Prenetics Global Ltd F-3, filed Jan 17, 2024
Prenetics Global Ltd (PRE)
F-3
2024-01-17
View Original
Added on
October 16, 2026
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 17, 2024
Registration Number: 333-265284
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM F-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Prenetics Global Limited
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)
| Cayman Islands | ||||||||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) | |||||||
Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier, 728 King’s Road, Quarry Bay
Hong Kong
+852 2210-9588
(Address and telephone number of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Cogency Global Inc.
122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10168
+1 (800) 221-0102
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Danny Sheng Wu Yeung
Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier
728 King’s Road, Quarry Bay
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2110 9588
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this 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. o
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. x
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. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462I 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. o
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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. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) 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. o
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. o
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 x
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. o
† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.
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 which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JANUARY 17, 2024
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED
1,481,482 CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES
This prospectus relates to the offer and resale from time to time by the selling securityholders or their pledgees, donees, transferees, assignees or other successors-in-interest that receive any of the securities being registered hereunder as a gift, distribution, or other non-sale related transfer (collectively, the “Selling Securityholders”) of up to 1,481,482 Class A Ordinary Shares, which includes (i) 962,963 Class A Ordinary Shares issued to Professor Dennis Lo in the establishment of our joint venture, Insighta, at an effective price of $13.50 per share, pursuant to the Insighta Share Sale Agreement, and (ii) 518,519 Class A Ordinary Shares issued to AC-Tech Investment Limited, an entity owned by Professor Chan Kwan Chee, in the establishment of our joint venture, Insighta, at an effective price of $13.50 per share, pursuant to the Insighta Share Sale Agreement.
We are registering the offer and resale of these securities to satisfy certain registration rights we have granted. Our registration of the securities covered by this prospectus does not mean that the Selling Securityholders will offer or sell these securities. The Selling Securityholders may offer all or part of the securities for resale from time to time through public or private transactions in amounts, at prices and on terms determined at the time of offering. The Selling Securityholders may offer and sell these securities directly to purchasers, through agents in ordinary brokerage transactions, in underwritten offerings, directly to market makers of our shares or through any other means described in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” herein. In connection with any sales of securities offered hereunder, the Selling Securityholders, any underwriters, agents, brokers or dealers participating in such sales may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the “Securities Act.”
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the securities by the Selling Securityholders.
Our Class A Ordinary Shares are listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, or “NASDAQ,” under the trading symbol “PRE”. On January 12, 2024, the closing price for our Class A Ordinary Shares on NASDAQ was $4.45 per share.
We may amend or supplement this prospectus from time to time by filing amendments or supplements as required. You should read this entire prospectus and any amendments or supplements carefully before you make your investment decision.
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and, as such, are eligible for certain reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Summary — Emerging Growth Company.”
We are a “foreign private issuer” as defined under the U.S. federal securities laws and, as such, may elect to comply with certain reduced public company disclosure and reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Summary — Foreign Private Issuer.”
Throughout this prospectus, unless the context indicates otherwise, references to “Prenetics” refer to Prenetics Holding Company Limited, formerly known as Prenetics Group Limited, a Cayman Islands holding company, references to “Prenetics HK” refer to Prenetics Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prenetics, and references to “Prenetics Group” refer to Prenetics Holding Company Limited, together as a group with its subsidiaries, including its operating subsidiaries. As a result of the Business Combination, Prenetics has become a wholly owned subsidiary of ours. Prenetics Global Limited is a Cayman Islands holding company with operations primarily conducted by its subsidiaries, in particular, Prenetics, ACT Genomics, and their respective subsidiaries. Investors purchasing our securities are purchasing equity interests in the Cayman Islands holding company. We have subsidiaries conducting operations in Hong Kong, in particular, Prenetics HK, ACT Genomics (Hong Kong) Limited, Sanomics Limited, and their respective subsidiaries.
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We face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties relating to our operations in Hong Kong. As we presently do not have any business operations in mainland China, either directly or through Variable Interest Entity (VIE) arrangements, we consider that the current laws and regulations of the PRC applicable in mainland China have no material impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. However, since Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions of China, the legal and operational risks associated with operating in China also apply to operations in Hong Kong and Macau. Recent PRC governmental statements and regulatory developments, such as those relating to VIEs, data and cyberspace security, and anti-monopoly concerns, could potentially be applicable to us and our subsidiaries, such as Prenetics or Prenetics HK, given our operations in Hong Kong. This is compounded by the considerable oversight authority the Chinese government holds over business conduct in Hong Kong.
Should the PRC government seek to affect operations of any company with any level of operations in Hong Kong, or should certain PRC laws and regulations or these statements or regulatory actions become applicable to us in the future, it would likely have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations, ability to accept foreign investments and our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors in the U.S. or to list on a U.S. or other international securities exchange, any of which may cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless. For example, if the recent PRC regulatory actions on data and cyberspace security were to apply to us, including our operations in Hong Kong or Macau, we could become subject to certain cybersecurity and data privacy obligations, including the potential requirement to conduct a cybersecurity review for our listing or continued listing on a U.S. or a foreign stock exchange, and the failure to meet such obligations could result in penalties and other regulatory actions against us and may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Regulatory actions related to data security or anti-monopoly concerns in Hong Kong or Macau may also impact our ability to conduct our business, accept foreign investments, or continue to be listed or list on a U.S. or foreign stock exchange.
Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, or the HFCAA, if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our shares from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determinations that it was unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and in Hong Kong, and our auditor was subject to that determination. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China or Hong Kong and we continue to use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the SEC, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. There can be no assurance that we would not be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for any future fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, we would become subject to the prohibition on trading under the HFCAA and as a result, NASDAQ may determine to delist our securities. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work” and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — Our securities may be prohibited from being traded in the United States under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, decreased the number of “non-inspection years” from three years to two years, and thus, reduced the time before our securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of them being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.” In light of the PRC government’s expansion of authority in Hong Kong, there are risks and uncertainties which we cannot foresee for the time being, and rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little or no advance notice. The PRC government may intervene or influence our current and future operations in Hong Kong or mainland China, if we in the future decide to expand our business operations in mainland China, at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted in the U.S. or in other international jurisdictions or foreign investment in companies like us.
From 2020 to 2023, cash was transferred from Prenetics HK to its subsidiaries in the form of capital contributions and through intercompany advances. If needed, cash may be transferred between Prenetics HK
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and its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, India and South Africa through intercompany fund advances and capital contributions, and there are currently no restrictions of transferring funds between Prenetics HK and its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, India and South Africa. However, there also can be no assurance that the PRC government will not intervene or impose restrictions on our ability to transfer or distribute cash within our organization, which could result in an inability or prohibition on making transfers or distributions to entities outside of Hong Kong and adversely affect our business. Under our cash management policy, the amount of intercompany transfer of funds is determined based on the working capital needs of the subsidiaries and intercompany transactions and is subject to internal approval process and funding arrangements. Our management review and monitor our cash flow forecast and working capital needs of the subsidiaries on a regular basis. In addition, we have not faced difficulties or limitations on our ability to transfer cash between subsidiaries in United Kingdom, India, Singapore and South Africa. Cash generated from Prenetics HK is used to fund operations of its subsidiaries, and no funds were transferred from our subsidiaries in the United Kingdom to fund operations of Prenetics HK for the years ended on December 31, 2020, December 31, 2021, December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2023. For the year ended on December 31, 2022 and up to the date of this prospectus, cash amounting to US$164.4 million has been transferred from our Cayman Islands holding company to Prenetics HK for treasury management.
We and our subsidiaries have not declared or paid dividends or made any distribution of earnings as of the date of this prospectus. We do not intend to declare dividends or distribute earnings (if any) in the near future. Any determination to pay dividends or distribute earnings (if any) in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 21 of this prospectus and other risk factors contained in the documents incorporated by reference herein for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange 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.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement filed with the SEC by Prenetics Global Limited using a “shelf” registration process.
Under this shelf registration process, the Selling Securityholders named in this prospectus may, from time to time, sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. The prospectus includes important information about us, the securities being offered by the Selling Securityholders and other information you should know before investing. Any prospectus supplement may also add, update, or change information in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information contained in that particular prospectus supplement. This prospectus does not contain all of the information provided in the registration statement that we filed with the SEC. You should read this prospectus together with the additional information about us described in the section below entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.” You should rely only on information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus. We have not, and the Selling Securityholders have not, authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of the prospectus. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any other date.
The Selling Securityholders may offer and sell the securities directly to purchasers, through agents selected by the Selling Securityholders, or to or through underwriters or dealers. A prospectus supplement, if required, may describe the terms of the plan of distribution and set forth the names of any agents, underwriters or dealers involved in the sale of securities. See “Plan of Distribution.”
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COMMONLY USED TERMS
References to “U.S. Dollars,” “USD,” “US$” and “$” in this prospectus are to United States dollars, the legal currency of the United States. Discrepancies in any table between totals and sums of the amounts listed are due to rounding. Certain amounts and percentages have been rounded; consequently, certain figures may add up to be more or less than the total amount and certain percentages may add up to be more or less than 100% due to rounding. In particular and without limitation, amounts expressed in millions contained in this prospectus have been rounded to a single decimal place for the convenience of readers.
Throughout this prospectus, unless otherwise designated, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “the Company” and “our company” refer to Prenetics Global Limited and its subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities. References to “Prenetics” refer to Prenetics Holding Company Limited, formerly known as Prenetics Group Limited, a Cayman Islands holding company. References to “Prenetics HK” refer to Prenetics Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prenetics. References to “Prenetics Group” refer to Prenetics Holding Company Limited, together as a group with its subsidiaries. As a result of the Business Combination, Prenetics has become a wholly owned subsidiary of ours.
Unless otherwise stated or unless the context otherwise requires in this prospectus:
“ACT Genomics” means ACT Genomics Holdings Company Limited;
“ACT Acquisition” means the acquisition of 74.39% of the equity interest in ACT Genomics;
“ACT Sale and Purchase Agreements” means the Agreements for Sale and Purchase dated December 16, 2022 and January 3, 2023, respectively, by and among the Company, ACT Genomics, and certain other persons specified thereunder;
“Business Combination” means the business combination pursuant to the business combination agreement, dated September 15, 2021 (as amended by an Amendment to Business Combination Agreement dated as of March 30, 2022 and as may be further amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified from time to time), by and among the Company, Artisan Acquisition Corp., AAC Merger Limited, PGL Merger Limited and Prenetics;
“Cayman Islands Companies Act” means the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands;
“China” or “PRC,” in each case, means the People’s Republic of China, including Hong Kong and Macau and excluding, solely for the purpose of this prospectus, Taiwan. The term “Chinese” has a correlative meaning for the purpose of this prospectus;
“Class A Exchange Ratio” means a ratio equal to 1.29;
“Class A Ordinary Share” means a Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0015 per share, of the Company;
“Class B Ordinary Share” means a convertible Class B ordinary share, par value $0.0015 per share, of the Company;
“Continental” means Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company;
“Existing Warrant Agreement” means the warrant agreement, dated May 13, 2021, by and between Artisan and Continental;
“mainland China” means the People’s Republic of China, excluding, solely for the purpose of this prospectus, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The term “mainland Chinese” has a correlative meaning for the purpose of this prospectus;
“NASDAQ” means the Nasdaq Stock Market;
“Prenetics” means Prenetics Holding Company Limited, formerly known as Prenetics Group Limited, an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands;
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“Prenetics Group” means Prenetics Holding Company Limited, together as a group with its subsidiaries, including its operating subsidiaries;
“Prenetics HK” means Prenetics Limited, a limited liability company incorporated in Hong Kong;
“Registration Rights Agreement” means the registration rights agreement between us and the Selling Securityholders dated July 20, 2023;
“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;
“securities” refer to our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants;
“shares” or “ordinary shares” refer to our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares;
“Warrants” means warrants of the Company, each entitling its holder to purchase 1.29 Class A Ordinary Share at an exercise price of $133.69 per 1.29 shares, subject to adjustment pursuant to the terms of the Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement and the Existing Warrant Agreement.
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INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus the information in documents we file with it. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you another document filed by us with the SEC. Each document incorporated by reference is current only as of the date of such document, and the incorporation by reference of such documents shall not create any implication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date thereof or that the information contained therein is current as of any time subsequent to its date. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus and should be read with the same care. When we update the information contained in documents that have been incorporated by reference by making future filings with the SEC, the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus is considered to be automatically updated and superseded. In other words, in the case of a conflict or inconsistency between information contained in this prospectus and information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, you should rely on the information contained in the document that was filed later.
We incorporate by reference into this prospectus documents listed below and any future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, and, to the extent specifically designated therein, reports on Form 6-K we furnish to the SEC on or after the date on which this registration statement is first filed with the SEC, and until the termination or completion of that offering under this prospectus:
•our annual report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on May 1, 2023;
•our report on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC on June 5, 2023, June 26, 2023, September 18, 2023, November 1, 2023, November 13, 2023, November 20, 2023, November 30, 2023;
•our report on Form 6-K/A furnished to the SEC on May 1, 2023; and
•the description of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants to purchase Class A ordinary shares contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on May 17, 2022, and any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.
