistant controller or the secretary or any assistant secretary.
“Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed by any two Officers. Each such certificate shall include the statements provided for in Section 13.07, if and to the extent required by the provisions thereof.
“Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion in writing subject to customary exceptions of legal counsel, who may be an employee of or counsel for the Company, that is delivered to the Trustee in accordance with the terms hereof. Each such opinion shall include the statements provided for in Section 13.07, if and to the extent required by the provisions thereof.
“Outstanding”, when used with reference to Securities of any series, means, subject to the provisions of Section 8.04, as of any particular time, all Securities of that series theretofore authenticated and delivered by the Trustee under this Indenture, except (a) Securities theretofore canceled by the Trustee or any paying agent, or delivered to the Trustee or any paying agent for cancellation or that have previously been canceled; (b) Securities or portions thereof for the payment or redemption of which moneys or Governmental Obligations in the necessary amount shall have been deposited in trust with the Trustee or with any paying agent (other than the Company) or shall have been set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own paying agent); provided, however, that if such Securities or portions of such Securities are to be redeemed prior to the maturity thereof, notice of such redemption shall have been given as in Article Three provided, or provision satisfactory to the Trustee shall have been made for giving such notice; and (c) Securities in lieu of or in substitution for which other Securities shall have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to the terms of Section 2.07.
“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, joint-stock company, limited liability company, association, trust, unincorporated organization, any other entity or organization, including a government or political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality thereof.
“Predecessor Security” of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 2.07 in lieu of a lost, destroyed or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the lost, destroyed or stolen Security.
“Responsible Officer” when used with respect to the Trustee means the chairman of its board of directors, the chief executive officer, the president, any vice president, the secretary, the treasurer, any trust officer, any corporate trust officer or any other officer or assistant officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by the Persons who at the time shall be such officers, respectively, or to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
“Securities” means the debt Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.
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“Securityholder”, “holder of Securities”, “registered holder”, or other similar term, means the Person or Persons in whose name or names a particular Security shall be registered on the books of the Company kept for that purpose in accordance with the terms of this Indenture.
“Security Register” and “Security Registrar” shall have the meanings as set forth in Section 2.05.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, (i) any corporation at least a majority of whose outstanding Voting Stock shall at the time be owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person or by one or more of its Subsidiaries or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries, (ii) any general partnership, joint venture or similar entity, at least a majority of whose outstanding partnership or similar interests shall at the time be owned by such Person, or by one or more of its Subsidiaries, or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries and (iii) any limited partnership of which such Person or any of its Subsidiaries is a general partner.
“Trustee” means [TRUSTEE], and, subject to the provisions of Article Seven, shall also include its successors and assigns, and, if at any time there is more than one Person acting in such capacity hereunder, “Trustee” shall mean each such Person. The term “Trustee” as used with respect to a particular series of the Securities shall mean the trustee with respect to that series.
“Trust Indenture Act” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
“Voting Stock”, as applied to stock of any Person, means shares, interests, participations or other equivalents in the equity interest (however designated) in such Person having ordinary voting power for the election of a majority of the directors (or the equivalent) of such Person, other than shares, interests, participations or other equivalents having such power only by reason of the occurrence of a contingency.
ARTICLE 2
ISSUE,
DESCRIPTION, TERMS, EXECUTION, REGISTRATION AND
EXCHANGE OF SECURITIES
Section 2.01 Designation and Terms of Securities.
(a) The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more series up to the aggregate principal amount of Securities of that series from time to time authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution or pursuant to one or more indentures supplemental hereto. Prior to the initial issuance of Securities of any series, there shall be established in or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto:
(1) the title of the Securities of the series (which shall distinguish the Securities of that series from all other Securities);
(2) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of that series);
(3) the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the series is payable, any original issue discount that may apply to the Securities of that series upon their issuance, the principal amount due at maturity, and the place(s) of payment;
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(4) the rate or rates at which the Securities of the series shall bear interest or the manner of calculation of such rate or rates, if any;
(5) the date or dates from which such interest shall accrue, the Interest Payment Dates on which such interest will be payable or the manner of determination of such Interest Payment Dates, the place(s) of payment, and the record date for the determination of holders to whom interest is payable on any such Interest Payment Dates or the manner of determination of such record dates;
(6) the right, if any, to extend the interest payment periods and the duration of such extension;
(7) the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;
(8) the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase Securities of the series pursuant to any sinking fund, mandatory redemption, or analogous provisions (including payments made in cash in satisfaction of future sinking fund obligations) or at the option of a holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which, and the terms and conditions upon which, Securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
(9) the form of the Securities of the series including the form of the Certificate of Authentication for such series;
(10) if other than denominations of one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the series shall be issuable;
(11) any and all other terms (including terms, to the extent applicable, relating to any auction or remarketing of the Securities of that series and any security for the obligations of the Company with respect to such Securities) with respect to such series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the terms of this Indenture, as amended by any supplemental indenture) including any terms which may be required by or advisable under United States laws or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that series;
(12) whether the Securities are issuable as a Global Security and, in such case, the terms and the identity of the Depositary for such series;
(13) whether the Securities will be convertible into or exchangeable for ordinary shares or other securities of the Company or any other Person and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such Securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, including the conversion or exchange price, as applicable, or how it will be calculated and may be adjusted, any mandatory or optional (at the Company’s option or the holders’ option) conversion or exchange features, and the applicable conversion or exchange period;
(14) if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of Securities of the series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.01;
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(15) any additional or different Events of Default or restrictive covenants (which may include, among other restrictions, restrictions on the Company’s ability or the ability of the Company’s Subsidiaries to: incur additional indebtedness; issue additional securities; create liens; pay dividends or make distributions in respect of their capital stock; redeem capital stock; place restrictions on such Subsidiaries placing restrictions on their ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets; make investments or other restricted payments; sell or otherwise dispose of assets; enter into sale-leaseback transactions; engage in transactions with shareholders and affiliates; issue or sell shares of their Subsidiaries; or effect a consolidation or merger) or financial covenants (which may include, among other financial covenants, financial covenants that require the Company and its Subsidiaries to maintain specified interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based or asset-based ratios) provided for with respect to the Securities of the series;
(16) if other than dollars, the coin or currency in which the Securities of the series are denominated (including, but not limited to, foreign currency);
(17) the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the Company shall pay amounts in addition to the stated interest, premium, if any and principal amounts of the Securities of the series to any Securityholder that is not a “United States person” for federal tax purposes;
(18) any restrictions on transfer, sale or assignment of the Securities of the series; and
(19) the subordination terms of the Securities of the series.
All Securities of any one series shall be substantially identical except as to denomination and except as may otherwise be provided in or pursuant to any such Board Resolution or in any indentures supplemental hereto.
If any of the terms of the series are established by action taken pursuant to a Board Resolution of the Company, a copy of an appropriate record of such action shall be certified by the secretary or an assistant secretary of the Company and delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officers’ Certificate of the Company setting forth the terms of the series.
Securities of any particular series may be issued at various times, with different dates on which the principal or any installment of principal is payable, with different rates of interest, if any, or different methods by which rates of interest may be determined, with different dates on which such interest may be payable and with different redemption dates.
Section 2.02 Form of Securities and Trustee’s Certificate.
The Securities of any series and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication to be borne by such Securities shall be substantially of the tenor and purport as set forth in one or more indentures supplemental hereto or as provided in a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, and they may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements printed, lithographed or engraved thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, or as may be required to comply with any law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any securities exchange on which Securities of that series may be listed, or to conform to usage.
Section 2.03 Denominations: Provisions for Payment.
The Securities shall be issuable as registered Securities and in the denominations of one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple thereof, subject to Section 2.01(a)(10). The Securities of a particular series shall bear interest payable on the dates and at the rate specified with respect to that series. Subject to Section 2.01(a)(16), the principal of and the interest on the Securities of any series, as well as any premium thereon in case of redemption thereof prior to maturity, shall be payable in the coin or currency of the United States of America that at the time is legal tender for public and private debt, at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication. Interest on the Securities shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.
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The interest installment on any Security that is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Securities of that series shall be paid to the Person in whose name said Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment. In the event that any Security of a particular series or portion thereof is called for redemption and the redemption date is subsequent to a regular record date with respect to any Interest Payment Date and prior to such Interest Payment Date, interest on such Security will be paid upon presentation and surrender of such Security as provided in Section 3.03.
Any interest on any Security that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Securities of the same series (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the registered holder on the relevant regular record date by virtue of having been such holder; and such Defaulted Interest shall be paid by the Company, at its election, as provided in clause (1) or clause (2) below:
(1) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on Securities to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner: the Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each such Security and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall not be more than 15 nor less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such special record date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor to be mailed, first class postage prepaid, to each Securityholder at his or her address as it appears in the Security Register (as hereinafter defined), not less than 10 days prior to such special record date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered on such special record date.
(2) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on any Securities in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.
Unless otherwise set forth in a Board Resolution or one or more indentures supplemental hereto establishing the terms of any series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof, the term “regular record date” as used in this Section with respect to a series of Securities and any Interest Payment Date for such series shall mean either the fifteenth day of the month immediately preceding the month in which an Interest Payment Date established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof shall occur, if such Interest Payment Date is the first day of a month, or the first day of the month in which an Interest Payment Date established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof shall occur, if such Interest Payment Date is the fifteenth day of a month, whether or not such date is a Business Day.
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Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Security of a series delivered under this Indenture upon transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security of such series shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, that were carried by such other Security.
Section 2.04 Execution and Authentication.
The Securities shall be signed on behalf of the Company by one of its Directors. Signatures may be in the form of a manual or facsimile signature.
The Company may use the facsimile signature of any Person who shall have been an Officer, notwithstanding the fact that at the time the Securities shall be authenticated and delivered or disposed of such Person shall have ceased to be such an officer of the Company. The Securities may contain such notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule or usage. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication by the Trustee.
A Security shall not be valid until authenticated manually by an authorized signatory of the Trustee, or by an Authenticating Agent. Such signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security so authenticated has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and that the holder is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture. At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities of any series executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a written order of the Company for the authentication and delivery of such Securities, signed by an Officer, and the Trustee in accordance with such written order shall authenticate and deliver such Securities.