Any statement contained herein or in a document all or a portion of which is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this registration statement.
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 documents 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:
Prenetics Global Limited
Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier
728 King’s Road, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2210 9588
Attention: Investor Relations
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and any prospectus supplement include statements that express our opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results of operations or financial condition and therefore are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believe,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “seek,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this prospectus and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies, future market conditions or economic performance and developments in the capital and credit markets and expected future financial performance, the markets in which we operate, as well as the possible or assumed future results of operations of our Company. Such forward-looking statements are based on available current market material and management’s expectations, beliefs and forecasts concerning future events impacting us. Factors that may impact such forward-looking statements include:
•The regulatory environment and changes in laws, regulations or policies in the jurisdictions in which we operate;
•Our ability to successfully compete in highly competitive industries and markets;
•Our ability to continue to adjust our offerings to meet market demand, attract customers to choose our products and services and grow our ecosystem;
•Political instability in the jurisdictions in which we operate;
•The overall economic environment and general market and economic conditions in the jurisdictions in which we operate;
•Our ability to execute our strategies, manage growth and maintain our corporate culture as we grow;
•Our anticipated investments in new products, services, collaboration arrangements, technologies and strategic acquisitions, and the effect of these investments on our results of operations;
•Our ability to develop and protect intellectual property;
•Changes in the need for capital and the availability of financing and capital to fund these needs;
•Anticipated technology trends and developments and our ability to address those trends and developments with our products and services;
•The safety, affordability, convenience and breadth of our products and services;
•Man-made or natural disasters, health epidemics, and other outbreaks including war, acts of international or domestic terrorism, civil disturbances, occurrences of catastrophic events and acts of God such as floods, earthquakes, wildfires, typhoons and other adverse weather and natural conditions that may directly or indirectly affect our business or assets;
•The loss of key personnel and the inability to replace such personnel on a timely basis or on acceptable terms;
•Exchange rate fluctuations;
•Changes in interest rates or rates of inflation;
•Legal, regulatory and other proceedings;
•Our ability to maintain the listing of our securities on NASDAQ;
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•The results of any future financing efforts; and
•Our ability to integrate our business successfully with ACT Genomics and realize the anticipated synergies and related benefits, or to do so within the anticipated timeframe.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. In light of these risks and uncertainties, you should keep in mind that any event described in a forward-looking statement made in this prospectus or elsewhere might not occur.
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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
The following summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. We urge you to read this entire prospectus, including the more detailed consolidated financial statements, notes to the consolidated financial statements and other information incorporated by reference from our other filings with the SEC. Investing in our securities involves substantial risks. Therefore, carefully consider the risk factors set forth in this prospectus and in our most recent filings with the SEC including our annual report and reports on Form 6-K, as well as other information in this prospectus and any prospectus supplements and the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, before purchasing our securities. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities.
Overview
We are a leading genomics-driven health sciences company that is seeking to revolutionize prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer. Founded in 2014 from a vision to redefine the very essence of healthcare, we harness the unparalleled power of genomics to pioneer the future of prevention, early cancer detection, and precision treatment. We see a world where prevention isn’t just an option, but the very foundation of longevity. Our commitment is to empower every individual with transformative, personalized healthcare journeys. Through relentless dedication to groundbreaking research, cutting-edge technology, and real-world applications, we don’t just envision a healthier tomorrow, but are crafting a legacy of wellness for countless generations ahead.
Our Business Units
We have three business units, each focused on one of our core pillars in early cancer detection, prevention, and treatment selection and monitoring.
Early Cancer Detection - Insighta
Our early cancer detection unit, under our US$200 million joint venture Insighta, seeks to revolutionize early cancer detection through developing and commercializing Professor Dennis Lo’s patented breakthrough multi-cancer early detection technology, “FRAGMA”. FRAGMA detects and analyses fragmentation patterns of plasma DNA, providing a non-invasive epigenetics-based means for the detection of a wide variety of cancers, and is expected to provide an accurate and low-cost method for early cancer detection. Prenetics contributed US$100 million in consideration to the joint venture for the acceleration of clinical trials and commercialization of Insighta’s tests. Insighta intends to focus its initial tests on liver and lunch cancer, the most lethal forms of cancer in Asia, then develop a multi-cancer early detection test. Insighta is currently carrying out a case control study for its liver cancer test, and is expected to begin a multi-country clinical trial in 2024.
Prevention – Circle HealthScience
Under our prevention unit, we seek to build the world’s leading consumer preventive healthcare platform by utilizing science to empower consumers to achieve their personal health goals. Our in-house developed consumer genetic testing product, CircleDNA, offers one of the most comprehensive DNA tests capitalizing on our in-house developed testing algorithm. With more than 500 insights across more than 20 health categories, CircleDNA offers customers with a wellspring of information about their genetic make-up and actionable recommendations at their fingertips. In addition to CircleDNA, we are developing a digital health platform to provide consumers with easily accessible and actionable insights about their health and access to personalized preventative healthcare.
Treatment Selection and Monitoring – ACT Genomics
Our treatment selection and monitoring unit is powered by ACT Genomics, an Asia-based precision oncology company which we acquired a majority stake in in December 2022. ACT Genomics is the first Asia-based company to receive FDA clearance for a comprehensive genomic profiling test for solid tumors, enabling healthcare professionals to provide personalized therapy and supporting drug discovery. ACT Genomics intends to expand its product offering to other tumors profiling tests and recurrence monitoring.
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With a diverse, talented and strong management team consisting of scientists, entrepreneurs and professionals, we believe that we have a strong capability and a proven track record in research and development, transforming technologies into commercial products and healthcare services that appeal to customers and effectively address their needs.
Emerging Growth Company
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest to occur of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of the Business Combination, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our prior second fiscal quarter, we have been subject to Exchange Act reporting requirements for at least 12 calendar months; and filed at least one annual report, and (ii) the date on which we issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. We intend to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to most other public companies, whether or not they are classified as “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, an exemption from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that our independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.
In addition, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts “emerging growth companies” from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with certain other public companies difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Furthermore, even after we no longer qualify as an “emerging growth company,” as long as we continue to qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including, but not limited to, the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events. In addition, we will not be required to file annual reports and financial statements with the SEC as promptly as U.S. domestic companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act, and are not required to comply with Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure), which restricts the selective disclosure of material information.
Foreign Private Issuer
We are subject to the information reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or “the Exchange Act,” that are applicable to “foreign private issuers,” and under those requirements we file reports with the SEC. As a foreign private issuer, we are not subject to the same requirements that are imposed upon U.S. domestic issuers by the SEC. Under the Exchange Act, we are subject to reporting obligations that, in certain respects, are less detailed and less frequent than those of U.S. domestic reporting companies. For example, we are not required to issue quarterly reports, proxy statements that comply with the requirements applicable to U.S. domestic reporting companies, or individual executive compensation information that is as detailed as that required of U.S. domestic reporting companies. We also have four months after the end of each fiscal year to file our annual reports with the SEC and are not required to file current reports as frequently or promptly as U.S. domestic reporting companies. Furthermore, our officers, directors and principal shareholders
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are exempt from the requirements to report transactions in our equity securities and from the short-swing profit liability provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. As a foreign private issuer, we are also not subject to the requirements of Regulation FD promulgated under the Exchange Act. These exemptions and leniencies reduce the frequency and scope of information and protections available to you in comparison to those applicable to shareholders of U.S. domestic reporting companies.
Our Corporate Information
We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated on July 21, 2021 under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our registered office is at Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier King’s Road, 728 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong and our telephone number is +852-2210-9588. Our website is www.prenetics.com. The information contained in, or accessible through, our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.
The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, such as we, that file electronically, with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
Our agent for service of process in the United States is Cogency Global Inc., 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor New York, N.Y. 10168.
Our Organizational Structure
The following diagram depicts a simplified organizational structure of the Company as of the date hereof.
Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities for Our Operations
Historically, we held a minority interest in a genomics business in mainland China through Shenzhen Discover Health Technology Co., Ltd. (the “VIE Entity”), a PRC limited liability company, by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with the VIE Entity and its nominee shareholders through our wholly owned PRC subsidiary, Qianhai Prenetics Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (the “WFOE”). On November 26, 2021, the agreements governing the VIE Entity were terminated with immediate effect. As a result, our corporate structure no longer contains any VIE. We believe that we and our subsidiaries, to the extent applicable, have obtained and have not been denied the requisite permissions or approvals that are material for our operations as of the date of this prospectus. We conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiaries in Hong Kong and other jurisdictions. For the years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, we generated all of our revenue from our businesses outside of mainland China. Moreover, we do not sell any testing products in mainland China or solicit any customer or collect, host or manage any customer’s personal data in mainland China. Nor do we have access to any personal data of any customer in mainland China that is collected, hosted or managed by our historical minority interest in a genomics business in mainland China. As such, we believe that, based on the advice of our PRC legal counsel, DaHui Lawyers, we are currently not required to obtain any permission or approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC),
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Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) or any other governmental agency to operate our business or to list our securities on a U.S. securities exchange or issue securities to U.S. or other foreign investors. If (i) we do not receive or maintain any permission or approval required of us, (ii) we incorrectly concluded that certain permissions or approvals have been acquired or are not required, when they are required and have not been acquired, or (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations thereof change and we become subject to the requirement for additional permissions or approvals in the future, we may have to expend significant time and costs to procure them. If we are unable to do so, on commercially reasonable terms, in a timely manner or otherwise, we may become subject to sanctions imposed by the PRC or other applicable regulatory authorities, which could include fines and penalties, proceedings against us, and other forms of sanctions, and our ability to conduct our business or accept U.S. or other foreign investments, or continue to remain listed on a U.S. or other international securities exchange may be restricted, and our business, reputation, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Cash Transfers and Dividend Distribution
From 2020 to 2023, cash was transferred from Prenetics HK to its subsidiaries in the form of capital contributions and through intercompany advances. If needed, cash may be transferred between Prenetics HK and its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, India and South Africa through intercompany fund advances and capital contributions, and there are currently no restrictions of transferring funds between Prenetics HK and its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, India and South Africa. Under our cash management policy, the amount of intercompany transfer of funds is determined based on the working capital needs of the subsidiaries and intercompany transactions and is subject to internal approval process and funding arrangements. Our management review and monitor our cash flow forecast and working capital needs of the subsidiaries on a regular basis. In addition, we have not faced difficulties or limitations on our ability to transfer cash between subsidiaries in United Kingdom, India, Singapore and South Africa. Cash generated from Prenetics HK is used to fund operations of its subsidiaries, and no funds were transferred from our subsidiaries in the United Kingdom to fund operations of Prenetics HK for the years ended on December 31, 2020, December 31, 2021, December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2023. No transfer of cash, dividends or distributions has been made between us or our subsidiaries, on one hand, and the VIE Entity, on the other, from 2020 to the date when the agreements governing the VIE Entity were terminated in 2021 and up to date of this prospectus. For the year ended on December 31, 2022 and up to the date of this prospectus, cash amounting to US$164.4 million has been transferred from our Cayman Islands holding company to Prenetics HK for treasury management. The following table summarized the amount of cash transferred between Prenetics HK and its subsidiaries for the periods presented, which was in the form of capital contributions and through intercompany advances.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net cash transferred from Prenetics HK to UK subsidiaries | — | — | 5,600 | 4,150 | ||||||||||||||||
Net cash transferred from Prenetics HK to India subsidiary | 640 | 1,369 | 553 | 235 | ||||||||||||||||
Net cash transferred from Prenetics HK to Singapore subsidiary | — | — | — | 433 | ||||||||||||||||
We and our subsidiaries have not declared or paid dividends or made any distribution of earnings as of the date of this prospectus. We do not intend to declare dividends or distribute earnings (if any) in the near future. Any determination to pay dividends or distribute earnings (if any) in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors.
There are no significant restrictions on buying or selling foreign exchange or our ability to transfer cash between entities within our group, across borders, or to U.S. investors. There are no significant restrictions and limitations on our ability to distribute earnings (if any) from our businesses, including our subsidiaries, to the parent company and U.S. investors or our ability to settle amounts owed. However, there can be no assurance that the PRC government will not intervene or impose restrictions on our ability to buy or sell foreign exchange or transfer or distribute cash within our organization, which could result in an inability or prohibition on making transfers or distributions to entities outside of Hong Kong and adversely affect our business.
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The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act
Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, or the HFCAA, if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our shares from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong, including our auditor. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China or Hong Kong and we continue to use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. There can be no assurance that we will not be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for any future fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, we would become subject to the prohibition on trading under the HFCAA and as a result, NASDAQ may determine to delist our securities. These risks are more fully described under “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Business and Industry”.
Summary of Risk Factors
An investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants involves significant risks. Below is a summary of certain material risks we face. These risks are more fully described under the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report, together with all other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any related free writing prospectus in connection with a specific offering, before making an investment decision.
You should carefully consider such risks before making an investment decision. If any of the following events actually occur, our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations and could result in a complete loss of your investment. Our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks.
There are various risks related to our business, operations and corporate structure, which include, but are not limited to:
•A significant portion of our historical revenue was generated from our COVID-19 testing services, which we have exited given that demand for such services has been substantially reduced with changes in government policy with respect to stay-at-home and compulsory testing orders, and our failure to derive significant revenue from other products and services and expand our overall customer base would harm our business and results of operation.
•The diagnostic testing market is highly competitive, and many of our competitors are larger, better established and have greater financial and other resources.
•The consumer genetic testing market is highly competitive, and many of our competitors are more established and have stronger marketing capabilities and greater financial resources, which presents a continuous threat to the success of our consumer genetic testing business.
•The precision oncology market is highly competitive, and many of our competitors are more established and have stronger marketing capabilities and greater financial resources, which presents a continuous threat to the success of our precision oncology business.
•Our near-term success is highly dependent on the continued commercialization of CircleDNA, ACTOnco and other products in our target geographies. If our existing or new products are unable to attain market acceptance or be successfully commercialized in all or any of these jurisdictions, our business and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
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•We have pipeline products that are currently in the R&D phase, and may not be successful in our efforts to develop any of these or other products into marketable products. Any failure to develop these or other products or any delay in the development could adversely affect our business and future prospects.
•If we are not successful in leveraging our platform to discover, develop and commercialize additional products, our ability to expand our business and achieve our strategic objectives would be impaired.
•If our products and services do not deliver reliable results as expected, our reputation, business and operating results will be adversely affected.
•We may enter new business areas and expand our operations in areas such as clinical genetic testing, precision oncology and consumer health, where we have limited experience. We would likely face competition from entities more familiar with those businesses, and our efforts may not succeed.
•We have engaged in and may continue to engage in acquisitions, investments or strategic alliances in the future, which could require significant management attention and resources, may not achieve their intended results and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•We face additional risks as a result of the ACT Acquisition and may be unable to integrate our businesses successfully and realize the anticipated synergies and related benefits of the ACT Acquisition or do so within the anticipated timeframe.
•Our acquisition may not be accretive, and may be dilutive to our earnings per share, which may negatively affect the market price of our ordinary shares.
•You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially all of our operations, and a majority of our directors and executive officers reside, outside of the United States.
We also face various legal and operational risks associated with doing business in Hong Kong. As we presently do not have any business operations in mainland China, either directly or through Variable Interest Entity (VIE) arrangements, we consider that the current laws and regulations of the PRC applicable in mainland China have no material impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. However, since Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions of China, the legal and operational risks associated with operating in China also apply to operations in Hong Kong and Macau. Recent PRC governmental statements and regulatory developments, such as those relating to VIEs, data and cyberspace security, and anti-monopoly concerns, could potentially be applicable to us and our subsidiaries, such as Prenetics or Prenetics HK, given our operations in Hong Kong. This is compounded by the considerable oversight authority the Chinese government holds over business conduct in Hong Kong. Should the PRC government seek to affect operations of any company with any level of operations in Hong Kong, or should certain PRC laws and regulations or these statements or regulatory actions become applicable to us in the future, it would likely have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations, ability to accept foreign investments and our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors in the U.S. or to list on a U.S. or other international securities exchange, any of which may cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless. For example, if the recent PRC regulatory actions on data and cyberspace security were to apply to us, including our operations in Hong Kong or Macau, we could become subject to certain cybersecurity and data privacy obligations, including the potential requirement to conduct a cybersecurity review for our listing or continued listing on a U.S. or foreign stock exchange, and the failure to meet such obligations could result in penalties and other regulatory actions against us and may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Regulatory actions related to data security or anti-monopoly concerns in Hong Kong or Macau may also impact our ability to conduct our business, accept foreign investments, or continue to be listed or list on a U.S. or foreign stock exchange. Additional risks include, but are not limited to:
•The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work.
•Our securities may be prohibited from being traded in the United States under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, decreased the number of “non-inspection years” from three years to two years, and thus, reduced the time before our securities may be prohibited from trading or
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delisted. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of them being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.
•The mainland Chinese government has significant oversight, discretion and control over the manner in which companies incorporated under the laws of mainland China must conduct their business activities, but as we operate in Hong Kong and not mainland China, the mainland Chinese government currently does not exert direct oversight and discretion over the manner in which we conduct our business activities. However, there is no guarantee that the mainland Chinese government will not seek to intervene or influence our operations at any time. If we were to become subject to such oversight, discretion and control, including over overseas offerings of securities and/or foreign investments, it may result in a material adverse change in our operations, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless, which would materially affect the interests of the investors.
•Our business, financial condition and results of operations, and/or the value of our securities or our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors may be materially and adversely affected to the extent the laws and regulations of mainland China become applicable to us. In that case, we may be subject to the risks and uncertainties associated with the evolving laws and regulations in mainland China, their interpretation and implementation, and the legal and regulatory system in mainland China more generally, including with respect to the enforcement of laws and the possibility of changes of rules and regulations with little or no advance notice.
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THE OFFERING
The summary below describes the principal terms of the offering. The “Description of Share Capital” section of this prospectus contains a more detailed description of the Company’s Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.
| Securities being registered for resale by the Selling Securityholders named in the prospectus | (i) | 1,481,482 Class A Ordinary Shares, which includes: | ||||||
| • | 962,963 Class A Ordinary Shares issued to Professor Dennis Lo pursuant to the Insighta Share Sale Agreement; and | ||||||||||
| • | 518,519 Class A Ordinary Shares issued to AC-Tech Investment Limited pursuant to the Insighta Share Sale Agreement; | ||||||||||
| Offering prices | The securities offered by this prospectus may be offered and sold at prevailing market prices, privately negotiated prices or such other prices as the Selling Securityholders may determine. See “Plan of Distribution.” | ||||
| Use of proceeds | All of the securities offered by the Selling Securityholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the Selling Securityholders for their respective accounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from such sales. | ||||
| Dividend Policy | We have never declared or paid any cash dividend on our Class A Ordinary Shares. We currently intend to retain any future earnings and do not expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Any further determination to pay dividends on our ordinary shares would be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws, and would depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, general business conditions, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. | ||||
| Market for our Class A Ordinary Shares | Our Class A Ordinary Shares are listed on NASDAQ under the trading symbol “PRE”. | ||||
| Risk factors | Prospective investors should carefully consider all of the information that is contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and, in particular, evaluate the risks described under “Risk Factors”. | ||||
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RISK FACTORS
Investing in our securities involves risk. Before you decide to buy our securities, you should carefully consider all risk factors set forth in our most recent annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference, together with all of the other information appearing in this prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer. As a result, the market price of our securities would decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additionally, the risks and uncertainties incorporated by reference or included in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement are not the only risks and uncertainties that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may become material and adversely affect our business.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry
A significant portion of our historical revenue was generated from our COVID-19 testing services, which we have exited given that demand for such services has been substantially reduced with changes in government policy with respect to stay-at-home and compulsory testing orders, and our failure to derive significant revenue from other products and services and expand our overall customer base would harm our business and results of operation.
We generated a total revenue of approximately $275.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, out of which $260 million was generated from our Diagnostics segment, which primarily comprised of COVID-19 testing services under Project Screen. However, given that demand for COVID-19 testing services has been substantially reduced with the production and widely administered use of efficacious vaccines and other therapeutic treatment for COVID-19, as well as changes in mandatory testing requirements, we have exited the COVID-19 testing services and no longer generate any revenue from such services. Therefore, our ability to execute our growth strategies and achieve and maintain profitability will depend upon our success in deriving significant revenue from other products and services. If we are unable to launch new products successfully and expand our overall customer base, our business and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.
The diagnostic testing market is highly competitive, and many of our competitors are larger, better established and have greater financial and other resources.
The diagnostic testing market is highly competitive and we face and expect ongoing substantial competition from different sources, including from diagnostic test manufacturers and producers. We believe that our ability to compete in the diagnostic testing market depends upon a variety of factors such as our ability to acquire technology, product quality, accuracy of testing, timeliness of testing results, convenience and ease of use, underlying technology, price, customer and user experience, and certain additional factors that are beyond our control, including: (i) ability to acquire, develop and commercialize products and meet consumer demand; (ii) support from evidence of clinical performance; (iii) ability to obtain and maintain required regulatory approvals; (iv) level of patent protection; (v) ability to achieve economies of scale by lowering production cost; (vi) pricing level; (vii) access to adequate capital; and (viii) ability to attract and retain qualified personnel.
The consumer genetic testing market is highly competitive, and many of our competitors are more established and have stronger marketing capabilities and greater financial resources, which presents a continuous threat to the success of our consumer genetic testing business.
In addition to diagnostic testing, we also operate a consumer genetic testing business primarily through our CircleDNA product line. Consumer genetic testing is a rapidly growing market, and the number of companies with products and technologies similar to CircleDNA continues to increase.
We anticipate facing competition. Our ability to compete depends upon a number of factors both within and beyond our control, including, among others, the following: (i) the quality and reliability of our and others’ products; (ii) accessibility of results; (iii) turnaround time of testing results; (iv) price; (v) convenience and ease of use; (vi) selling and marketing efforts; (vii) additional value-added services and health informatics tools; (viii) customer service and support efforts; (ix) adaptability to evolving regulatory landscape; (x) the ability to
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execute strategies to protect data privacy and build customer trust; and (xi) our brand recognition relative to our competitors.
We also face competition from other companies attempting to enter the genetic testing market and capitalize on similar opportunities. Many of our current and potential competitors have longer operating histories, larger customer bases, greater brand recognition and market penetration, substantially greater financial, technological, marketing and other resources than we do. These factors may allow them to be able to respond more quickly to changes in customer requirements and emerging technologies, devote greater resources to the research, development, marketing and sales of their products, and adopt more aggressive pricing policies than we do. As a result, our competitors may develop products or services that are similar to or that achieve greater market acceptance than our offerings, and we may not be able to compete effectively against these organizations.
If we fail to compete successfully against our current and future competitors, we may be unable to increase sales revenue and market share, improve our results of operations, or achieve profitability.
The precision oncology market is highly competitive, and many of our competitors are more established and have stronger marketing capabilities and greater financial resources, which presents a continuous threat to the success of our precision oncology business.
We have ventured into the precision oncology market through our acquisition of ACT Genomics, and into early testing and detection of cancer through our joint venture in Insighta. Precision oncology is a rapidly growing market, and the number of companies with products and technologies in early detection, diagnostics and monitoring for cancer continues to increase. Thus, we face competition from companies that have or are developing precision oncology tests, including screening and early detection tests, treatment selection and optimization, and recurrence monitoring tests, and other sources such as academic institutions, public and private research institutions and governmental agencies. Competitors with such cancer tests include Myraid Genetics, Inc., Grail, LLC, Qiagen N.V., Illumina, Inc, Foundation Medicine, Inc., and Personalis, Inc.
Many of our current and potential competitors are significantly larger, and have substantially greater financial, scientific, manufacturing and other resources, which may allow these competitors to respond more quickly to emerging technologies, obtain regulatory approvals for their products faster, and develop and commercialize competitive products with greater functionality or at lower cost than us. Our ability to compete depends upon a number of factors both within and beyond our control, including, among others, the following: (i) the ability to continue developing cancer screening tools and tumor profiling tests, especially a broader product portfolio; (ii) cost-effectiveness of marketing efforts to market our products globally; (iii) commercialization of infrastructure and distribution networks for the promotion and sale of our products; (iv) brand recognition globally; (v) academic, talent and funding base that supports the iteration of products and large-scale clinical research; (vi) receipt of regulatory approvals and timing thereof for our products; and (vii) the ability to carry out mergers and acquisitions in the precision oncology market, thereby bringing in cutting-edge technologies, resources and opportunities.
If we are unable to compete effectively, our commercial opportunity may be lost or significantly reduced and we may fail to meet our strategic objectives, and our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed.
Our near-term success is highly dependent on the continued commercialization of CircleDNA, ACTOnco and other products in our target geographies. If our existing or new products are unable to attain market acceptance or be successfully commercialized in all or any of these jurisdictions, our business and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
Our near-term success is dependent on the continued commercialization of CircleDNA, our in-house developed consumer genetic testing product, and ACTOnco, a comprehensive cancer panel used to guide treatment selection for all major solid tumors.