In authenticating such Securities and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 7.01) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel stating that the form and terms thereof have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture.
The Trustee shall not be required to authenticate such Securities if the issue of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner that is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.
Section 2.05 Registration of Transfer and Exchange.
(a) Securities of any series may be exchanged upon presentation thereof at the office or agency of the Company designated for such purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, for other Securities of such series of authorized denominations, and for a like aggregate principal amount, upon payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge in relation thereto, all as provided in this Section. In respect of any Securities so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver in exchange therefor the Security or Securities of the same series that the Securityholder making the exchange shall be entitled to receive, bearing numbers not contemporaneously outstanding.
(b) The Company shall keep, or cause to be kept, at its office or agency designated for such purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, or such other location designated by the Company, a register or registers (herein referred to as the “Security Register”) in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall register the Securities and the transfers of Securities as in this Article provided and which at all reasonable times shall be open for inspection by the Trustee. The registrar for the purpose of registering Securities and transfer of Securities as herein provided shall be appointed as authorized by Board Resolution (the “Security Registrar”).
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Upon surrender for transfer of any Security at the office or agency of the Company designated for such purpose, the Company shall execute, the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver in the name of the transferee or transferees a new Security or Securities of the same series as the Security presented for a like aggregate principal amount.
All Securities presented or surrendered for exchange or registration of transfer, as provided in this Section, shall be accompanied (if so required by the Company or the Security Registrar) by a written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form satisfactory to the Company or the Security Registrar, duly executed by the registered holder or by such holder’s duly authorized attorney in writing.
(c) Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental to this Indenture, no service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Securities, or issue of new Securities in case of partial redemption of any series, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge in relation thereto, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 2.06, Section 3.03(b) and Section 9.04 not involving any transfer.
(d) The Company shall not be required (i) to issue, exchange or register the transfer of any Securities during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of the mailing of a notice of redemption of less than all the Outstanding Securities of the same series and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing, nor (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any Securities of any series or portions thereof called for redemption, other than the unredeemed portion of any such Securities being redeemed in part. The provisions of this Section 2.05 are, with respect to any Global Security, subject to Section 2.11 hereof.
Section 2.06 Temporary Securities.
Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any series, the Company may execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities (printed, lithographed or typewritten) of any authorized denomination. Such temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, but with such omissions, insertions and variations as may be appropriate for temporary Securities, all as may be determined by the Company. Every temporary Security of any series shall be executed by the Company and be authenticated by the Trustee upon the same conditions and in substantially the same manner, and with like effect, as the definitive Securities of such series. Without unnecessary delay the Company will execute and will furnish definitive Securities of such series and thereupon any or all temporary Securities of such series may be surrendered in exchange therefor (without charge to the holders), at the office or agency of the Company designated for the purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, and the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver in exchange for such temporary Securities an equal aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of such series, unless the Company advises the Trustee to the effect that definitive Securities need not be executed and furnished until further notice from the Company. Until so exchanged, the temporary Securities of such series shall be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such series authenticated and delivered hereunder.
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Section 2.07 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Securities.
In case any temporary or definitive Security shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company (subject to the next succeeding sentence) shall execute, and upon the Company’s request the Trustee (subject as aforesaid) shall authenticate and deliver, a new Security of the same series, bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, in exchange and substitution for the mutilated Security, or in lieu of and in substitution for the Security so destroyed, lost or stolen. In every case the applicant for a substituted Security shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless, and, in every case of destruction, loss or theft, the applicant shall also furnish to the Company and the Trustee evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of the applicant’s Security and of the ownership thereof. The Trustee may authenticate any such substituted Security and deliver the same upon the written request or authorization of any officer of the Company. Upon the issuance of any substituted Security, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.
In case any Security that has matured or is about to mature shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company may, instead of issuing a substitute Security, pay or authorize the payment of the same (without surrender thereof except in the case of a mutilated Security) if the applicant for such payment shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as they may require to save them harmless, and, in case of destruction, loss or theft, evidence to the satisfaction of the Company and the Trustee of the destruction, loss or theft of such Security and of the ownership thereof.
Every replacement Security issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall constitute an additional contractual obligation of the Company whether or not the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be found at any time, or be enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of the same series duly issued hereunder. All Securities shall be held and owned upon the express condition that the foregoing provisions are exclusive with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities, and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) any and all other rights or remedies, notwithstanding any law or statute existing or hereafter enacted to the contrary with respect to the replacement or payment of negotiable instruments or other securities without their surrender.
Section 2.08 Cancellation.
All Securities surrendered for the purpose of payment, redemption, exchange or registration of transfer shall, if surrendered to the Company or any paying agent, be delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, or, if surrendered to the Trustee, shall be cancelled by it, and no Securities shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly required or permitted by any of the provisions of this Indenture. In the absence of such request the Trustee may dispose of canceled Securities in accordance with its standard procedures and deliver a certificate of disposition to the Company. If the Company shall otherwise acquire any of the Securities, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Securities unless and until the same are delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.
Section 2.09 Benefits of Indenture.
Nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities, express or implied, shall give or be construed to give to any Person, other than the parties hereto and the holders of the Securities (and, with respect to the provisions of Article Fourteen, the holders of any indebtedness of the Company to which the Securities of any series are subordinated) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Indenture, or under any covenant, condition or provision herein contained; all such covenants, conditions and provisions being for the sole benefit of the parties hereto and of the holders of the Securities (and, with respect to the provisions of Article Fourteen, the holders of any indebtedness of the Company to which the Securities of any series are subordinated).
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Section 2.10 Authenticating Agent.
So long as any of the Securities of any series remain Outstanding there may be an Authenticating Agent for any or all such series of Securities which the Trustee shall have the right to appoint. Said Authenticating Agent shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of such series issued upon exchange, transfer or partial redemption thereof, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. All references in this Indenture to the authentication of Securities by the Trustee shall be deemed to include authentication by an Authenticating Agent for such series. Each Authenticating Agent shall be acceptable to the Company and shall be a corporation that has a combined capital and surplus, as most recently reported or determined by it, sufficient under the laws of any jurisdiction under which it is organized or in which it is doing business to conduct a trust business, and that is otherwise authorized under such laws to conduct such business and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authorities. If at any time any Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with these provisions, it shall resign immediately.
Any Authenticating Agent may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time (and upon request by the Company shall) terminate the agency of any Authenticating Agent by giving written notice of termination to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon resignation, termination or cessation of eligibility of any Authenticating Agent, the Trustee may appoint an eligible successor Authenticating Agent acceptable to the Company. Any successor Authenticating Agent, upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder, shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder as if originally named as an Authenticating Agent pursuant hereto.
Section 2.11 Global Securities.
(a) If the Company shall establish pursuant to Section 2.01 that the Securities of a particular series are to be issued as a Global Security, then the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall, in accordance with Section 2.04, authenticate and deliver, a Global Security that (i) shall represent, and shall be denominated in an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of, all of the Outstanding Securities of such series, (ii) shall be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee, (iii) shall be delivered by the Trustee to the Depositary or pursuant to the Depositary’s instruction and (iv) shall bear a legend substantially to the following effect: “Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.11 of the Indenture, this Security may be transferred, in whole but not in part, only to another nominee of the Depositary or to a successor Depositary or to a nominee of such successor Depositary.”
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2.05, the Global Security of a series may be transferred, in whole but not in part and in the manner provided in Section 2.05, only to another nominee of the Depositary for such series, or to a successor Depositary for such series selected or approved by the Company or to a nominee of such successor Depositary.
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(c) If at any time the Depositary for a series of the Securities notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for such series or if at any time the Depositary for such series shall no longer be registered or in good standing under the Exchange Act, or other applicable statute or regulation, and a successor Depositary for such series is not appointed by the Company within 90 days after the Company receives such notice or becomes aware of such condition, as the case may be, or if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Company has received a request from the Depositary, this Section 2.11 shall no longer be applicable to the Securities of such series and the Company will execute, and subject to Section 2.04, the Trustee will authenticate and deliver the Securities of such series in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, and in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security of such series in exchange for such Global Security. In addition, the Company may at any time determine that the Securities of any series shall no longer be represented by a Global Security and that the provisions of this Section 2.11 shall no longer apply to the Securities of such series. In such event the Company will execute and, subject to Section 2.04, the Trustee, upon receipt of an Officers’ Certificate evidencing such determination by the Company, will authenticate and deliver the Securities of such series in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, and in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security of such series in exchange for such Global Security. Upon the exchange of the Global Security for such Securities in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, the Global Security shall be canceled by the Trustee. Such Securities in definitive registered form issued in exchange for the Global Security pursuant to this Section 2.11(c) shall be registered in such names and in such authorized denominations as the Depositary, pursuant to instructions from its direct or indirect participants or otherwise, shall instruct the Trustee. The Trustee shall deliver such Securities to the Depositary for delivery to the Persons in whose names such Securities are so registered.
ARTICLE 3
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES AND SINKING FUND PROVISIONS
Section 3.01 Redemption.
The Company may redeem the Securities of any series issued hereunder on and after the dates and in accordance with the terms established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof.
Section 3.02 Notice of Redemption.
(a) In case the Company shall desire to exercise such right to redeem all or, as the case may be, a portion of the Securities of any series in accordance with any right the Company reserved for itself to do so pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof, the Company shall, or shall cause the Trustee to, give notice of such redemption to holders of the Securities of such series to be redeemed by mailing, first class postage prepaid, a notice of such redemption not less than 30 days and not more than 90 days before the date fixed for redemption of that series to such holders at their last addresses as they shall appear upon the Security Register, unless a shorter period is specified in the Securities to be redeemed. Any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the registered holder receives the notice. In any case, failure duly to give such notice to the holder of any Security of any series designated for redemption in whole or in part, or any defect in the notice, shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Securities of such series or any other series. In the case of any redemption of Securities prior to the expiration of any restriction on such redemption provided in the terms of such Securities or elsewhere in this Indenture, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officers’ Certificate evidencing compliance with any such restriction.