The commercial success of CircleDNA, ACTOnco and our other products in our target geographies will depend on many factors, some of which are outside of our control, including the following: (i) the timely receipt of regulatory approvals and marketing authorizations from the regulatory authorities in jurisdictions to which we plan to expand our business operations; (ii) acceptance by healthcare systems and providers, governments and
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regulatory authorities, key opinion leaders, consumers and the overall medical community of the convenience, accuracy, sufficiency and other benefits offered by our products; (iii) perceptions by the public and members of the medical community as to the perceived advantages, relative cost, relative convenience and relative accuracy of our test kits compared to those of our competitors; (iv) the effectiveness of our marketing and sales efforts, including our ability to have a sufficient number of talented sales representatives to sell our testing services; and (v) our ability to achieve and maintain compliance with all regulatory requirements applicable to our products in various jurisdictions, including manufacture, labeling, advertising, promotion and post-market surveillance requirements.
Although we are not required to obtain regulatory approval in Hong Kong, our test kits may not receive regulatory approvals or market authorizations in other jurisdictions to which we plan to expand our business operations due to the complexity of domestic regulatory regimes in other jurisdictions, or even if we do receive the regulatory approvals, our test kit may not receive broad market acceptance among customers, physicians, users and others in the medical community.
If our products are not successfully commercialized as expected, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to become profitable, and failure to gain broad market acceptance could also have a material adverse effect on the broader commercial success of our future testing products, and on our business, operations results and financial condition.
In addition, the diagnostic testing market is characterized by rapid technological developments, and even if we were to gain widespread market acceptance temporarily, our testing services may be rendered uncompetitive or obsolete if we are unable to match any new technological advances in this market. If we are unable to match technological improvements in competitive products or effectively respond to the needs of our customers and users, the demand for our testing services could be reduced and our revenue could be adversely affected.
We have pipeline products that are currently in the R&D phase, and may not be successful in our efforts to develop any of these or other products into marketable products. Any failure to develop these or other products or any delay in the development could adversely affect our business and future prospects.
We have pipeline products that are currently in the R&D stage. For certain of our pipeline products, before obtaining approvals from regulatory authorities for the marketing and sales of these pipeline products in certain jurisdictions, we must complete certain registration processes with the local regulatory authorities.
Our failure to successfully complete the registration process or clinical studies could result in additional costs to us, delay the commercialization of our pipeline products and negatively impact our ability to generate revenue. If we do not receive regulatory approvals for our pipeline products, or otherwise fail to develop these products or there is any delay in the development, our business prospects will be materially and adversely affected.
In addition, even if we successfully develop and obtain regulatory approval for our pipeline products, our future success is dependent on our ability to then successfully commercialize new products. There is no assurance that we will be able to obtain adequate manufacturing supply, build a commercial organization, and commence marketing efforts before we generate any significant revenue from the sales of new commercial products, if ever.
If we are not successful in leveraging our platform and technology to discover, develop and commercialize additional products, our ability to expand our business and achieve our strategic objectives would be impaired.
We believe that our platform and technology are empowered to launch different products to be used in various settings and to target other critical areas of healthcare. Therefore, one of our key growth strategies is to capitalize on the flexibility of our platform and technology and develop other products.
Developing new products requires substantial technical, financial and human resources, whether or not any products are ultimately developed or commercialized, which may divert management’s attention away from our current businesses. We may pursue what we believe to be a promising opportunity to leverage our platform only to discover that certain of our resource allocation decisions were incorrect or insufficient, or that certain products or our platform in general has risks that were previously unknown or underappreciated. In the event
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material decisions with respect to our strategy turn out to be incorrect or sub-optimal, we may experience a material adverse impact on our business and ability to fund our operations and capitalize on what we believe to be potential. The success of developing any new products will depend on several factors, some of which are outside of our control, including our ability to: (i) properly identify and anticipate physician and patient needs; (ii) assemble sufficient resources to discover additional testing products; (iii) develop and introduce new products or enhancements in a timely manner; (iv) demonstrate, if required by regulatory authorities, the accuracy and usability of new testing products and enhancements with data from clinical trials; (v) obtain the necessary regulatory clearances or approvals for expanded indications, new testing products or enhancements; (vi) be fully compliant with regulations on marketing of new devices or modified products; (vii) produce new testing products in a cost-effective manner; and (viii) provide adequate training to potential users of our new testing products that contain enhanced features.
If we fail to develop or improve our products and services for additional applications or features, we may not be able to compete effectively with the research and development programs of our competitors, and such failure to develop or inability to compete could harm our business.
If our products and services do not deliver reliable results as expected, our reputation, business and operating results will be adversely affected.
The success of our products and services depends on the market’s confidence that we can provide reliable test kits that enable high-quality diagnostic testing with high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity and with short turnaround times. There is no guarantee that the accuracy and reproducibility we have demonstrated to date will continue as our product deliveries increase and our product portfolio expands.
Our products and services use a number of complex and sophisticated biochemical and bioinformatics processes, many of which are highly sensitive to external factors, including human error. An operational, technological, user or other failure in one of these complex processes or fluctuations in external variables may result in sensitivity or specificity rates that are lower than we anticipate or result in longer than expected turnaround times.
As a result, the test performance and commercial attractiveness of our products may be adversely affected, and our reputation may be harmed. If our products do not perform, or are perceived to not have performed, as expected or favorably in comparison to competitive products, our operating results, reputation, and business will suffer, and we may also be subject to legal claims arising from product limitations, errors, or inaccuracies. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that customers will always use these products properly in the manner in which they are intended. Any intentional or unintentional misuse of these products by customers could lead to substantial civil and criminal monetary and non-monetary penalties, and could result in significant legal and investigatory fees.
We have incurred net losses since our inception, and we anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, which could harm our future business prospects.
We have incurred substantial losses since our inception. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, our net losses were $174.0 million and $190.5 million, respectively. We have financed our operations principally from the issuances of ordinary shares, preferred shares and convertible securities to third-party investors, and have received over $81 million in funding to date. We may continue to incur losses both in the near term and longer term as we continue to devote a significant portion of our resources to scale up our business and operations, including continuing to build out our corporate infrastructure, increasing our manufacturing capabilities, engaging in continued research and development of key testing technologies as we work to expand our portfolio of available test services, and other related business activities, and as we incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company.
We only started to realize revenue for our Diagnostics segment from our COVID-19 testing services since April 2020. Since then, we have incurred significant expenses in connection with scaling up our operations, including costs associated with scaling up operations, sales and marketing expenses, and costs associated with the hiring of new employees, the continued growth of our business and development of our corporate infrastructure. While our revenue has increased over time, given the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with our research, development, manufacturing and commercialization efforts, we expect to continue to incur significant losses as
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we develop and invest in our business, and we are unable to predict when we will become profitable on a sustained basis or at all. our ability to achieve or sustain profitability is based on numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including, among other factors, market acceptance of our products, the length of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccination effectiveness and vaccination rates, future product development, our market penetration and margins and our ability to commercialize the pipeline products. Losses have historically had an adverse effect on our working capital, total assets and shareholders’ equity, and expected future losses may continue to have an adverse effect on our working capital, shareholders’ equity, and the price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Warrants. Our failure to achieve and sustain profitability in the future would negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, and could cause the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Warrants to decline.
We are a relatively early-stage company and have a limited operating history, and our near-term business strategy and in-house R&D efforts are centered around new and rapidly developing markets including diagnostics and precision oncology, which may make us difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance.
We began operations in 2014 and commercially launched our first consumer genetic testing kits under CircleDNA in July 2019 and our COVID-19 testing services under Project Screen in April 2020, respectively. In December 2022, we acquired ACT Genomics to further our ambitions in precision oncology, and in July 2023, we established a joint venture, Insighta, to develop technology for early detection of cancer. Accordingly, we are a relatively early-stage company with a limited operating history upon which you can evaluate our business and prospects. our limited operating history may make us difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance, prospects or viability. Any assessment of our prospects is subject to significant uncertainty and must be considered in light of the risks and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in their early stage of development, particularly those in new and rapidly evolving markets like us. These risks include, among others, an evolving and unpredictable business model and the management of growth. To address these risks, we must, among other things: (i) increase our customer base; (ii) continue to implement and successfully execute our business and marketing strategy; (iii) identify, acquire and successfully integrate assets or technologies in areas that are complementary to our business strategy; (iv) integrate our business with ACT Genomics’ business successfully and realize the anticipated synergies and related benefits within the anticipated timeframe; (v) successfully enter into other strategic collaborations or relationships; (vi) obtain access to capital on acceptable terms and effectively utilize that capital; (vii) identify, attract, hire, retain, motivate and successfully integrate additional employees; (viii) continue to expand, automate and upgrade our laboratory, technology and data systems; (ix) provide rapid test turnaround times with accurate and clear results at low prices; (x) provide superior customer service; and (xi) respond to competitive developments.
If we are unable to address these risks successfully, our revenue, results of operations and business could be materially and adversely affected.
In addition, our focus on new and rapidly developing markets could also make us difficult to achieve our strategic goals and could harm our future business prospects. We have encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and difficulties frequently experienced in rapidly evolving industries, some of which are outside of our control, including those related to: (i) our ability to compete with companies that are currently in, or may in the future enter, precision oncology, including companies with greater financial, technical and other resources than us; (ii) our ability to continuously invest in R&D and innovation to ensure utilization of the advanced technologies to enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of the tests; (iii) our ability to scale manufacturing to quantities sufficient to meet consumer demand in a timely manner; (iv) our ability to control costs, particularly manufacturing expenses; (v) our ability to achieve or maintain a retail price satisfactory to consumers; (vi) unanticipated delays in test kit development or test kit launches; (vii) positive or negative media coverage of our products or competing products; and (viii) general economic and political conditions.
Our future success is substantially dependent on the manner in which the market for precision oncology develops and grows. If the market develops in a manner that does not facilitate demand for early detection of cancer and treatment optimization, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be adversely affected.
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We have a limited history introducing new products and services to our customers. The future prospects of our business may be harmed if our efforts to attract new customers and engage existing customers by introducing new products are unsuccessful.
Our success depends on our ability to continuously attract new customers and engage existing customers. If we are unable to introduce new and enhanced products and services, or if we introduce new products or services that are not favorably received by the market, we may not be able to attract or retain customers.
Our marketing efforts currently include various initiatives and consist primarily of digital marketing on a variety of social media channels, such as YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, search engine optimization on websites, such as Google and Facebook Ads, various branding strategies, and email. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, we spent $13.3 million on sales and distribution, representing 5% of our revenue, respectively. We anticipate that sales and distribution expenses will continue to represent a significant percentage of our overall operating costs for the foreseeable future.
We have historically acquired a significant number of customers through digital advertising on platforms and websites owned by Google and Facebook, which may terminate their agreements with us at any time. Our investments in sales and marketing may not effectively reach potential customers and potential customers may decide not to buy our products or services, any of which could adversely affect our financial results.
If we are unable to attract new customers or engage existing customers either by introducing new products and services or through marketing efforts, our revenue and operating results may grow slower than expected or decline.
We may not be able to achieve or maintain satisfactory pricing and margins, and our pricing strategies may not meet customers’ price expectations, which could adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.
Our pricing strategies have had, and may continue to have, a significant impact on our revenue. Manufacturers of diagnostic tests have a history of price competition, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain satisfactory prices for our testing services. The pricing of our testing services could be impacted by several factors, including pressure to improve margins as a result of competitive or customer pricing pressure. If we are forced to lower the price of our testing services, our gross margins will decrease, which could harm our ability to invest in and grow our business, and could harm our financial condition and results of operations and our future prospects.
We offer or may in the future offer discounted prices as a means of attracting customers. Such offers and discounts, however, may reduce our revenue and margins. In addition, our competitors’ pricing and marketing strategies are beyond our control and can significantly affect the results of our pricing strategies. If our pricing strategies fail to meet our customers’ price expectations or fail to result in derived margins, or if we are unable to compete effectively with our competitors if they engage in aggressive pricing strategies or other competitive activities, our business could be adversely affected.
We may experience difficulties in managing our growth. If we are unable to effectively and efficiently manage the growth of our business, our future revenue and operating results may be harmed.
Since our inception, we have experienced periods of rapid growth in our business operations and corporate infrastructure, as well as periods when we have had to optimize our costs and restructure our operations in accordance with changes to our business strategy and market demand. Rapid expansion could strain our organizational, administrative and operational infrastructure, including laboratory operations, quality control, operational performance, finance, customer service, marketing sales, and management. We may need to increase our headcount and to hire, train and manage additional specialized personnel to facilitate our growth, including qualified scientists, laboratory personnel, customer service specialists, and sales and marketing force, and we may have difficulties locating, recruiting, training and retaining such specialized personnel. Rapid expansion in personnel could mean that less experienced people develop, market and sell our products, which could result in inefficiencies, reduced quality, unanticipated costs and disruptions to our operations. From time to time, we may need to optimize our costs and to restructure our operations in accordance with changes to our business strategy and market demands. Since December 2022, we have proactively restructured our operations with a focus on streamlining resources and reducing cost, including executing a global workforce reduction of approximately
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60%, resulting in annual headcount reduction costs of approximately US$70 million. If we are unsuccessful in hiring, training, managing and integrating employees and they perform poorly as a result, our business may be harmed.