Each such notice of redemption shall specify the date fixed for redemption and the redemption price at which Securities of that series are to be redeemed, and shall state that payment of the redemption price of such Securities to be redeemed will be made at the office or agency of the Company in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, upon presentation and surrender of such Securities, that interest accrued to the date fixed for redemption will be paid as specified in said notice, that from and after said date interest will cease to accrue and that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case. If less than all the Securities of a series are to be redeemed, the notice to the holders of Securities of that series to be redeemed in part shall specify the particular Securities to be so redeemed.
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In case any Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice that relates to such Security shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed, and shall state that on and after the redemption date, upon surrender of such Security, a new Security or Securities of such series in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued.
(b) If less than all the Securities of a series are to be redeemed, the Company shall give the Trustee at least 45 days’ notice (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee) in advance of the date fixed for redemption as to the aggregate principal amount of Securities of the series to be redeemed, and thereupon the Trustee shall select, by lot or in such other manner as it shall deem appropriate and fair in its discretion and that may provide for the selection of a portion or portions (equal to one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple thereof) of the principal amount of such Securities of a denomination larger than $1,000, the Securities to be redeemed and shall thereafter promptly notify the Company in writing of the numbers of the Securities to be redeemed, in whole or in part. The Company may, if and whenever it shall so elect, by delivery of instructions signed on its behalf by an Officer, instruct the Trustee or any paying agent to call all or any part of the Securities of a particular series for redemption and to give notice of redemption in the manner set forth in this Section, such notice to be in the name of the Company or its own name as the Trustee or such paying agent may deem advisable. In any case in which notice of redemption is to be given by the Trustee or any such paying agent, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to, or permit to remain with, the Trustee or such paying agent, as the case may be, such Security Register, transfer books or other records, or suitable copies or extracts therefrom, sufficient to enable the Trustee or such paying agent to give any notice by mail that may be required under the provisions of this Section.
Section 3.03 Payment Upon Redemption.
(a) If the giving of notice of redemption shall have been completed as above provided, the Securities or portions of Securities of the series to be redeemed specified in such notice shall become due and payable on the date and at the place stated in such notice at the applicable redemption price, together with interest accrued to the date fixed for redemption and interest on such Securities or portions of Securities shall cease to accrue on and after the date fixed for redemption, unless the Company shall default in the payment of such redemption price and accrued interest with respect to any such Security or portion thereof. On presentation and surrender of such Securities on or after the date fixed for redemption at the place of payment specified in the notice, said Securities shall be paid and redeemed at the applicable redemption price for such series, together with interest accrued thereon to the date fixed for redemption (but if the date fixed for redemption is an interest payment date, the interest installment payable on such date shall be payable to the registered holder at the close of business on the applicable record date pursuant to Section 2.03).
(b) Upon presentation of any Security of such series that is to be redeemed in part only, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and the office or agency where the Security is presented shall deliver to the holder thereof, at the expense of the Company, a new Security of the same series of authorized denominations in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the Security so presented.
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Section 3.04 Sinking Fund.
The provisions of Sections 3.04, 3.05 and 3.06 shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a series, except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.01 for Securities of such series.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment,” and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment”. If provided for by the terms of Securities of any series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 3.05. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any series as provided for by the terms of Securities of such series.
Section 3.05 Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.
The Company (i) may deliver Outstanding Securities of a series and (ii) may apply as a credit Securities of a series that have been redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Securities or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities, in each case in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of such series required to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities as provided for by the terms of such series, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the redemption price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly.
Section 3.06 Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.
Not less than 45 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for any series of Securities (unless a shorter period shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing sinking fund payment for that series pursuant to the terms of the series, the portion thereof, if any, that is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting Securities of that series pursuant to Section 3.05 and the basis for such credit and will, together with such Officers’ Certificate, deliver to the Trustee any Securities to be so delivered. Not less than 30 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 3.02 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in Section 3.02. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Section 3.03.
ARTICLE 4
COVENANTS
Section 4.01 Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest.
The Company will duly and punctually pay or cause to be paid the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Securities of that series at the time and place and in the manner provided herein and established with respect to such Securities.
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Section 4.02 Maintenance of Office or Agency.
So long as any series of the Securities remain Outstanding, the Company agrees to maintain an office or agency in the Borough of Manhattan, the City and State of New York, with respect to each such series and at such other location or locations as may be designated as provided in this Section 4.02, where (i) Securities of that series may be presented for payment, (ii) Securities of that series may be presented as herein above authorized for registration of transfer and exchange, and (iii) notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of that series and this Indenture may be given or served, such designation to continue with respect to such office or agency until the Company shall, by written notice signed by any officer authorized to sign an Officers’ Certificate and delivered to the Trustee, designate some other office or agency for such purposes or any of them. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations, notices and demands. The Company initially appoints the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee located in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York as its paying agent with respect to the Securities.
Section 4.03 Paying Agents.
(a) If the Company shall appoint one or more paying agents for all or any series of the Securities, other than the Trustee, the Company will cause each such paying agent to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section:
(1) that it will hold all sums held by it as such agent for the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Securities of that series (whether such sums have been paid to it by the Company or by any other obligor of such Securities) in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto;
(2) that it will give the Trustee notice of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor of such Securities) to make any payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Securities of that series when the same shall be due and payable;
(3) that it will, at any time during the continuance of any failure referred to in the preceding paragraph (a)(2) above, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such paying agent; and
(4) that it will perform all other duties of paying agent as set forth in this Indenture.
(b) If the Company shall act as its own paying agent with respect to any series of the Securities, it will on or before each due date of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on Securities of that series, set aside, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum sufficient to pay such principal (and premium, if any) or interest so becoming due on Securities of that series until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided and will promptly notify the Trustee of such action, or any failure (by it or any other obligor on such Securities) to take such action. Whenever the Company shall have one or more paying agents for any series of Securities, it will, prior to each due date of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on any Securities of that series, deposit with the paying agent a sum sufficient to pay the principal (and premium, if any) or interest so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such principal, premium or interest, and (unless such paying agent is the Trustee) the Company will promptly notify the Trustee of this action or failure so to act.
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(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section to the contrary, (i) the agreement to hold sums in trust as provided in this Section is subject to the provisions of Section 11.05, and (ii) the Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or direct any paying agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or such paying agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same terms and conditions as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such paying agent; and, upon such payment by the Company or any paying agent to the Trustee, the Company or such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such money.
Section 4.04 Appointment to Fill Vacancy in Office of Trustee.
The Company, whenever necessary to avoid or fill a vacancy in the office of Trustee, will appoint, in the manner provided in Section 7.10, a Trustee, so that there shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder.
Section 4.05 Compliance with Consolidation Provisions.
The Company will not, while any of the Securities remain Outstanding, consolidate with or merge into any other Person, in either case where the Company is not the survivor of such transaction, or sell or convey all or substantially all of its property to any other Person unless the provisions of Article Ten hereof are complied with.
ARTICLE 5
SECURITYHOLDERS’
LISTS AND REPORTS BY
THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE
Section 5.01 Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Securityholders.
The Company will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee (a) within 15 days after each regular record date (as defined in Section 2.03) a list, in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the holders of each series of Securities as of such regular record date, provided that the Company shall not be obligated to furnish or cause to furnish such list at any time that the list shall not differ in any respect from the most recent list furnished to the Trustee by the Company and (b) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished; provided, however, that, in either case, no such list need be furnished for any series for which the Trustee shall be the Security Registrar .
Section 5.02 Preservation of Information; Communications with Securityholders.
(a) The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably practicable, all information as to the names and addresses of the holders of Securities contained in the most recent list furnished to it as provided in Section 5.01 and as to the names and addresses of holders of Securities received by the Trustee in its capacity as Security Registrar (if acting in such capacity).
(b) The Trustee may destroy any list furnished to it as provided in Section 5.01 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.
(c) Securityholders may communicate as provided in Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act with other Securityholders with respect to their rights under this Indenture or under the Securities, and, in connection with any such communications, the Trustee shall satisfy its obligations under Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the provisions of Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
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Section 5.03 Reports by the Company.
The Company covenants and agrees to provide a copy to the Trustee, after the Company files the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Securities and Exchange Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) that the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, the Company shall not be required to deliver to the Trustee any materials for which the Company has sought and received confidential treatment by the SEC. The Company shall also comply with the requirements of Section 314 of the Trust Indenture Act, but only to the extent then applicable to the Company.
Section 5.04 Reports by the Trustee.
(a) On or before July 1 in each year in which any of the Securities are Outstanding, the Trustee shall transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register, a brief report dated as of the preceding May 1, if and to the extent required under Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act.
(b) The Trustee shall comply with Section 313(b) and 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act.
(c) A copy of each such report shall, at the time of such transmission to Securityholders, be filed by the Trustee with the Company, with each securities exchange upon which any Securities are listed (if so listed) and also with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company agrees to notify the Trustee when any Securities become listed on any securities exchange.
ARTICLE 6
REMEDIES
OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS
ON EVENT OF DEFAULT
Section 6.01 Events of Default.
(a) Whenever used herein with respect to Securities of a particular series, “Event of Default” means any one or more of the following events that has occurred and is continuing:
(1) the Company defaults in the payment of any installment of interest upon any of the Securities of that series, as and when the same shall become due and payable, and such default continues for a period of 90 days; provided, however, that a valid extension of an interest payment period by the Company in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental hereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of interest for this purpose;
(2) the Company defaults in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any of the Securities of that series as and when the same shall become due and payable whether at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration or otherwise, or in any payment required by any sinking or analogous fund established with respect to that series; provided, however, that a valid extension of the maturity of such Securities in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental hereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of principal or premium, if any;
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(3) the Company fails to observe or perform any other of its covenants or agreements with respect to that series contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to that series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof (other than a covenant or agreement that has been expressly included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of one or more series of Securities other than such series) for a period of 90 days after the date on which written notice of such failure, requiring the same to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder, shall have been given to the Company by the Trustee, by registered or certified mail, or to the Company and the Trustee by the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Securities of that series at the time Outstanding;
(4) the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law (i) commences a voluntary case, (ii) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case, (iii) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property or (iv) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or
(5) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order under any Bankruptcy Law that (i) is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case, (ii) appoints a Custodian of the Company for all or substantially all of its property or (iii) orders the liquidation of the Company, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 90 days.
(b) In each and every such case (other than an Event of Default specified in clause (4) or clause (5) above), unless the principal of all the Securities of that series shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series then Outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by such Securityholders), may declare the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on all the Securities of that series to be due and payable immediately, and upon any such declaration the same shall become and shall be immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in clause (4) or clause (5) above occurs, the principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on all the Securities of that series shall automatically be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or the holders of the Securities.
(c) At any time after the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on the Securities of that series shall have been so declared due and payable, and before any judgment or decree for the payment of the moneys due shall have been obtained or entered as hereinafter provided, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series then Outstanding hereunder, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if: (i) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest upon all the Securities of that series and the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any and all Securities of that series that shall have become due otherwise than by acceleration (with interest upon such principal and premium, if any, and, to the extent that such payment is enforceable under applicable law, upon overdue installments of interest, at the rate per annum expressed in the Securities of that series to the date of such payment or deposit) and the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06, and (ii) any and all Events of Default under the Indenture with respect to such series, other than the nonpayment of principal on (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on Securities of that series that shall not have become due by their terms, shall have been remedied or waived as provided in Section 6.06.
No such rescission and annulment shall extend to or shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
(d) In case the Trustee shall have proceeded to enforce any right with respect to Securities of that series under this Indenture and such proceedings shall have been discontinued or abandoned because of such rescission or annulment or for any other reason or shall have been determined adversely to the Trustee, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such proceedings, the Company and the Trustee shall be restored respectively to their former positions and rights hereunder, and all rights, remedies and powers of the Company and the Trustee shall continue as though no such proceedings had been taken.
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Section 6.02 Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.
(a) The Company covenants that (i) in case it shall default in the payment of any installment of interest on any of the Securities of a series, or in any payment required by any sinking or analogous fund established with respect to that series as and when the same shall have become due and payable, and such default shall have continued for a period of 90 Business Days, or (ii) in case it shall default in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any of the Securities of a series when the same shall have become due and payable, whether upon maturity of the Securities of a series or upon redemption or upon declaration or otherwise then, upon demand of the Trustee, the Company will pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the holders of the Securities of that series, the whole amount that then shall have been become due and payable on all such Securities for principal (and premium, if any) or interest, or both, as the case may be, with interest upon the overdue principal (and premium, if any) and (to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law) upon overdue installments of interest at the rate per annum expressed in the Securities of that series; and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, and the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06.
(b) If the Company shall fail to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, shall be entitled and empowered to institute any action or proceedings at law or in equity for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute any such action or proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce any such judgment or final decree against the Company or other obligor upon the Securities of that series and collect the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law or equity out of the property of the Company or other obligor upon the Securities of that series, wherever situated.
(c) In case of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, readjustment, arrangement, composition or judicial proceedings affecting the Company, or its creditors or property, the Trustee shall have power to intervene in such proceedings and take any action therein that may be permitted by the court and shall (except as may be otherwise provided by law) be entitled to file such proofs of claim and other papers and documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee and of the holders of Securities of such series allowed for the entire amount due and payable by the Company under the Indenture at the date of institution of such proceedings and for any additional amount that may become due and payable by the Company after such date, and to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claim, and to distribute the same after the deduction of the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06; and any receiver, assignee or trustee in bankruptcy or reorganization is hereby authorized by each of the holders of Securities of such series to make such payments to the Trustee, and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to such Securityholders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due it under Section 7.06.
(d) All rights of action and of asserting claims under this Indenture, or under any of the terms established with respect to Securities of that series, may be enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of such Securities, or the production thereof at any trial or other proceeding relative thereto, and any such suit or proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for payment to the Trustee of any amounts due under Section 7.06, be for the ratable benefit of the holders of the Securities of such series.
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In case of an Event of Default hereunder, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce the rights vested in it by this Indenture by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any of such rights, either at law or in equity or in bankruptcy or otherwise, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement contained in the Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Indenture, or to enforce any other legal or equitable right vested in the Trustee by this Indenture or by law.
Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Securityholder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities of that series or the rights of any holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Securityholder in any such proceeding.
Section 6.03 Application of Moneys or Property Collected.
Any moneys or property collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article with respect to a particular series of Securities shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such moneys or property on account of principal (or premium, if any) or interest, upon presentation of the Securities of that series, and notation thereon of the payment, if only partially paid, and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
FIRST: To the payment of reasonable costs and expenses of collection and of all amounts payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06;
SECOND: To the payment of all indebtedness of the Company to which such series of Securities is subordinated to the extent required by Section 7.06 and Article Fourteen;
THIRD: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon Securities of such series for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, respectively; and
FOURTH: To the payment of the remainder, if any, to the Company or any other Person lawfully entitled thereto, as requested by the Company.
Section 6.04 Limitation on Suits.
No holder of any Security of any series shall have any right by virtue or by availing of any provision of this Indenture to institute any suit, action or proceeding in equity or at law upon or under or with respect to this Indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless (i) such holder previously shall have given to the Trustee written notice of an Event of Default and of the continuance thereof with respect to the Securities of such series specifying such Event of Default, as hereinbefore provided; (ii) the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding shall have made written request upon the Trustee to institute such action, suit or proceeding in its own name as Trustee hereunder; (iii) such holder or holders shall have offered to the Trustee such reasonable indemnity as it may require against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred therein or thereby; (iv) the Trustee for 90 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity, shall have failed to institute any such action, suit or proceeding and (v) during such 90 day period, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of that series do not give the Trustee a direction inconsistent with the request.
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Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary or any other provisions of this Indenture, the right of any holder of any Security to receive payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on such Security, as therein provided, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Security (or in the case of redemption, on the redemption date), or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates or redemption date, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such holder and by accepting a Security hereunder it is expressly understood, intended and covenanted by the taker and holder of every Security of such series with every other such taker and holder and the Trustee, that no one or more holders of Securities of such series shall have any right in any manner whatsoever by virtue or by availing of any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of the holders of any other of such Securities, or to obtain or seek to obtain priority over or preference to any other such holder, or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal, ratable and common benefit of all holders of Securities of such series. For the protection and enforcement of the provisions of this Section, each and every Securityholder and the Trustee shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or in equity.
Section 6.05 Rights and Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.07, all powers and remedies given by this Article to the Trustee or to the Securityholders shall, to the extent permitted by law, be deemed cumulative and not exclusive of any other powers and remedies available to the Trustee or the holders of the Securities, by judicial proceedings or otherwise, to enforce the performance or observance of the covenants and agreements contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to such Securities.
(b) No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any holder of any of the Securities to exercise any right or power accruing upon any Event of Default occurring and continuing as aforesaid shall impair any such right or power, or shall be construed to be a waiver of any such default or an acquiescence therein; and, subject to the provisions of Section 6.04, every power and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or the Securityholders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as shall be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Securityholders.
Section 6.06 Control by Securityholders.
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding, determined in accordance with Section 8.04, shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to such series; provided, however, that such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture. Subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall, by a Responsible Officer or officers of the Trustee, determine that the proceeding so directed, subject to the Trustee’s duties under the Trust Indenture Act, would involve the Trustee in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the Securityholders not involved in the proceeding. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding affected thereby, determined in accordance with Section 8.04, may on behalf of the holders of all of the Securities of such series waive any past default in the performance of any of the covenants contained herein or established pursuant to Section 2.01 with respect to such series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on, any of the Securities of that series as and when the same shall become due by the terms of such Securities otherwise than by acceleration (unless such default has been cured and a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest and principal and any premium has been deposited with the Trustee (in accordance with Section 6.01(c)). Upon any such waiver, the default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of this Indenture and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Securities of such series shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or impair any right consequent thereon.
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Section 6.07 Undertaking to Pay Costs.
All parties to this Indenture agree, and each holder of any Securities by such holder’s acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Securityholder, or group of Securityholders, holding more than 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, or to any suit instituted by any Securityholder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Security of such series, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Security or established pursuant to this Indenture.
ARTICLE 7
CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
Section 7.01 Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee.
(a) The Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the curing of all Events of Default with respect to the Securities of that series that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform with respect to the Securities of such series such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. In case an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series has occurred (that has not been cured or waived), the Trustee shall exercise with respect to Securities of that series such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs.
(b) No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
(i) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default with respect to that series that may have occurred:
(A) the duties and obligations of the Trustee shall with respect to the Securities of such series be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to the Securities of such series except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and
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(B) in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Trustee, the Trustee may with respect to the Securities of such series conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirement of this Indenture;
(ii) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or Responsible Officers of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
(iii) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of that series; and
(iv) None of the provisions contained in this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if there is reasonable ground for believing that the repayment of such funds or liability is not reasonably assured to it under the terms of this Indenture or adequate indemnity against such risk is not reasonably assured to it.
Section 7.02 Certain Rights of Trustee.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 7.01:
(a) The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, security or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;
(b) Any request, direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution or an instrument signed in the name of the Company by any authorized officer of the Company (unless other evidence in respect thereof is specifically prescribed herein);
(c) The Trustee may consult with counsel and the written advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken or suffered or omitted hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon;
(d) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request, order or direction of any of the Securityholders pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, unless such Securityholders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that may be incurred therein or thereby; nothing contained herein shall, however, relieve the Trustee of the obligation, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to a series of the Securities (that has not been cured or waived), to exercise with respect to Securities of that series such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and to use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs;
(e) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;
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(f) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, security, or other papers or documents, unless requested in writing so to do by the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of the particular series affected thereby (determined as provided in Section 8.04); provided, however, that if the payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the security afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require reasonable indemnity against such costs, expenses or liabilities as a condition to so proceeding. The reasonable expense of every such examination shall be paid by the Company or, if paid by the Trustee, shall be repaid by the Company upon demand; and
(g) The Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder.
In addition, the Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any Default or Event of Default except (1) any Event of Default occurring pursuant to Sections 6.01(a)(1), 6.01(a)(2) and 4.01 hereof or (2) any Default or Event of Default of which the Trustee shall have received written notification in the manner set forth in this Indenture or a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have obtained actual knowledge. Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under Section 5.03 is for informational purposes only and the information and the Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein, or determinable from information contained therein including the Company’s compliance with any of their covenants thereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely conclusively on an Officers’ Certificate).