Our ability to manage our growth effectively will require continued improvement of our operational, financial and management controls, as well as our reporting systems and procedures. Any failure of our controls or interruption of our general process management could have a negative impact on our business and financial operations. We may not be able to maintain our expected turnaround times for our testing services or otherwise satisfy customer demands as we grow, and future business growth could also make it difficult for us to maintain our corporate culture. In addition, our suppliers and contract manufacturers may not be able to allocate sufficient capacity in order to meet our requirements, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Given our very short history of operating a business at commercial scale and our rapid growth since our inception, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel in an effective manner. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, it may be difficult for us to execute our business strategy and our business and operations could be adversely affected.
Some of our marketing initiatives, including celebrity and key opinion leader endorsement and use of social media, may adversely affect our reputation.
We partner with celebrity brand ambassadors and key opinion leaders and launch various marketing campaigns on social media as part of our marketing initiatives. For example, we have engaged renowned actors, entrepreneurs, athletes, and other tastemakers such as Donnie Yen, G.E.M., Van Ness Wu, Kimberly Woltemas, and others to act as Changemakers and representatives of the Circle brand. Our CircleDNA product also has more than 14,000 related tags on Instagram generated by users.
While celebrity endorsement helps strengthen our brand influence and promote our products, any negative publicity related to any of these celebrities, the occurrence of which is beyond our control, may adversely impact our reputation and brand image and consequently our ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers.
In addition, customers may provide feedback and public commentary about our products and other aspects of our business online through social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and any negative information concerning us, whether accurate or not, may be posted on social media platforms at any time and may have a disproportionately adverse impact on our brand, reputation, or business. The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers for CircleDNA and ACTOnco and may not be able to find replacements or immediately transition to alternative suppliers, which could adversely affect our ability to meet customer demand.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers for materials, genome sequencing service and RT-PCR testing service. We do not have long-term agreements with most of our suppliers, and our suppliers could cease supplying these materials and services at any time, or fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of materials or materials that meet our specifications or services that are satisfactory to us. Obtaining substitute components could be difficult, time-consuming and costly and it could require us to redesign or revalidate our test kit. Our laboratory operations could be interrupted if we encounter delays or difficulties in securing these reagents, sequencers or other equipment or materials, and if we cannot timely obtain an acceptable substitute. Such interruption could significantly affect our ability to conduct our tests and could adversely affect our ability to meet customer demand.
Although we maintain relationships with suppliers with the objective of ensuring that we have adequate supply for the delivery of our services, increases in demand for our services can result in supply shortages and higher costs. Our suppliers may not be able to meet our delivery schedules or performance and quality specifications, and we may not be able to purchase such items at a competitive cost. Further, we may experience shortages in
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certain items as a result of limited availability, increased demand, pandemics or other outbreaks of contagious diseases, weather conditions and natural disasters, as well as other factors outside of our control. In addition, our freight costs may increase due to factors such as limited carrier availability, increased fuel costs, increased compliance costs associated with new or changing government regulations, pandemics or other outbreaks of contagious diseases and inflation. Furthermore, the prices charged for our products may not reflect changes in our packaging material, freight, tariff and energy costs at the time they occur, or at all. Any of the foregoing risks, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations.
Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes it difficult for us to predict our future operating results. These fluctuations may occur due to a variety of factors, many of which are of our control, including, but not limited to: (i) the level of demand for our products;(ii) the timing and cost of, and level of investment in, research, development, manufacturing, regulatory approval and commercialization activities relating to our testing products, which may change from time to time; (iii) sales and marketing efforts and expenses; (iv) the rate at which we grow our sales force and the speed at which newly hired salespeople become effective; (v) changes in the productivity of our sales force; (vi) positive or negative coverage in the media or clinical publications of our testing products or competitive products; (vii) the cost of manufacturing our testing products, which may vary depending on the quantity of production and the terms of our arrangements with our suppliers; (viii) our introduction of new or enhanced products or technologies or others in the diagnostic and genetic testing industry; (ix) pricing pressures; (x) expenditures that we may incur to acquire, develop or commercialize testing products for additional indications, if any; (xi) the degree of competition in our industry and any change in the competitive landscape of our industry; (xii) changes in governmental regulations or in the status of our regulatory approvals or requirements; (xiii) future accounting pronouncements or changes in our accounting policies; and general market conditions and other factors, including factors unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors.
The cumulative effects of factors discussed above and other factors could result in large fluctuations and unpredictability in our quarterly and annual operating results. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. Investors should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. This variability and unpredictability could also result in our failure to meet the expectations of industry or financial analysts or investors for any period, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects, and the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Warrants.
Our business significantly depends upon the strength of our brands, including Prenetics, CircleDNA and ACTOnco, and any harm to our brands or reputation may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We believe that the brand identity that we have developed has significantly contributed to the success of our business. It is critical that we continue to maintain and enhance the recognition and reputation of our brands.
Many factors, some of which are beyond our control, are important to maintaining and enhancing our brands and if not properly managed, may cause material harm to our brands. These factors include our ability to: (i) provide effective, accurate and user-friendly testing services to customers; (ii) maintain the efficiency, reliability and quality of the testing services we provide to our consumers; (iii) maintain or improve consumer satisfaction with our after-sale services; (iv) increase brand awareness through marketing and brand promotion activities; and (v) preserve our reputation and goodwill in the event of any negative publicity on our services, product quality, price, data privacy and security, our industry and other players within the industry or other issues affecting us or our peers.
If our devices are perceived by the public to be of poor quality or if our test kits are perceived to provide inaccurate results or significantly delayed responses, such perception, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents, could damage our reputation, diminish the value of our brand, undermine the trust and credibility we have established and have a negative impact on our ability to attract new clients and customers or retain our current clients and customers. If we fail to promote and maintain our brands including “Prenetics,”
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and “CircleDNA,” or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our business, operating results and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected. We anticipate that, as the market becomes increasingly competitive, maintaining and enhancing our brands may become increasingly difficult and expensive.
If we cannot provide quality technical and customer and user support, we could lose customers, and our business and prospects may be adversely affected.
The provision of our testing services to our customers requires ongoing customer and user support and therefore recruitment, training and retention of technical, customer and user support teams. Hiring technical and customer and user support personnel is very competitive in the industry due to the limited number of people available with the necessary scientific and technical backgrounds and ability to understand our platform at a technical level. To effectively support potential new customers and ultimately users, we will need to substantially develop a technical and customer and user support staff. If we are unable to attract, train or retain the number of qualified technical and customer and user support personnel sufficient to meet our business needs, our business and prospects will suffer.
If we are unable to successfully expand our sales and marketing infrastructure to match our growth, our business may be adversely affected.
We currently have only a limited sales and marketing infrastructure, and have limited experience in the sales, marketing, customer support or distribution of diagnostic, preventive or other commercial stage products. Our future sales will depend in large part on our ability to develop, and substantially expand, our sales force and to increase the scope of our marketing efforts. We plan to take a measured approach to build out our sales and marketing capabilities and expand and optimize our sales infrastructure to grow our customer base and our business.
Identifying and recruiting qualified personnel and training them in the use of our products, applicable laws and regulations and our internal policies and procedures, requires significant time, expense and attention. It can take prolonged time before our sales representatives are fully trained and productive. If we are unable to hire, develop and retain talented sales personnel or if new sales personnel are unable to achieve desired productivity levels in a reasonable period of time, we may not be able to realize the expected benefits of this investment or increase our revenue.
There are risks involved with both establishing in-house sales and marketing capabilities and entering into arrangements with third parties to perform these services. Recruiting and training a sales force is expensive and time-consuming and could delay any product launch. If any future authorized test for which we recruit a sales force and establish marketing capabilities is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses. On the other hand, if we enter into arrangements with third parties to perform sales and marketing and customer support services, we likely would have little control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our products effectively. If we do not establish sales and marketing capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we will not be successful in commercializing any of our current or future products. Consequently, our business, results of operations, financial condition and future prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
In addition to the efforts of our sales force, we believe that future sales will also depend in part on our ability to develop and substantially expand awareness of our brands and products through alternative strategies including through endorsement by celebrities or key opinion leaders, social media-related and online outreach and education and marketing efforts. We have limited experience implementing these types of marketing efforts. Brand promotion activities we undertake may not generate the desired customer awareness or increase revenue and, even if they do, any increase in revenue may not cover the costs and expenses we incur in these activities. There is no assurance that we can attract or retain the customers necessary to realize a sufficient return on any of our brand-building efforts.
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We are highly dependent on our senior management team and key advisors and personnel, and our business and operating results could be harmed if we are unable to retain senior management and key personnel and to attract and retain qualified personnel necessary for our business.
We are highly dependent on our senior management team and key advisors and personnel. Our success will depend on our ability to retain senior management and to attract and retain qualified advisors and personnel in the future, including sales and marketing professionals and other highly skilled personnel and to integrate current and additional personnel in all departments. To induce valuable employees to remain at our Company, in addition to salary and cash incentives, we have issued, and will in the future issue, equity incentive awards that vest over time. The value to employees of such equity incentive awards that vest over time may be significantly affected by movements in our share price which is beyond our control, and may at any time be insufficient to counteract more lucrative offers from other companies. Despite our efforts to retain valuable employees, members of our management and development teams may terminate their employment with us on relatively short notice, even where we have employment agreements in place. The standard employment agreement of our employees provides that the employee can terminate the employment by giving at least one month’s notice or payment in lieu of notice, which means that any of our employees could leave their employment at any time on relatively short notice or without notice at all. We also do not maintain “key person” insurance policies on the lives of these people or the lives of any of our other employees. The loss of members of our senior management, sales and marketing professionals and scientists as well as contract employees could result in delays in product development and harm our business. In particular, the loss of the services of Mr. Danny Yeung, our Director, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Lawrence Tzang, our Chief Scientific Officer or Mr. Stephen Lo, our Chief Financial Officer, could significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our strategic objectives and otherwise have a material adverse impact on our business. If we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be negatively impacted.
Competition for skilled personnel across virtually all areas where we operate and need to attract additional talent is intense. If we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, the rate and success at which we can develop and commercialize our products will be limited, and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be negatively impacted.
In addition, we rely on our scientific advisory board comprised of accomplished scholars and experts in oncology, genomics and precision oncology to offer invaluable insights on the latest scientific developments and provide guidelines on development of our pipeline products. If any of our scientific advisor leaves the advisory board, our research and development capabilities may be negatively affected.
The sizes of the markets and forecasts of market growth for the demand of our current and pipeline products and services are based on a number of complex assumptions and estimates that are subject to change, and may be inaccurate.
Our estimates of the total addressable markets for our products and services, including CircleDNA, and ACTOnco, are based on a number of internal and third-party estimates, including those prepared by Frost & Sullivan. Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts included in this prospectus have been derived from a variety of sources, including market research and our own internal estimates, and the conditions supporting our assumptions or estimates may change at any time, thereby of these underlying factors and indicators. Further, the continued development of, and approval or authorizations for, vaccines and therapeutic treatments may affect these market opportunity estimates.
Our market opportunity may also be limited by new diagnostic tests or other products that enter the market. If any of our estimates prove to be inaccurate, the market opportunity for our existing and pipeline products could be significantly less than we estimate. If this turns out to be the case, it may impair our potential for growth and our business and future prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We may need to raise additional funds to develop our platform, commercialize new products or expand our operations, and we may be unable to raise capital when needed or on acceptable terms.
We may in the future consider raising additional capital for any number of reasons, and to do so, we may seek to sell ordinary or preferred shares or convertible debt securities, enter into one or more credit facilities or another
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form of third-party funding, or seek other debt financing. We may also need to raise capital sooner or in larger amounts than we anticipate for numerous reasons, including our failure to secure additional regulatory approvals for our testing services and products, lower than anticipated demand for our testing services, or otherwise.
We may also consider raising additional funds in the future to develop our platform, commercialize new products or expand our operation, including to further scale up the manufacturing of our test kits, and if user demand warrants such increase in scale, to increase our sales and marketing efforts to drive market adoption of our testing services and address competitive developments, and to finance capital expenditures and general and administrative expenses.
Our present and future funding requirements will depend on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including: (i) the cost and timing of additional regulatory clearances or approvals for our testing services and products; (ii) our ability to achieve and maintain revenue growth; (iii) the potential cost of and delays in product development as a result of any regulatory oversight applicable to our services and products; (iv) the scope, rate of progress and cost of our current and future clinical trials; (v) the costs of attaining, defending and enforcing our intellectual property rights; (vi) the terms and timing of any other collaborative, licensing and other arrangements that we may establish; and (vii) the costs of responding to the other risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus.
The various ways we could raise additional capital carry potential risks. If we raise funds by issuing equity securities, the ownership interests of our existing shareholders will be diluted. Any equity securities issued could also provide for rights, preferences, or privileges senior to those of holders of the Ordinary Shares. If we raise funds by issuing debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through other third-party funding, collaborations agreements, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements or marketing and distribution arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or test kits or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us.
Additional funding may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If we cannot secure additional funding when needed or if financing is not available on satisfactory terms or at all, we may have to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate one or more research and development programs or sales and marketing or other initiatives. In addition, our ability to raise additional funds may be adversely impacted by potential worsening global economic conditions and the disruptions to, and volatility in, the credit and financial markets worldwide. If the equity and credit markets deteriorate, we may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult, more costly and more dilutive. If we are unable to obtain the requisite amount of financing needed to fund our planned operations, our ability to grow and support our business and to respond to market challenges could be significantly limited, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may enter new business areas, such as clinical genetic testing, and precision oncology, we would likely face competition from entities more familiar with those businesses, and our efforts may not succeed.
We may enter into new business areas where we do not have any experience or have limited experience. In addition, we play to expand our operations in business areas such as clinical genetic testing, and precision oncology where we have limited experience. These areas would be new to our product development, sales and marketing personnel, and we cannot be assured that the markets for these products and services will develop or that we will be able to compete effectively or will generate significant revenues in these new areas. Many companies of all sizes, including major pharmaceutical companies and specialized biotechnology companies, are engaged in redesigning approaches to clinical-level medical care and precision oncology. Competitors operating in these potential new business areas may have substantially greater financial and other resources, larger research and development staff and more experience in these business areas. There can be no assurances that if we undertake to enter into any of the new business areas, the market will accept our offerings, or that such offerings will generate significant revenues for us.
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We may incur debt or assume contingent or other liabilities or dilute our shareholders in connection with acquisitions or strategic alliances.
We may issue equity securities to pay for future acquisitions or strategic alliances, which could be dilutive to existing shareholders. We may incur debt or assume contingent or other liabilities in connection with acquisitions and strategic alliances, which could impose restrictions on our business operations and harm our operating results. Further, any additional equity financing, debt financing, or credit facility used for such acquisitions may not be on favorable terms, and any such financing or facility may place restrictions on our business. In addition, to the extent that the economic benefits associated with any of our acquisitions diminish in the future, we may incur incremental operating losses, and may be required to record additional write downs of goodwill, intangible assets or other assets associated with such acquisitions, which would adversely affect our operating results.
If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, we may be unable to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Warrants.
We are subject to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, which require that we include a report from management on our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated, or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. We may be unable to timely complete the evaluation testing and any required remediation.
Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022. However, there is no assurance that we will not have any material weakness or deficiencies in the future. Even effective internal control can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements. Any failure to remediate the deficiencies, or the development of new deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, could result in material misstatements in our financial statements, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
Ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets or inaccurate reporting of financial conditions and results of operations and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we are listed, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements from prior periods. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, result in deterioration in our financial condition and results of operations, and lead to a decline in the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Warrants.
The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work
Our auditor, 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 subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. The auditor is located in Hong Kong, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB was historically unable to conduct inspections and investigations completely before 2022. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China in the past has made it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit
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procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. However, if the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China or Hong Kong, and we use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the SEC, we and investors in our securities would be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections again, which could cause investors and potential investors in our securities to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on the market value of our securities.
Our securities may be prohibited from being traded in the United States under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, decreased the number of “non-inspection years” from three years to two years, and thus, reduced the time before our securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of them being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.
Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“HFCAA”), if the SEC determines that an issuer has filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the PCAOB for a number of consecutive years (“non-inspection years”), the SEC will prohibit the securities of the issuer from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and on December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law by President Biden, which, among other things, reduced the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act from three years to two years. The decrease in non-inspection years would reduce the time period before our securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted if the PCAOB determines that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor under the HFCAA.
On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong, and our auditor was subject to that determination. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms.
Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China or Hong Kong and we use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the SEC, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. In accordance with the HFCAA, our securities would be prohibited from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States if we are identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years in the future. If our securities are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the United States. A prohibition of being able to trade in the United States would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such a prohibition would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects.
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Risks Relating to Doing Business in Hong Kong
Since Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, legal and operational risks associated with operating in China also apply to operations in Hong Kong and could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties relating to our operations in Hong Kong. As we presently do not have any business operations in mainland China, either directly or through Variable Interest Entity (VIE) arrangements, we consider that the current laws and regulations of the PRC applicable in mainland China have no material impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. However, since Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions of China, the legal and operational risks associated with operating in China also apply to operations in Hong Kong and Macau. Recent PRC governmental statements and regulatory developments, such as those relating to VIEs, data and cyberspace security, and anti-monopoly concerns, could potentially be applicable to us and our subsidiaries, such as Prenetics or Prenetics HK, given our operations in Hong Kong. This is compounded by the considerable oversight authority the Chinese government holds over business conduct in Hong Kong. Should the PRC government seek to affect operations of any company with any level of operations in Hong Kong, or should certain PRC laws and regulations or these statements or regulatory actions become applicable to us in the future, it would likely have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations, ability to accept foreign investments and our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors in the U.S. or to list on a U.S. or other international securities exchange, any of which may cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless. For example, if the recent PRC regulatory actions on data and cyberspace security were to apply to us, including our operations in Hong Kong or Macau, we could become subject to certain cybersecurity and data privacy obligations, including the potential requirement to conduct a cybersecurity review for our listing or continued listing on a U.S. or a foreign stock exchange, and the failure to meet such obligations could result in penalties and other regulatory actions against us and may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Regulatory actions related to data security or anti-monopoly concerns in Hong Kong or Macau may also impact our ability to conduct our business, accept foreign investments, or continue to be listed or list on a U.S. or foreign stock exchange.
Unfavorable economic and political conditions in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Like many other companies that operate in Asia, our business will be materially affected by economic and political conditions in Asia, which could be negatively impacted by many factors beyond our control, such as inability to access capital markets, control of foreign exchange, changes in exchange rates, rising interest rates or inflation, slowing or negative growth rate, government involvement in allocation of resources, inability to meet financial commitments in a timely manner, terrorism, political uncertainty, epidemic or pandemic, civil unrest, fiscal or other economic policy of governments, and the timing and nature of any regulatory reform. The recent geo-political uncertainties may also give rise to uncertainties in global economic conditions and adversely affect general investor confidence.
Political unrest such as protests or demonstrations could disrupt economic activities and adversely affect our business. There can be no assurance that these protests and other economic, social, or political unrest in the future will not have a material adverse effect on our financial conditions and results of operations.
The mainland Chinese government has significant oversight, discretion and control over the manner in which companies incorporated under the laws of mainland China must conduct their business activities, but as we operate in Hong Kong and not mainland China, the mainland Chinese government currently does not exert direct oversight and discretion over the manner in which we conduct our business activities. However, there is no guarantee that the mainland Chinese government will not seek to intervene or influence our operations at any time. If we were to become subject to such oversight, discretion or control, including over overseas offerings of securities and/or foreign investments, it may result in a material adverse change in our operations, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline, or be worthless, which would materially affect the interests of the investors.
We currently do not have any business operations in mainland China or generate revenues from any businesses in mainland China. We believe that the laws and regulations of mainland China do not currently have any
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material impact on our business operations, and the mainland Chinese government does not currently exert direct influence or intervention over the manner in which we conduct our business. However, we believe there is significant market opportunity in mainland China for early detection for cancer. If we do decide to expand our operations into mainland China in the future, we could be subject to the significant oversight of the mainland Chinese government. In addition, because of our substantial operations in Hong Kong and given the mainland Chinese government’s significant oversight authority over the conduct of business in Hong Kong generally, there is no guarantee that we will not be subject to such direct influence or intervention in the future due to changes in laws or other unforeseeable reasons. There is always a risk that the mainland Chinese government may, in the future, seek to affect operations of any company with any level of operations in mainland China or Hong Kong, including its ability to offer securities to investors, list its securities on a U.S. or other foreign exchange, conduct its business or accept foreign investment. There also can be no assurance that the PRC government will not intervene or impose restrictions on our ability to transfer or distribute cash within our organization, which could result in an inability or prohibition on making transfers or distributions to entities outside of Hong Kong and adversely affect our business.
The PRC legal system is evolving rapidly and the PRC laws, regulations, and rules may change quickly with little or no advance notice. In particular, because these laws, rules and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited number of published decisions and the non-precedential nature of these decisions, the interpretation of these laws, rules and regulations may contain inconsistencies, the enforcement of which involves uncertainties.
If we were to become subject to the direct intervention or influence of the mainland Chinese government at any time due to changes in laws or other unforeseeable reasons, it may require a material change in our operations and/ or result in increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. In addition, the market prices and value of our securities could be adversely affected as a result of anticipated negative impacts of any such government actions, as well as negative investor sentiment towards Hong Kong-based companies subject to direct mainland Chinese government oversight and regulation, regardless of our actual operating performance. There can be no assurance that the mainland Chinese government will not intervene in or influence our current or future operations at any time.
The PRC government has recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted in the U.S. or in other international jurisdictions and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. Based on the advice of our PRC legal counsel, DaHui Lawyers, we believe that we are currently not required to obtain any permission or approval from the CSRC, CAC or any other PRC governmental authority to operate our business or to list our securities on a U.S. securities exchange or issue securities to foreign investors.
With respect to the issuance of securities to foreign investors, the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestics Enterprises by Foreign Investors (“M&A Rules”) include, among other things, provisions that purport to require any offshore special purpose vehicle that is controlled by PRC companies or individuals and formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisition of PRC domestic companies to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of its securities on an overseas stock exchange. On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official website procedures specifying documents and materials required to be submitted to it by any such special purpose vehicle seeking CSRC’s approval of overseas listings. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules and the CSRC approval requirement to offshore special purpose vehicles.
The revised Measures for Cybersecurity Review, or Review Measures, came into effect on February 15, 2022. The Review Measures stipulate that cybersecurity review is mandatory where a network platform operator that has personal information of more than one million users seeks to list overseas. As advised by our PRC legal counsel, DaHui Lawyers, the offering of our securities is not subject to the foregoing cybersecurity review. That said, the Review Measures provide CAC and relevant authorities certain discretion to initiate cybersecurity review where any network product or service or any data handling activity is considered to affect or may affect national security, which may lead to uncertainties in relation to the impact of the Review Measures impact on our operations or the offering of our securities. As of the date of this prospectus, there are no commensurate laws or regulations in Hong Kong which result in similar significant oversight over data security for companies seeking to offer securities on a foreign exchange. However, we cannot guarantee that, if, in the future, such laws or regulations were issued in Hong Kong, we would be compliant with such laws or regulations in a timely manner or at all. In addition, we may have to spend significant time and costs to become compliant. If we are
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unable to do so, on commercially reasonable terms, in a timely manner or otherwise, we may become subject to sanctions imposed by the relevant regulatory authorities, and our ability to conduct our business, or offer securities on a U.S. or other international securities exchange may be restricted. As a result of the foregoing, our business, reputation, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Further, 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 Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities in accordance with the Law (“Opinions”). These Opinions have laid the groundwork for strengthening the Chinese government’s monitoring of illegal securities activities in China and the supervision of overseas listings by China-based companies. The Opinions generally provide that existing laws and regulations regarding data security, cross-border data transmission, and the protection of classified information should be further supplemented, and that the PRC government will seek to deepen its cross- border audit supervision cooperation with the regulatory bodies in other countries in law-based and reciprocal manner. On February 17, 2023, CSRC released the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies and five supporting guidelines (collectively, “New Overseas Listing Rules”), which have come into effect on March 31, 2023. New Overseas Listing Rules stipulate filing requirements for foreign direct or indirect issuance and listing of securities by domestic companies. As advised by our PRC legal counsel, DaHui Lawyers, the offering of our securities is not subject to the New Overseas Listing Rules or filing requirements.
Based on their understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, our PRC legal counsel, DaHui Lawyers, has advised that we are not required to obtain any prior permission under the M&A Rules or the Opinions from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) for consummating this offering, given that: (a) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours are subject to the M&A Rules; and (b) we are not controlled by PRC companies or individuals nor formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisition of PRC domestic companies. In addition, our PRC legal counsel, DaHui Lawyers, has advised that the offering of our securities is neither subject to the mandatory cybersecurity review under the Review Measures nor the filing requirements under New Overseas Listing Rules.
However, there is no guarantee that this will continue to be the case in relation to the continued listing of our securities on a securities exchange outside of China, or even if such permission is required and obtained, it will not be subsequently denied or rescinded. Any actions by the Chinese government to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted in the U.S. or in other international jurisdictions (including those by issuers whose primary operations are in Hong Kong) 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 and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
Our business, financial condition and results of operations, and/or the value of our securities or our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors may be materially and adversely affected to the extent the laws and regulations of mainland China become applicable to us. In that case, we may be subject to the risks and uncertainties associated with the evolving laws and regulations in mainland China, their interpretation and implementation, and the legal and regulatory system in mainland China more generally, including with respect to the enforcement of laws and the possibility of changes of rules and regulations with little or no advance notice.
We conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiaries in Hong Kong and other jurisdictions. For the years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, we generated all of our revenue from our businesses outside of mainland China. Moreover, we do not sell any testing products in mainland China or solicit any customer or collect, host or manage any customer’s personal data in mainland China. Nor do we have access to any personal data of any customer in mainland China that is collected, hosted or managed by our historical minority interest in a genomics business in mainland China. Accordingly, we believe that the laws and regulations of mainland China, including the developments in cybersecurity laws and regulations of mainland China, do not currently have any material impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations or the listing of our securities, notwithstanding the fact that we have substantial operations in Hong Kong.
Pursuant to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the “Basic Law”), which is a national law of the PRC and the constitutional document for Hong Kong, national laws of the PRC shall not be
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applied in Hong Kong except for those listed in Annex III of the Basic Law and applied locally by promulgation or local legislation. The Basic Law expressly provides that the national laws of the PRC which may be listed in Annex III of the Basic Law shall be confined to those relating to defense and foreign affairs as well as other matters outside the autonomy of Hong Kong. While the National People’s Congress of the PRC has the power to amend the Basic Law, the Basic Law also expressly provides that no amendment to the Basic Law shall contravene the established basic policies of the PRC regarding Hong Kong. As a result, national laws of the PRC not listed in Annex III of the Basic Law, including the enacted version of PRC Data Security Law, the revised Measures for Cybersecurity Review (“Review Measures”) issued by the CAC, and the PRC Personal Information Protection Law, do not apply in Hong Kong.
If certain PRC laws and regulations were to become applicable in Hong Kong in the future, the application of such laws and regulations may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, any of which may cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless. In addition, the laws and regulations in the PRC are evolving, and their enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation involve significant uncertainties. To the extent any PRC laws and regulations become applicable to our business, we may be subject to the risks and uncertainties associated with the legal system in the PRC including with respect to the enforcement of laws and the possibility of changes of rules and regulations with little or no advance notice.
We depend on the information systems of our own and those of third parties for the effective service on our websites, mobile applications, or in our computer or logistics systems, and the overall effective and efficient functioning of our business. Failure to maintain or protect our information systems and data integrity effectively could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We depend on our information systems and for the effective and efficient functioning of our business, including the manufacture, distribution and maintenance of our genetic testing kits, as well as for accounting, data storage, compliance, purchasing and inventory management. Our and our third-party collaborator’s information systems may be subject to computer viruses, ransomware or other malware, attacks by computer hackers, failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, damage or interruption from fires or other natural disasters, hardware failures, telecommunication failures and user errors, among other malfunctions and other cyber-attacks. We and our third-party collaborators could be subject to an unintentional event that involves a third-party gaining unauthorized access to our systems, which could disrupt our operations, corrupt our data or result in release of our confidential information. Additionally, theft of our intellectual property or proprietary business information could require substantial expenditures to remedy and even then, may not be able to be remedied in full. Although the aggregate impact of the foregoing on our operations and financial condition has not been material to date, we may have been and going forward will continue to be the target of events of this nature as cybersecurity threats have been rapidly evolving in sophistication and becoming more prevalent in the industry. Third parties upon whom we rely or with whom we have business relationships, including our customers, collaborators, suppliers, and others are subject to similar risks that could potentially have an adverse effect on our business.
Technological interruptions could disrupt operations, including the ability to timely ship and track product orders, project inventory requirements, manage supply chain and otherwise adequately service our customers or disrupt our customers’ ability to use our test kits. In addition, we rely heavily on providers of transport services for reliable and secure point-to-point transport of test kits to our customers and users and for tracking of these shipments. Should a carrier encounter delivery performance issues such as loss, damage or destruction of any systems, it would be costly to replace such systems in a timely manner and such occurrences may damage our reputation and lead to decreased demand for our test kits and increased cost and expense to our business.
Additionally, our business model is dependent on our ability to deliver various test kits to customers and have such test kits processed and returned to us. This requires coordination between our logistics providers and third-party shipping services. Operational disruptions may be caused by factors outside of our control such as hostilities, political unrest, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, pandemics and public health emergencies, affecting the geographies where our operations and customers are located.
We may not be effective at preventing or mitigating the effects of such disruptions, particularly in the case of a catastrophic event. In addition, operational disruptions may occur during the holiday season, causing delays or failures in deliveries of test kits. Any such disruption may result in lost revenues, a loss of customers and
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reputational damage, which would have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In the event we or our third-party collaborators experience significant disruptions, we may be unable to repair such systems in an efficient and timely manner. Accordingly, such events may disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our entire operation and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Currently, we carry business interruption coverage to mitigate certain potential losses but this insurance is limited in amount and jurisdiction, and subject to deductibles, exclusions and limitations, and we cannot be certain that such potential losses will not exceed our policy limits. Our information systems require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect and enhance our existing systems. Failure to maintain or protect our information systems and data integrity effectively could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Acquisitions
We have engaged in and may continue to engage in acquisitions, investments or strategic alliances in the future, which could require significant management attention and resources, may not achieve their intended results and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We acquired 74.39% of the equity interest in ACT Genomics Holdings Company Limited, or ACT, an Asia based genomics company specializing in precision oncology with operations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and the U.K. in December 2022 pursuant to the ACT Sale and Purchase Agreements. With the ACT Acquisition, we intend to expand our business in precision oncology. We may not succeed in integrating our business with ACT Genomics’ business successfully and realize the anticipated synergies and related benefits. We may further pursue acquisitions of businesses and assets in the future. We may pursue strategic alliances and additional joint ventures that could leverage our platform and industry experience to expand our offerings or distribution. However, we may not be able to find suitable partners or acquisition candidates in the future, and we may not be able to complete such transactions on favorable terms, if at all. We may not be able to integrate these acquisitions successfully into its existing business, and we could assume unknown or contingent liabilities. Any acquisitions also could result in the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities or future write-offs of intangible assets or goodwill, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, any pursuit of an acquisition and any potential integration of an acquired company also may disrupt ongoing operations and divert management attention and resources that we would otherwise focus on developing our existing business. We may experience losses related to investments in other companies, which could have a material negative effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We may not realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, technology license, strategic alliance or joint venture.
We face additional risks as a result of the ACT Acquisition and may be unable to integrate our businesses successfully and realize the anticipated synergies and related benefits of the ACT Acquisition or do so within the anticipated timeframe.
In pursuit of building our product pipeline in early testing and detection of cancer, we completed the ACT Acquisition on December 30, 2022. As a result of the ACT Acquisition, we face various additional risks, including, among others, the following: (i) difficulties in integrating and managing the combined operations of ACT Genomics, and realizing the anticipated economic, operational, and other benefits in a timely manner, which could result in substantial costs and delays or other operational, technical, or financial problems; (ii) disruption to ACT Genomics’ business and operations and relationships with service providers and/or other third parties; (iii) loss of key employees of ACT Genomics and other challenges associated with integrating new employees into our culture, as well as reputational harm if integration is not successful; (iv) failure to successfully realize our intended business strategy; (v) increase in the operating losses that we expect to incur in future periods; (vi) diversion of management time and focus from operating our business to addressing ACT Acquisition integration challenges; (vii) diversion of significant resources from the ongoing development of our existing products, services, and operations; (viii) regulatory complexities of integrating or managing the combined operations or expanding into other industries or parts of the healthcare industry; (ix) regulatory developments or enforcement trends focusing on corporate practice of medicine; (x) greater than anticipated costs related to the integration of ACT Genomics’ business and operations into ours; (xi) increase in compliance and related costs associated with the addition of a regulated business; (xii) responsibility for the liabilities of ACT Genomics, including those that were not disclosed to us or exceed our estimates, as well as, without
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limitation, liabilities arising out of their failure to maintain effective data protection and privacy practices controls and comply with applicable regulations; and (xiii) potential accounting charges to the extent intangibles recorded in connection with the ACT Acquisition, such as goodwill, trademarks, client relationships, or intellectual property, are later determined to be impaired and written down in value.
Our ability to execute all such plans will depend on various factors, many of which remain outside our control. Any of these risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the process of integrating ACT Genomics’ operations into our operations could result in unforeseen operating difficulties and require significant resources. If we are unable to successfully integrate the duties, responsibilities, and other factors of interest to the management and employees of the acquired business, we could lose employees to our competitors, which could significantly affect our ability to operate the business and complete the integration. If we are unable to implement and retain uniform standards, controls, policies, procedures, and information systems, we may need to allocate additional resources to ensure smooth operations. If the integration process causes any delays with the delivery of our services, or the quality of those services, we could lose customers, which would reduce our revenues and earnings.
Our acquisition may not be accretive, and may be dilutive, to our earnings per share, which may negatively affect the market price of our ordinary share.
Our acquisition may not be accretive to our earnings per share. Our expectations regarding the timeframe in which a potential acquisition may become accretive to our earnings per share may not be realized. In addition, we could fail to realize all of the benefits anticipated in a potential acquisition or experience delays or inefficiencies in realizing such benefits. Such factors could, combined with the potential issuance of our ordinary shares in connection with a potential acquisition, result in such acquisition being dilutive to our earnings per share, which could negatively affect the market price of our ordinary share.
With respect to the ACT Acquisition, the following factors, among others, could materially and adversely affect our results of operations or stock price: (i) expenses related to the acquisition process and impairment charges to goodwill and other intangible assets related to the ACT Acquisition; (ii) the dilutive effect on earnings per share as a result of issuances of our ordinary share and incurring operating losses; (iii) stock volatility due to investors’ uncertainty regarding the value of ACT Genomics; (iv) diversion of capital from other uses; (v) failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of the ACT Acquisition in a timely manner, or at all; and (vi) adverse outcome of litigation matters or other contingent liabilities assumed in or arising out of the ACT Acquisition.
We may incur various transaction costs and liabilities notwithstanding the due diligence reviews we performed in connection with acquisitions.
When we acquire businesses, products or technologies, our due diligence reviews are subject to inherent uncertainties and may not reveal all potential risks. We may therefore fail to discover or inaccurately assess undisclosed or contingent liabilities, including liabilities for which we may have responsibility as a successor to the seller or the target company. As a successor, we may be responsible for any past or continuing violations of law by the seller or the target company. Although we generally attempt to seek contractual protections, such as representations and warranties and indemnities, we cannot be sure that we will obtain such provisions in our acquisitions or that such provisions will fully protect us from all unknown, contingent or other liabilities or costs. In addition, claims against us relating to any acquisition may necessitate our seeking claims against the seller for which the seller may not indemnify us or that may exceed the scope, duration or amount of the seller’s indemnification obligations.
While we performed significant due diligence reviews on ACT Genomics prior to signing the ACT Sale and Purchase Agreements, we are dependent on the accuracy and completeness of statements and disclosures made or actions taken by ACT Genomics, its representatives and its shareholders in connection with our due diligence reviews and our evaluation of the results of such due diligence. We did not control and may be unaware of activities of ACT Genomics prior to the ACT Acquisition, including, without limitation, intellectual property and other litigation or disputes, information security vulnerabilities, violations of laws, policies, rules and regulations, commercial disputes, tax liabilities and other liabilities.
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Our post-closing recourse is limited under the ACT Sale and Purchase Agreements. If any issues arise post-closing, we may not be entitled to sufficient, or any, indemnification or recourse from ACT Genomics, sellers of shares of ACT Genomics or other parties involved in the ACT Sale and Purchase Agreements, which could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Government Regulation
Our business collects and processes a large amount of data including personal information, and we will face legal, reputational, and financial risks if we fail to protect our customers’ data from security breaches or cyberattacks. We are also subject to various laws and regulations relating to privacy or the protection or transfer of data relating to individuals, and any change in such laws and regulations or any failure by us to comply with such laws and regulations could adversely affect our business.
We collect and store sensitive data, including personally identifiable information, genetic information, payment information, intellectual property and proprietary business information owned or controlled by ourselves, our customers, or other parties. We manage and maintain our data and applications utilizing cloud-based systems. We also protect sensitive customer data by logically segregating access and storage of personally identifiable and genetic data from other business operations involving data processing. We identify a variety of risks in connection of protecting the critical customer and business information, including loss of access risk, inappropriate disclosure, inappropriate modification, and the risk of us being unable to adequately monitor and modify controls over our critical information.
Any technical problems that may arise in connection with our data and systems, including those that are hosted by third-party providers, could result in interruptions to our business and operations or exposure to security vulnerabilities. These types of problems may be caused by a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, intentional or accidental human actions or omissions, software errors, malware, viruses, security attacks, fraud, spikes in customer usage and denial of service issues. From time to time, large third-party web hosting providers utilized by us may experience outages or other problems that would result in their systems being offline and inaccessible, which could materially impact our business and operations. In addition, our various customer tools and platforms are currently accessible through our online portal and/or through our mobile applications, which may also be exposed to security breaches.