Section 7.03 Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance or Securities.
(a) The recitals contained herein and in the Securities shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee assumes no responsibility for the correctness of the same.
(b) The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities.
(c) The Trustee shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of any of the Securities or of the proceeds of such Securities, or for the use or application of any moneys paid over by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture or established pursuant to Section 2.01, or for the use or application of any moneys received by any paying agent other than the Trustee.
Section 7.04 May Hold Securities.
The Trustee or any paying agent or Security Registrar, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee, paying agent or Security Registrar.
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Section 7.05 Moneys Held in Trust.
Subject to the provisions of Section 11.05, all moneys received by the Trustee shall, until used or applied as herein provided, be held in trust for the purposes for which they were received, but need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any moneys received by it hereunder except such as it may agree with the Company to pay thereon.
Section 7.06 Compensation and Reimbursement.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees to pay to the Trustee, and the Trustee shall be entitled to, such reasonable compensation (which shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust) as the Company and the Trustee may from time to time agree in writing, for all services rendered by it in the execution of the trusts hereby created and in the exercise and performance of any of the powers and duties hereunder of the Trustee, and, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the Company will pay or reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any of the provisions of this Indenture (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its counsel and of all Persons not regularly in its employ), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may arise from its negligence or bad faith and except as the Company and Trustee may from time to time agree in writing. The Company also covenants to indemnify the Trustee (and its officers, agents, directors and employees) for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability or expense incurred without negligence or bad faith on the part of the Trustee and arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this trust, including the reasonable costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim of liability in the premises.
(b) The obligations of the Company under this Section to compensate and indemnify the Trustee and to pay or reimburse the Trustee for reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances shall constitute indebtedness of the Company to which the Securities are subordinated. Such additional indebtedness shall be secured by a lien prior to that of the Securities upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the benefit of the holders of particular Securities.
Section 7.07 Reliance on Officers’ Certificate.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 7.01, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it reasonably necessary or desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking or suffering or omitting to take any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of negligence or bad faith on the part of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officers’ Certificate delivered to the Trustee and such certificate, in the absence of negligence or bad faith on the part of the Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.
Section 7.08 Disqualification; Conflicting Interests.
If the Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee and the Company shall in all respects comply with the provisions of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
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Section 7.09 Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility.
There shall at all times be a Trustee with respect to the Securities issued hereunder which shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any state or territory thereof or of the District of Columbia, or a corporation or other Person permitted to act as trustee by the Securities and Exchange Commission, authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least fifty million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000), and subject to supervision or examination by federal, state, territorial, or District of Columbia authority.
If such corporation or other Person publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such corporation or other Person shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. The Company may not, nor may any Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company, serve as Trustee. In case at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in Section 7.10.
Section 7.10 Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.
(a) The Trustee or any successor hereafter appointed may at any time resign with respect to the Securities of one or more series by giving written notice thereof to the Company and by transmitting notice of resignation by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders of such series, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register. Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor trustee with respect to Securities of such series by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the resigning Trustee and one copy to the successor trustee. If no successor trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 30 days after the mailing of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to Securities of such series, or any Securityholder of that series who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months may on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any such court for the appointment of a successor trustee. Such court may thereupon after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, appoint a successor trustee.
(b) In case at any time any one of the following shall occur:
(i) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of Section 7.08 after written request therefor by the Company or by any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months; or
(ii) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of Section 7.09 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any such Securityholder; or
(iii) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent, or commence a voluntary bankruptcy proceeding, or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or consented to, or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation;
then, in any such case, the Company may remove the Trustee with respect to all Securities and appoint a successor trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the Trustee so removed and one copy to the successor trustee, or any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months may, on behalf of that holder and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor trustee. Such court may thereupon after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, remove the Trustee and appoint a successor trustee.
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(c) The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding may at any time remove the Trustee with respect to such series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company and may appoint a successor Trustee for such series with the consent of the Company.
(d) Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the Securities of a series pursuant to any of the provisions of this Section shall become effective upon acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee as provided in Section 7.11.
(e) Any successor trustee appointed pursuant to this Section may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more series or all of such series, and at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular series.
Section 7.11 Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.
(a) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor trustee with respect to all Securities, every such successor trustee so appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee; but, on the request of the Company or the successor trustee, such retiring Trustee shall, upon payment of its charges, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor trustee all the rights, powers, and trusts of the retiring Trustee and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder.
(b) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) series, the Company, the retiring Trustee and each successor trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto wherein each successor trustee shall accept such appointment and which (i) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates, (ii) shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee, and (iii) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust, that each such Trustee shall be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee and that no Trustee shall be responsible for any act or failure to act on the part of any other Trustee hereunder; and upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein, such retiring Trustee shall with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates have no further responsibility for the exercise of rights and powers or for the performance of the duties and obligations vested in the Trustee under this Indenture, and each such successor trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or any successor trustee, such retiring Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor trustee, to the extent contemplated by such supplemental indenture, the property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates.
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(c) Upon request of any such successor trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, as the case may be.
(d) No successor trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor trustee shall be qualified and eligible under this Article.
(e) Upon acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee as provided in this Section, the Company shall transmit notice of the succession of such trustee hereunder by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register. If the Company fails to transmit such notice within ten days after acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee, the successor trustee shall cause such notice to be transmitted at the expense of the Company.
Section 7.12 Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.
Any corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided that such corporation shall be qualified under the provisions of Section 7.08 and eligible under the provisions of Section 7.09, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated, but not delivered, by the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation to such authenticating Trustee may adopt such authentication and deliver the Securities so authenticated with the same effect as if such successor Trustee had itself authenticated such Securities.
Section 7.13 Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Company.
The Trustee shall comply with Section 311(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, excluding any creditor relationship described in Section 311(b) of the Trust Indenture Act. A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to Section 311(a) of the Trust Indenture Act to the extent included therein.
Section 7.14 Notice of Default
If any Default or any Event of Default occurs and is continuing and if such Default or Event of Default is known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall mail to each Securityholder in the manner and to the extent provided in Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act notice of the Default or Event of Default within 45 days after it occurs and becomes known to the Trustee, unless such Default or Event of Default has been cured; provided, however, that, except in the case of a default in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Security, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as the board of directors, the executive committee or a trust committee of directors and/or Responsible Officers of the Trustee in good faith determine that the withholding of such notice is in the interest of the Securityholders.
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ARTICLE 8
CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
Section 8.01 Evidence of Action by Securityholders.
Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the holders of a majority or specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a particular series may take any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action), the fact that at the time of taking any such action the holders of such majority or specified percentage of that series have joined therein may be evidenced by any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by such holders of Securities of that series in person or by agent or proxy appointed in writing.
If the Company shall solicit from the Securityholders of any series any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, the Company may, at its option, as evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate, fix in advance a record date for such series for the determination of Securityholders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action may be given before or after the record date, but only the Securityholders of record at the close of business on the record date shall be deemed to be Securityholders for the purposes of determining whether Securityholders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities of that series have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities of that series shall be computed as of the record date; provided, however, that no such authorization, agreement or consent by such Securityholders on the record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than six months after the record date.
Section 8.02 Proof of Execution by Securityholders.
Subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, proof of the execution of any instrument by a Securityholder (such proof will not require notarization) or his agent or proxy and proof of the holding by any Person of any of the Securities shall be sufficient if made in the following manner:
(a) The fact and date of the execution by any such Person of any instrument may be proved in any reasonable manner acceptable to the Trustee.
(b) The ownership of Securities shall be proved by the Security Register of such Securities or by a certificate of the Security Registrar thereof.
The Trustee may require such additional proof of any matter referred to in this Section as it shall deem necessary.
Section 8.03 Who May be Deemed Owners.
Prior to the due presentment for registration of transfer of any Security, the Company, the Trustee, any paying agent and any Security Registrar may deem and treat the Person in whose name such Security shall be registered upon the books of the Company as the absolute owner of such Security (whether or not such Security shall be overdue and notwithstanding any notice of ownership or writing thereon made by anyone other than the Security Registrar) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, and (subject to Section 2.03) interest on such Security and for all other purposes; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any paying agent nor any Security Registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
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Section 8.04 Certain Securities Owned by Company Disregarded.
In determining whether the holders of the requisite aggregate principal amount of Securities of a particular series have concurred in any direction, consent or waiver under this Indenture, the Securities of that series that are owned by the Company or any other obligor on the Securities of that series or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with the Company or any other obligor on the Securities of that series shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding for the purpose of any such determination, except that for the purpose of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such direction, consent or waiver, only Securities of such series that the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. The Securities so owned that have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding for the purposes of this Section, if the pledgee shall establish to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right so to act with respect to such Securities and that the pledgee is not a Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any such other obligor. In case of a dispute as to such right, any decision by the Trustee taken upon the advice of counsel shall be full protection to the Trustee.
Section 8.05 Actions Binding on Future Securityholders.
At any time prior to (but not after) the evidencing to the Trustee, as provided in Section 8.01, of the taking of any action by the holders of the majority or percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a particular series specified in this Indenture in connection with such action, any holder of a Security of that series that is shown by the evidence to be included in the Securities the holders of which have consented to such action may, by filing written notice with the Trustee, and upon proof of holding as provided in Section 8.02, revoke such action so far as concerns such Security. Except as aforesaid any such action taken by the holder of any Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such holder and upon all future holders and owners of such Security, and of any Security issued in exchange therefor, on registration of transfer thereof or in place thereof, irrespective of whether or not any notation in regard thereto is made upon such Security. Any action taken by the holders of the majority or percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a particular series specified in this Indenture in connection with such action shall be conclusively binding upon the Company, the Trustee and the holders of all the Securities of that series.
ARTICLE 9
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
Section 9.01 Supplemental Indentures Without the Consent of Securityholders.
In addition to any supplemental indenture otherwise authorized by this Indenture, the Company and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect), without the consent of the Securityholders, for one or more of the following purposes:
(a) to cure any ambiguity, defect, or inconsistency herein or in the Securities of any series;
(b) to comply with Article Ten;
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(c) to provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;
(d) to add to the covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions relating to the Company for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of Securities (and if such covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions are to be for the benefit of less than all series of Securities, stating that such covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such series), to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an Event of Default, or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company;
(e) to add to, delete from, or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication, and delivery of Securities, as herein set forth;
(f) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder in any material respect;
(g) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the Securities of any series as provided in Section 2.01, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of this Indenture or any series of Securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of Securities;
(h) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee; or
(i) to comply with any requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor in connection with the qualification of this Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act.
The Trustee is hereby authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein contained, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to enter into any such supplemental indenture that affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
Any supplemental indenture authorized by the provisions of this Section may be executed by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of the holders of any of the Securities at the time Outstanding, notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 9.02.
Section 9.02 Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders.
With the consent (evidenced as provided in Section 8.01) of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of each series affected by such supplemental indenture or indentures at the time Outstanding, the Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect) for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner not covered by Section 9.01 the rights of the holders of the Securities of such series under this Indenture; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall, without the consent of the holders of each Security then Outstanding and affected thereby, (a) extend the fixed maturity of any Securities of any series, or reduce the principal amount thereof, or reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any premium payable upon the redemption thereof or (b) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture.
It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Securityholders of any series affected thereby under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such consent shall approve the substance thereof.
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Section 9.03 Effect of Supplemental Indentures.
Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Section 10.01, this Indenture shall, with respect to such series, be and be deemed to be modified and amended in accordance therewith and the respective rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities under this Indenture of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of Securities of the series affected thereby shall thereafter be determined, exercised and enforced hereunder subject in all respects to such modifications and amendments, and all the terms and conditions of any such supplemental indenture shall be and be deemed to be part of the terms and conditions of this Indenture for any and all purposes.
Section 9.04 Securities Affected by Supplemental Indentures.
Securities of any series affected by a supplemental indenture, authenticated and delivered after the execution of such supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Section 10.01, may bear a notation in form approved by the Company, provided such form meets the requirements of any securities exchange upon which such series may be listed, as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company shall so determine, new Securities of that series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, to any modification of this Indenture contained in any such supplemental indenture may be prepared by the Company, authenticated by the Trustee and delivered in exchange for the Securities of that series then Outstanding.
Section 9.05 Execution of Supplemental Indentures.
Upon the request of the Company, accompanied by its Board Resolutions authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence of the consent of Securityholders required to consent thereto as aforesaid, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such supplemental indenture unless such supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion but shall not be obligated to enter into such supplemental indenture. The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, will be entitled to receive and will be fully protected in relying upon an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article is authorized or permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Article and that it is proper for the Trustee under the provisions of this Article to join in the execution thereof; provided, however, that such Officers’ Certificate or Opinion of Counsel need not be provided in connection with the execution of a supplemental indenture that establishes the terms of a series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof.
Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Section, the Trustee shall transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, a notice, setting forth in general terms the substance of such supplemental indenture, to the Securityholders of all series affected thereby as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register. Any failure of the Trustee to mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture.
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ARTICLE 10
SUCCESSOR ENTITY
Section 10.01 Company May Consolidate, Etc.
Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental to this Indenture, nothing contained in this Indenture shall prevent any consolidation or merger of the Company with or into any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company) or successive consolidations or mergers in which the Company or its successor or successors shall be a party or parties, or shall prevent any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of the property of the Company or its successor or successors as an entirety, or substantially as an entirety, to any other corporation (whether or not affiliated with the Company or its successor or successors) authorized to acquire and operate the same; provided, however, the Company hereby covenants and agrees that, upon any such consolidation or merger (in each case, if the Company is not the survivor of such transaction), sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (premium, if any) and interest on all of the Securities of all series in accordance with the terms of each series, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual performance and observance of all the covenants and conditions of this Indenture with respect to each series or established with respect to such series pursuant to Section 2.01 to be kept or performed by the Company shall be expressly assumed, by supplemental indenture (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, as then in effect) reasonably satisfactory in form to the Trustee executed and delivered to the Trustee by the entity formed by such consolidation, or into which the Company shall have been merged, or by the entity which shall have acquired such property.
Section 10.02 Successor Entity Substituted.
(a) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition and upon the assumption by the successor entity by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the obligations set forth under Section 10.01 on all of the Securities of all series Outstanding, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for the Company with the same effect as if it had been named as the Company herein, and thereupon the predecessor corporation shall be relieved of all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.
(b) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, such changes in phraseology and form (but not in substance) may be made in the Securities thereafter to be issued as may be appropriate.
(c) Nothing contained in this Article shall require any action by the Company in the case of a consolidation or merger of any Person into the Company where the Company is the survivor of such transaction, or the acquisition by the Company, by purchase or otherwise, of all or any part of the property of any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company).
Section 10.03 Evidence of Consolidation, Etc. to Trustee.
The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, may receive an Officers’ Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, and any such assumption, comply with the provisions of this Article.
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ARTICLE 11
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
Section 11.01 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.
If at any time: (a) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee for cancellation all Securities of a series theretofore authenticated and not delivered to the Trustee for cancellation (other than any Securities that shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.07 and Securities for whose payment money or Governmental Obligations have theretofore been deposited in trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereupon repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in Section 11.05); or (b) all such Securities of a particular series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation shall have become due and payable, or are by their terms to become due and payable within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption, and the Company shall deposit or cause to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds the entire amount in moneys or Governmental Obligations or a combination thereof, sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay at maturity or upon redemption all Securities of that series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal (and premium, if any) and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or date fixed for redemption, as the case may be, and if the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable hereunder with respect to such series by the Company then this Indenture shall thereupon cease to be of further effect with respect to such series except for the provisions of Sections 2.03, 2.05, 2.07, 4.01, 4.02, 4.03 and 7.10, that shall survive until the date of maturity or redemption date, as the case may be, and Sections 7.06 and 11.05, that shall survive to such date and thereafter, and the Trustee, on demand of the Company and at the cost and expense of the Company shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction of and discharging this Indenture with respect to such series.
Section 11.02 Discharge of Obligations.
If at any time all such Securities of a particular series not heretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation or that have not become due and payable as described in Section 11.01 shall have been paid by the Company by depositing irrevocably with the Trustee as trust funds moneys or an amount of Governmental Obligations sufficient to pay at maturity or upon redemption all such Securities of that series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal (and premium, if any) and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or date fixed for redemption, as the case may be, and if the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company with respect to such series, then after the date such moneys or Governmental Obligations, as the case may be, are deposited with the Trustee the obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to such series shall cease to be of further effect except for the provisions of Sections 2.03, 2.05, 2.07, 4,01, 4.02, 4,03, 7.05, 7.10 and 11.05 hereof that shall survive until such Securities shall mature and be paid.
Thereafter, Sections 7.06 and 11.05 shall survive.
Section 11.03 Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust.
All moneys or Governmental Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Sections 11.01 or 11.02 shall be held in trust and shall be available for payment as due, either directly or through any paying agent (including the Company acting as its own paying agent), to the holders of the particular series of Securities for the payment or redemption of which such moneys or Governmental Obligations have been deposited with the Trustee.
34
Section 11.04 Payment of Moneys Held by Paying Agents.
In connection with the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture all moneys or Governmental Obligations then held by any paying agent under the provisions of this Indenture shall, upon demand of the Company, be paid to the Trustee and thereupon such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys or Governmental Obligations.
Section 11.05 Repayment to Company.
Any moneys or Governmental Obligations deposited with any paying agent or the Trustee, or then held by the Company, in trust for payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the Securities of a particular series that are not applied but remain unclaimed by the holders of such Securities for at least two years after the date upon which the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on such Securities shall have respectively become due and payable, or such other shorter period set forth in applicable escheat or abandoned or unclaimed property law, shall be repaid to the Company on May 31 of each year or upon the Company’s request or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and thereupon the paying agent and the Trustee shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys or Governmental Obligations, and the holder of any of the Securities entitled to receive such payment shall thereafter, as a general creditor, look only to the Company for the payment thereof.
ARTICLE 12
IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, SHAREHOLDERS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Section 12.01 No Recourse.
No recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of this Indenture, or of any Security, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, shall be had against any incorporator, shareholder, officer or director, past, present or future as such, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation, either directly or through the Company or any such predecessor or successor corporation, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly understood that this Indenture and the obligations issued hereunder are solely corporate obligations, and that no such personal liability whatever shall attach to, or is or shall be incurred by, the incorporators, shareholders, officers or directors as such, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation, or any of them, because of the creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities or implied therefrom; and that any and all such personal liability of every name and nature, either at common law or in equity or by constitution or statute, of, and any and all such rights and claims against, every such incorporator, shareholder, officer or director as such, because of the creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities or implied therefrom, are hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issuance of such Securities.
35
ARTICLE 13
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Section 13.01 Effect on Successors and Assigns.
All the covenants, stipulations, promises and agreements in this Indenture made by or on behalf of the Company shall bind its successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.
Section 13.02 Actions by Successor.
Any act or proceeding by any provision of this Indenture authorized or required to be done or performed by any board, committee or officer of the Company shall and may be done and performed with like force and effect by the corresponding board, committee or officer of any corporation that shall at the time be the lawful successor of the Company.
Section 13.03 Surrender of Company Powers.
The Company by instrument in writing executed by authority of its Board of Directors and delivered to the Trustee may surrender any of the powers reserved to the Company, and thereupon such power so surrendered shall terminate both as to the Company and as to any successor corporation.
Section 13.04 Notices.
Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, any notice, request or demand that by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given, made or served by the Trustee or by the holders of Securities or by any other Person pursuant to this Indenture to or on the Company may be given or served by being deposited in first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Trustee), as follows: 18/F, Block D, Huirong Plaza, No. 88, Section 3, Jinhua Road, Jinjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China, with a copy to Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC, 950 Third Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10022, Attn: Ying Li, Esq. Any notice, election, request or demand by the Company or any Securityholder or by any other Person pursuant to this Indenture to or upon the Trustee shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or made in writing at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee.
Section 13.05 Governing Law.
This Indenture and each Security shall be deemed to be a contract made under the internal laws of the State of New York, and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the laws of said State, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.
Section 13.06 Treatment of Securities as Debt.
It is intended that the Securities will be treated as indebtedness and not as equity for federal income tax purposes. The provisions of this Indenture shall be interpreted to further this intention.
Section 13.07 Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent.
(a) Upon any application or demand by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any of the provisions of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture (other than the certificate to be delivered pursuant to Section 13.13) relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such conditions precedent have been complied with, except that in the case of any such application or demand as to which the furnishing of such documents is specifically required by any provision of this Indenture relating to such particular application or demand, no additional certificate or opinion need be furnished.
36
(b) Each certificate or opinion provided for in this Indenture and delivered to the Trustee with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant in this Indenture shall include (i) a statement that the Person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition; (ii) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based; (iii) a statement that, in the opinion of such Person, he has made such examination or investigation as is reasonably necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and (iv) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such Person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
Section 13.08 Payments on Business Days.
Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental to this Indenture, in any case where the date of maturity of interest or principal of any Security or the date of redemption of any Security shall not be a Business Day, then payment of interest or principal (and premium, if any) may be made on the next succeeding Business Day with the same force and effect as if made on the nominal date of maturity or redemption, and no interest shall accrue for the period after such nominal date.
Section 13.09 Conflict with Trust Indenture Act.
If and to the extent that any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by Sections 310 to 317, inclusive, of the Trust Indenture Act, such imposed duties shall control.
Section 13.10 Indenture and Securities Solely Corporate Obligations.
No recourse for the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Securities, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in this Indenture or in any supplemental indenture or in any Security, or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator, shareholder, employee, agent, officer, director or subsidiary, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor entity, either directly or through the Company or any successor entity, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute, or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issuance of the Securities.
Section 13.11 Counterparts.
This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
37
Section 13.12 Separability.
In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Indenture or in the Securities of any series shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Indenture or of such Securities, but this Indenture and such Securities shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein or therein.
Section 13.13 Compliance Certificates.
The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year during which any Securities of any series were outstanding, a compliance certificate stating whether or not the signer knows of any Default or Event of Default that occurred during such fiscal year. Such certificate shall contain a certification from the principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer of the Company that a review has been conducted of the activities of the Company and the Company’s performance under this Indenture and that the Company has complied with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture. For purposes of this Section 13.13, such compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice provided under this Indenture. If the officer of the Company signing such certificate has knowledge of such a Default or Event of Default, the certificate shall describe any such Default or Event of Default and its status.
ARTICLE 14
SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES
Section 14.01 Subordination Terms.
The payment by the Company of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on any series of securities issued hereunder shall be subordinated to the extent set forth in an indenture supplemental hereto relating to such Securities.
38
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed all as of the day and year first above written.
| Masonglory Limited | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| [TRUSTEE], as Trustee | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
39
CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE (1)
| Section of Trust Indenture Act Of 1939, as Amended | Section of Indenture | |
| 310(a) | 7.09 | |
| 310(b) | 7.08 | |
| 7.10 | ||
| 310(c) | Inapplicable | |
| 311(a) | 7.13 | |
| 311(b) | 7.13 | |
| 311(c) | Inapplicable | |
| 312(a) | 5.01 | |
| 5.02(a) | ||
| 312(b) | 5.02(c) | |
| 312(c) | 5.02(c) | |
| 313(a) | 5.04(a) | |
| 313(b) | 5.04(b) | |
| 313(c) | 5.04(a) | |
| 5.04(b) | ||
| 313(d) | 5.04(c) | |
| 314(a) | 5.03 | |
| 13.12 | ||
| 314(b) | Inapplicable | |
| 314(c) | 13.07(a) | |
| 314(d) | Inapplicable | |
| 314(e) | 13.07(b) | |
| 314(f) | Inapplicable | |
| 315(a) | 7.01(a) | |
| 7.01(b) | ||
| 315(b) | 7.14 | |
| 315(c) | 7.01 | |
| 315(d) | 7.01(b) | |
| 315(e) | 6.07 | |
| 316(a) | 6.06 | |
| 8.04 | ||
| 316(b) | 6.04 | |
| 316(c) | 8.01 | |
| 317(a) | 6.02 | |
| 317(b) | 4.03 | |
| 318(a) | 13.09 |
| (1) | This Cross-Reference Table does not constitute part of the Indenture and shall not have any bearing on the interpretation of any of its terms or provisions. |
40
Exhibit 5.1
|
Harney Westwood & Riegels |
| 14th Floor, Alexandra House | |
| 18 Chater Road | |
| Central | |
| Hong Kong | |
| Tel: +852 5806 7800 | |
| Fax: +852 5806 7810 |
23 October 2026
raymond.ng@harneys.com
+852 5806 7883
067861-0004-RLN
Masonglory Limited
c/o Ascentium (Cayman) Limited
4th Floor, Harbour Place
103 South Church Street, P.O. Box 10240
Grand Cayman KY1-1002
Cayman Islands
Dear Sir or Madam
Masonglory Limited (the Company)
We are lawyers qualified to practise in the Cayman Islands and have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to the Company in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form F-3, including all amendments or supplements thereto, to be filed on or around the date of this opinion with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) (the Registration Statement), relating to the offerings and sales by the Company from time to time of up to an aggregate of US$200,000,000 of class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0008 each (the Class A Ordinary Shares), debt securities, warrants, rights, and units, or any combination thereof (collectively, the Securities), together or separately as described in the Registration Statement.
We are furnishing this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement.
As part of the corporate actions taken and to be taken in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities (the corporate proceedings), the Company has informed us that before the Securities are issued and sold under the Registration Statement, the board of directors of the Company (the Board) will authorise the issuance and approve the terms of any Securities to be issued and sold from time to time under the Registration Statement, and, in each case in a form acceptable to us and Cayman Islands law, and such applicable corporate proceedings (hereinafter referred to as the Board Authorisations) shall be in full force and effect at the time of any such issuance and sale.
The British Virgin Islands is Harneys Hong Kong office's main jurisdiction of practice. Jersey legal services are provided through a referral arrangement with Harneys (Jersey) which is an independently owned and controlled Jersey law firm. Resident Partners: M Chu | Y Fan | SG Gray | IC Groark | SO Karolczuk | PM Kay | MW Kwok WPT Lee | IN Mann | BP McCosker | R Ng | PJ Sephton 617063145.1 |
Anguilla | Bermuda | British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands | Cyprus | Dubai | Hong Kong | Jersey London | Luxembourg | Shanghai | Singapore harneys.com |
The Company has informed us that the Securities will be sold or delivered on a delayed or continuous basis from time to time as set forth in the Registration Statement (and any amendments and/or supplement thereto), the prospectus contained therein and any prospectus supplement. We understand that prior to the sale of any Securities under the Registration Statement, the Company will afford us an opportunity to review the applicable Board Authorisations and, if necessary, amendments to the M&A (as defined in Schedule 1) and operative documents pursuant to which such Securities are to be sold and will file any applicable amendment and/or supplement to the Registration Statement (which may include as an exhibit thereto an amended opinion) or prospectus supplement as we may reasonably consider necessary or appropriate by reason of the terms of the sale of such Securities.
In each case, except as otherwise set forth in any applicable amendment and/or supplement to the Registration Statement or prospectus supplement: (i) any Class A Ordinary Shares will be issued by the Company under and in accordance with the M&A, as amended from time to time; (ii) any debt securities will be issued pursuant to one or more indentures (each, an Indenture) entered into between the Company and one or more trustees in a form filed as an exhibit to a prospectus supplement to the Registration Statement or incorporated by reference therein, and one or more resolutions of the Board; (iii) any warrants will be issued pursuant to one or more warrant agreements (each, a Warrant Agreement) entered into between the Company and one or more warrant agents in a form filed as an exhibit to a prospectus supplement to the Registration Statement or incorporated by reference therein, and one or more resolutions of the Board; (iv) any rights will be issued pursuant to one or more rights agent agreements (each, a Rights Agreement) entered into between the Company and one or more rights agents in a form filed as an exhibit to a prospectus supplement to the Registration Statement or incorporated by reference therein, and one or more resolutions of the Board; and (vi) any units will be issued pursuant to one or more unit agreements (each, a Unit Agreement) to be entered into by the Company and one or more unit agents in a form filed as an exhibit to a prospectus supplement to the Registration Statement or incorporated by reference therein, and one or more resolutions of the Board. For the purposes of giving this opinion, we have examined the Documents (as defined in Schedule 1) which we regard as necessary in order to issue this opinion. We have not examined any other documents, official or corporate records or external or internal registers and have not undertaken or been instructed to undertake any further enquiry or due diligence in relation to the transaction which is the subject of this opinion.
In giving this opinion we have relied upon the assumptions set out in Schedule 2 which we have not independently verified.
Based solely upon the foregoing examinations and assumptions and upon such searches as we have conducted and having regard to legal considerations which we deem relevant, and subject to the qualifications set out in Schedule 3, we are of the opinion that under the laws of the Cayman Islands:
| 1 | Existence. The Company is a company duly incorporated with limited liability, and is validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Company is a separate legal entity and is subject to suit in its own name. | |
| 2 | Authorised Share Capital. Based on our review of the M&A, the authorised share capital of the Company is US$50,000 divided into 62,500,000 shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0008 each, comprising (i) 60,000,000 class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0008 each and (ii) 2,500,000 class B ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0008 each. | |
| 3 | Valid Issuance of Class A Ordinary Shares. The allotment and issuance of the Class A Ordinary Shares as contemplated by the Registration Statement have been duly authorised and, when allotted, issued and fully paid for in accordance with the Registration Statement, and when the names of the shareholders are entered in the register of members of the Company, the Class A Ordinary Shares will be validly issued, allotted, fully paid and non-assessable. |
2
| 4 | Valid Issuance of Debt Securities, Warrants, Rights and Units. | |
| (a) | With respect to each issue of debt securities, when (i) the Company's Board has taken all necessary corporate action to approve the creation and terms of the debt securities and to approve the issue thereof, the terms of the offering thereof and related matters; (ii) an Indenture relating to the debt securities and the debt securities shall have been authorised and duly executed and unconditionally delivered by and on behalf of the Company and all the relevant parties thereunder in accordance with all relevant laws; and (iii) when such debt securities issued thereunder have been duly executed and delivered on behalf of the Company and authenticated in the manner set forth in the Indenture relating to such issue of debt securities and delivered against due payment therefor pursuant to, and in accordance with, the terms of the Registration Statement and any relevant prospectus supplement, such debt securities issued pursuant to the Indenture will have been duly executed, issued and delivered. | |
| (b) | With respect to each issue of warrants, when (i) the applicable warrants have been duly authorised by the Company; (ii) the final terms of the warrants have been duly established and approved by the appropriate Board Authorisations; and (iii) the applicable warrants have been duly executed by the Company and countersigned or authenticated in accordance with the applicable Warrant Agreement and delivered to and paid for by the purchasers thereof as contemplated by the Registration Statement (including any amendments and/or supplement thereto) and any prospectus supplements relating thereto, and as contemplated by the applicable Board Authorisations or other corporate proceedings, such warrants will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. | |
| (c) | With respect to each issue of rights, when (i) the applicable rights have been duly authorised by the Company; (ii) the final terms of the rights have been duly established and approved by the appropriate Board Authorisations; and (iii) the applicable rights have been duly executed by the Company and countersigned or authenticated in accordance with the applicable Rights Agreement and delivered to and paid for by the purchasers thereof as contemplated by the Registration Statement (including any amendments and/or supplement thereto) and any prospectus supplements relating thereto, and as contemplated by the applicable Board Authorisations or other corporate proceedings, such rights will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. | |
| (d) | With respect to each issue of the units, when (i) the applicable units have been duly authorised by the Company; (ii) the final terms of the units have been duly established and approved; and (iii) the applicable units have been duly executed by the Company and countersigned or authenticated in accordance with the applicable Unit Agreement and delivered to and paid for by the purchasers thereof as contemplated by the Registration Statement (including any amendments and/or supplement thereto) and any prospectus supplements relating thereto, and as contemplated by the applicable Board Authorisations or other corporate proceedings, such units will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. | |
| 5 | Cayman Islands Law. The statements under the headings “Description of Share Capital”, “Description of Debt Securities”, “Description of Warrants”, “Description of Rights”, “Description of Units” “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities” and “Legal Matters” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement, to the extent that they constitute statements of Cayman Islands law, are accurate in all material respects as at the date of this opinion and such statements constitute our opinion. |
3
This opinion is confined to the matters expressly opined on herein and given on the basis of the laws of the Cayman Islands as they are in force and applied by the Cayman Islands courts at the date of this opinion. We have made no investigation of, and express no opinion on, the laws of any other jurisdiction. Except as specifically stated herein, we express no opinion as to matters of fact.
In connection with the above opinion, we hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference made to this firm in the Registration Statement under the headings “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities” and “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act, or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.
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 shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands.
|
Yours faithfully |
|
|
/s/ Harney Westwood & Riegels |
|
| Harney Westwood & Riegels |
4
Schedule 1
List of Documents and Records Examined
| 1 | A copy of the certificate of incorporation of the Company dated 21 February 2024; |
| 2 | A copy of the second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company adopted by a special resolution of the Company passed on 31 July 2026 (the M&A); |
| 3 | A copy of the register of directors of the Company provided to us on 22 October 2026; |
| 4 | A copy of executed unanimous written resolutions of the directors of the Company dated 22 October 2026 (the Resolutions); |
| 5 | The Register of Writs and other Originating Process of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands (the Court Register) via the Court’s Digital System (as defined in Schedule 3) conducted on 23 October 2026 (the Court Search Date); |
| 6 | A copy of the certificate from a director of the Company dated 23 October 2026, a copy of which is attached hereto (the Director’s Certificate); and |
| 7 | A copy of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission on or about the date of this opinion. |
(1 to 6 above are the Corporate Documents, and 1 to 7 above are the Documents).
5
Schedule 2
Assumptions
| 1 | Authenticity of Documents. Copy documents or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals. All original Documents are authentic, all signatures, initials and seals are genuine. |
| 2 | Corporate Documents. All matters required by law to be recorded in the Corporate Documents are so recorded, and all corporate minutes, resolutions, certificates, documents and records which we have reviewed are accurate and complete, and all facts expressed in or implied thereby are accurate and complete as at the date of the passing of the Resolutions. |
| 3 | Director’s Certificate. The contents of the Director’s Certificate are true and accurate as at the date of this opinion and there is no information not contained in the Director’s Certificate that will in any way affect this opinion. |
| 4 | Court Search. The Court Register examined by us via the Court’s Digital System on the Court Search Date, constitutes a complete record of the proceedings for such period before the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. |
| 5 | No Steps to Wind-up. The directors and shareholders of the Company have not taken any steps to appoint a liquidator of the Company and no receiver has been appointed over any of the Company’s property or assets. |
| 6 | Resolutions. The Resolutions passed as written resolutions have been duly executed (and where executed by a corporate entity, such execution has been duly authorised if so required) by or on behalf of each director or shareholder (as the case may be), 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 remain in full force and effect. |
| 7 | Unseen Documents. Save for the Documents provided to us there are no resolutions, agreements, documents or arrangements which materially affect, amend or vary the transactions envisaged in the Registration Statement. |
| 8 | Solvency. The Company was on the date of this opinion able to pay its debts as they became due, and issuing the securities as contemplated by the Registration Statement will not cause the Company to become unable to pay its debts as they fall due. |
| 9 | Shares. No Class A Ordinary Share will be issued for a price which is lower than its par value, and the Company will have sufficient authorised but unissued share capital to issue each Class A Ordinary Share. |
6
Schedule 3
Qualifications
| 1 | Foreign Statutes. We express no opinion in relation to provisions making reference to foreign statutes in the Registration Statement. |
| 2 | Commercial Terms. Except as specifically stated herein, we make no comment with respect to any representations and warranties which may be made by or with respect to the Company in any of the documents or instruments cited in this opinion or otherwise with respect to the commercial terms of the transactions the subject of this opinion. |
| 3 | Meaning of Non-Assessable. In this opinion the phrase non-assessable means, with respect to the issuance of shares, that a shareholder shall not, in respect of the relevant shares, have any obligation to make further contributions to the Company's assets (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). |
| 4 | Court Search. The search of the Court Register has been undertaken on a digital system made available through the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands (the Court’s Digital System), and through inadvertent errors or delays in updating the digital system (and/or the Register from which the digital information is drawn) may not constitute a complete record of all proceedings as at the Court Search Date and in particular may omit details of very recent filings. The Court Search of the Court Register would not reveal, amongst other things, an Originating Process filed with the Grand Court which, pursuant to the Grand Court rules or best practice of the Clerk of the Courts’ office, should have been entered in the Court Register but was not in fact entered in the Court Register (properly or at all), or any Originating Process which has been placed under seal or anonymised (whether by order of the Court or pursuant to the practice of the Clerk of the Courts’ office). |
7
Annex
Director’s Certificate
Masonglory Limited
incorporated in the Cayman Islands
Company No. 407426
(the Company)
Director’s Certificate
This certificate is given by the undersigned in his/her capacity as a duly authorised director of the Company to Harney Westwood & Riegels in connection with a legal opinion in relation to the Company (the Legal Opinion). Capitalised terms used in this certificate have the meaning given to them in the Legal Opinion.
| 1 | Harney Westwood & Riegels may rely on the statements made in this certificate as a basis for the Legal Opinion. |
| 2 | I, the undersigned, am a director of the Company duly authorised to issue this certificate. Under the constitutional documents of the Company, the business and affairs of the Company are conducted by the board of directors of the Company. |
| 3 | I, the undersigned, confirm in relation to the Company that: |
| (a) | the second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company adopted by a special resolution of the Company passed on 31 July 2026 (the M&A) remain in full force and effect and are otherwise unamended; |
| (b) | the unanimous written resolutions of the board of directors dated 22 October 2026 were executed by all the directors in the manner prescribed in the M&A, the signatures and initials thereon are those of a person or persons in whose name the resolutions have been expressed to be signed, are in full force and effect at the date hereof and have not been amended, varied or revoked in any respect; and |
| (c) | there is no contractual or other prohibition (other than as arising under Cayman Islands law) binding on the Company prohibiting it from allotting and issuing the Class A Ordinary Shares or otherwise performing its obligations under the Registration Statement. |
You may assume that all of the information in this certificate remains true and correct unless and until you are notified otherwise in writing.
[Signature page to follow]
|
/s/ Xie Jinyu |
23 October 2026 | ||
|
Name: |
Xie Jinyu | Date | |
| Director | |||
Exhibit 21.1
List of Subsidiaries
| Name | Jurisdiction | |
| Masonglory (BVI) Limited | British Virgin Islands | |
| Masontech Limited | Hong Kong |
Exhibit 23.1
|
J&S ASSOCIATE PLT | |
| 202206000037 (LLP0033395-LCA) & AF002380 | ||
| (Registered with PCAOB and MIA) | Tel: +603-4813 9469 | |
| B-11-14, Megan Avenue II | Email : info@jns-associate.com | |
| 12, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, 50450, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Website : jns-associate.com |
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement on Form F-3 of our report dated July 30, 2026, relating to the consolidated financial statements of Masonglory Limited as of March 31, 2026 and for each of the three years in the period ended March 31, 2026, appearing in the Annual Report on Form 20-F of Masonglory Limited for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026.
We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the caption “Experts” appearing in such Registration Statement.
/s/ J&S Associate PLT
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
October 23, 2026
|
J&S ASSOCIATE PLT | |
| 202206000037 (LLP0033395-LCA) & AF002380 | ||
| (Registered with PCAOB and MIA) | Tel: +603-4813 9469 | |
| B-11-14, Megan Avenue II | Email : info@jns-associate.com | |
| 12, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, 50450, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Website : jns-associate.com |
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement on Form F-3 of Masonglory Limited (the “Company”) of our report dated July 30, 2026, with respect to our audits of the consolidated financial statements of Beta Beteiligungs und Besitz GmbH as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, and for each of the years then ended.
We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the caption “Experts” appearing in such Registration Statement.
/s/ J&S Associate PLT
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
October 23, 2026