The secure processing, storage, maintenance and transmission of critical customer and business information are vital to our operations and our business strategy. Although we devote significant resources to protecting such information and take what we believe to be reasonable and appropriate measures, including a formal and dedicated enterprise security program, to protect sensitive information from compromises such as unauthorized access, disclosure, or modification or lack of availability, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or viruses or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. We may be exposed to significant monetary damages which are not covered by our liability insurance. Further, a security breach could require us to expend substantial additional resources related to the security of our information systems and providing required breach notifications, diverting resources from other projects and disrupting our businesses.
In addition to data security risks, we also face data privacy risks. Should we actually violate, or be perceived to have violated, any privacy promises we make to our customers, we could be subject to a complaint from an affected individual or interested privacy regulator, such as the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data in Hong Kong. This risk is heightened given the sensitivity of the data we collect. Even the perception that the privacy of personal information is not satisfactorily protected or does not meet regulatory or contractual requirements could inhibit sales of our solutions, and any failure to comply with such laws, regulations and contractual requirements could lead to significant fines, penalties or other liabilities.
There has been unprecedented activity in the development of data protection regulation around the world, and as a result, the interpretation and application of consumer, health-related and data protection laws in Hong Kong, the U.K., Europe and other jurisdictions in which we conduct business are often uncertain, contradictory and in flux. Numerous local and international laws and regulations address privacy and the collection, storing, sharing, use, disclosure, and protection of certain types of data in jurisdictions where we operate, including the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance in Hong Kong, or “PDPO” and the U.K. GDPR. These laws, rules, and regulations
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evolve frequently and their scope may continually change, through new legislation, amendments to existing legislation, and changes in enforcement, and may be inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another.
The PDPO applies to data users that control the collection, holding, processing or use of personal data in Hong Kong and does not have extraterritorial effect. The PDPO does not specifically govern the use of human genetic data or other sensitive personal data, and we are subject to the general requirements under PDPO including to obtain the prescribed consent of the data subject and to take all practicable steps to protect the personal data held by data users against unauthorized or accidental access, loss or use. Breaches of the PDPO may lead to a variety of civil and criminal sanctions including fines up to HK$100,000 and imprisonment of up to two years. In addition, data subjects have a right to bring proceedings in court to seek compensation for damage.
We also have operations in the U.K. and the European Union and are therefore required to comply with increasingly complex and changing data security and privacy regulations in the U.K. and the European Union that regulate the collection, use and transfer of personal data, including the transfer of personal data between or among countries. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, or “GDPR,” now also enacted in the U.K., or “the U.K. GDPR,” as well as the U.K. Data Protection Act (2018), or “DPA,” have imposed stringent compliance obligations regarding the handling of personal data and have resulted in the issuance of significant financial penalties for noncompliance.
The U.K. GDPR and GDPR broadly apply to any entity established in the U.K. and the European Union as well as extraterritorially to any entity outside the U.K. and the European Union that offers goods or services to, or monitors the behavior of, individuals who are located in the U.K. and the European Union. The GDPR imposes strict requirements on controllers and processors of personal data, including enhanced protections for “special categories” of personal data, which includes sensitive information such as health and genetic information of data subjects. As a controller and processor of personal data, we are subject to extensive obligations related to the collection, recording, use, storage, disclosure and destruction of any test results and associated personal data by our services, laboratories, websites and applications in accordance with the various data protection principles prescribed under the U.K. GDPR, and “genetic data” and “data concerning health” which we collect in connection with our testing services constitute a special category of data under the U.K. GDPR and the DPA, and are subject to more stringent rules that provide more protection of such data given the sensitive nature. The U.K. GDPR and GDPR also grant individuals various rights to seek legal remedies in relation to their personal data if the individual believes his or her rights have been violated, including the rights of access, rectification, objection to certain processing and deletion. Failure to comply with the requirements of the GDPR or the related national data protection laws may result in significant administrative fines issued by the U.K. or European Union regulators. Under the U.K. GDPR, the Information Commissioner can impose significant administrative fines on both data controllers and data processors. There are two tiers of such fines, which are the higher of up to £8.7 million or 2% of global turnover, or the higher of up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover. Under the GDPR, maximum penalties for violations are capped at 20 million euros or 4% of an organization’s annual global revenue, whichever is greater.
Despite our efforts to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other obligations relating to privacy, data protection, and information security, it is possible that our interpretations of the law or other obligations, practices, or platform could be inconsistent with, or fail or be alleged to fail to meet all requirements of, such laws, regulations, or obligations. If so, this could result in government-imposed fines or orders requiring us to change our commercial practices, which could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business.
In addition, these privacy laws and regulations may differ from country to country and region to region, and our obligations under these laws and regulations vary based on the nature of our activities in the particular jurisdiction, such as whether we collect samples from individuals in the local jurisdiction, perform testing in the local jurisdiction, or process personal information regarding employees or other individuals in the local jurisdiction. Complying with changing regulatory requirements requires us to incur substantial costs, exposes us to potential regulatory action or litigation, and may require changes to our business practices in certain jurisdictions, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business operations and operating results. There is no assurance that we are or will remain in compliance with diverse privacy and data security requirements in all of the jurisdictions in which we currently operate and may operate in the future. Failure of us to comply with applicable laws or regulations or any other obligations relating to privacy, data protection, or information security, or any compromise of security that results in unauthorized access to, or use or release of personally identifiable information or other data relating to our customers, or other individuals, or the perception
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that any of the foregoing types of failure or compromise has occurred, could damage our reputation and brand, discourage new and existing customers from using our platform, or result in fines, investigations, or proceedings by governmental agencies and private claims and litigation, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our products and services are and will continue to be subject to extensive regulation, compliance of which could be costly and time-consuming or may cause unanticipated delays or prevent the receipt of the required approvals to offer our products and services.
Our testing products are classified as medical devices and the manufacture, labeling, advertising, promotion, post-market surveillance and marketing of medical devices are subject to extensive regulation in various jurisdictions in which we operate. Government regulation of medical devices is meant to assure their safety and effectiveness, and includes regulation of, among other things: (i) design, development and manufacturing; (ii) testing, labeling, including directions for use, processes, controls, quality assurance, packaging, storage, distribution, installation and servicing; (iii) clinical trials and validation studies; (iv) registration and listing; (v) marketing, sales and distribution; (vi) recordkeeping procedures; (vii) advertising and promotion; (viii) pre-market authorization; (ix) corrections, removals and recalls; (x) post-market surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries, and malfunctions that, if they were to recur, would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury; and (xi) product import and export.
In Hong Kong, medical device manufacturers may voluntarily complete an application and registration with the Medical Device Division of the Department of Health of Hong Kong in the Medical Device Administrative Control System, for which the applicant must demonstrate the safety and performance of the medical devices by submitting a number of supporting documents including test reports of the device’s chemical, physical and biological properties, and a performance evaluation report including evaluation of analytical performance and clinical performance of the device to demonstrate that the device achieves its intended purpose. In the U.K. and the European Union, IVD devices must comply with the essential safety, health, design and manufacturing requirements under EU IVDD. Beginning in January 1, 2021, IVD device manufacturers can also sell a device by registering with the MHRA. Under the MHRA requirements, IVD devices must meet essential requirements according to Part IV MDR 2002 Annex I and be registered with the MHRA.
If regulatory authorities conclude that any aspect of our business operations does not comply with applicable law, we may be subject to penalties and other damages and sales of our testing products may also suffer. In addition, in the event of any material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture that could affect patient safety, our products may be subject to recall. Any such quality issue can both harm our business reputation and result in substantial costs and write-offs, which in either case could materially harm our business and financial results.
We plan to expand our business and operations internationally to various jurisdictions in which we do not currently operate and where we have limited operating experience, all of which exposes us to business, regulatory, political, operational and financial risk.
One of our key business strategies is to pursue international expansion of our business operations and market our products in multiple jurisdictions.
As a result, we expect that our business will be subject to a variety of risks associated with doing business internationally, including an increase in our expenses and diversion of the management’s attention from other aspects of our business. Accordingly, our business and financial results in the future could be adversely affected due to a variety of factors, including: (i) political, social and/or economic instability; (ii) risks related to governmental regulations in foreign jurisdictions and unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and enforcement; (iii) fluctuations in currency exchange rates; (iv) higher levels of credit risk and payment fraud; (v) burdens of complying with a variety of foreign laws; (vi) complexities and difficulties in obtaining intellectual property protection and reduced protection for intellectual property rights in some countries; (vii) difficulties in staffing and managing global operations and the increased travel, infrastructure and legal compliance costs associated with multiple international locations and subsidiaries; (viii) management of tax consequences and compliance; and (ix) other challenges caused by distance, language, and cultural differences, making it harder to do business in certain international jurisdictions.
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In addition, we may be subject to increased regulatory risks and local competition in various jurisdictions where we plan to expand operations but have limited operating experience. Such increased regulatory burden and competition may limit the available market for our products and services and increase the costs associated with marketing the products and services where we are able to offer our products. If we are unable to manage the complexity of global operations successfully, or fail to comply with any of the regulations in other jurisdictions, our financial performance and operating results could suffer.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
The trading prices of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants may be volatile and a market for our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
The trading prices of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants may be volatile and may fluctuate due to a variety of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including, but not limited to: (i) changes in the sectors in which we operate; (ii) changes in its projected operating and financial results; (iii) changes in laws and regulations affecting our business; (iv) ability to continue to innovate and bring products to market in a timely manner; (v) changes in our senior management team, our board of directors or key personnel; (vi) our involvement in litigation or investigations; (vii) the anticipation of releases of remaining lock-up restrictions; (viii) negative publicity about us or our products; (ix) the volume of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants available for public sale; (x) announcements of significant business developments, acquisitions, or new offerings; (xi) general economic, political, regulatory, industry, and market conditions; and (xii) natural disasters or major catastrophic events.
In addition, an active trading market for our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants may never develop or, if developed, may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your Class A Ordinary Shares unless a market can be established and sustained.
These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants. Following periods of such volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. Because of the potential volatility of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants, we may become the target of securities litigation in the future. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business.
Sales of a substantial number of our securities in the public market could cause the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants to fall.
Sales of a substantial number of Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Warrants, or the perception that those sales might occur, could result in a significant decline in the public trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that such sales may have on the prevailing market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.
A certain number of our Warrants have become exercisable for our Class A Ordinary Shares, which would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our shareholders.
Our Warrants to purchase up to 22,384,585 Class A Ordinary Shares have become exercisable on June 17, 2022 in accordance with the terms of the Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement and the Existing Warrant Agreement governing those securities. The exercise price of the Warrants is $8.91 per 1.29 shares (or an effective price of $6.91 per share), subject to adjustment pursuant to the terms of the Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement and the Existing Warrant Agreement. To the extent such Warrants are exercised, additional Class A Ordinary Shares will be issued, which will result in dilution to the existing holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market or the fact that such Warrants may be exercised could adversely affect the market price of Class A Ordinary Shares. Assuming the exercise of all outstanding warrants
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for cash, we would receive aggregate proceeds of approximately $154.6 million. However, we will only receive such proceeds if all the Warrant holders exercise all of their Warrants. We believe that the likelihood that warrant holders determine to exercise their warrants, and therefore the amount of cash proceeds that we would receive, is dependent upon the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. If the market price for our Class A Ordinary Shares is less than the exercise price of the warrants (on a per share basis), we believe that warrant holders will be very unlikely to exercise any of their warrants, and accordingly, we will not receive any such proceeds. As of September 25, 2023, the closing price of our Class A Ordinary Shares was $0.46 per share. There is no guarantee that the Warrants will ever be “in the money” prior to their expiration, and as such, the Warrants may expire worthless.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, publish inaccurate or unfavorable research or cease publishing research about us, our share price and trading volume could decline significantly.
The trading market for our Class A Ordinary Shares will depend, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We may be unable to sustain coverage by well-regarded securities and industry analysts. If either none or only a limited number of securities or industry analysts maintain coverage of us, or if these securities or industry analysts are not widely respected within the general investment community, the demand for our Class A Ordinary Shares could decrease, which might cause its share price and trading volume to decline significantly. In the event that we obtain securities or industry analyst coverage, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade their assessment or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price and liquidity for our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants could be negatively impacted.
Future resales of our ordinary shares issued to our shareholders and other significant shareholders may cause the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
Certain of our shareholders are subject to contractual lock-ups. Upon expiration or waiver of the applicable lock-up periods, certain of our shareholders and certain other significant shareholders may sell large amounts of our ordinary shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, which could have the effect of increasing the volatility in our share price or putting significant downward pressure on the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
Our dual-class voting structure may limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares may view as beneficial.
Our authorized and issued ordinary shares are divided into Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Each Class A Ordinary Share is entitled to one (1) vote, while each Class B Ordinary Share is entitled to twenty (20) votes with all Ordinary Shares voting together as a single class on most matters. Each Class B Ordinary Share is convertible into one Class A Ordinary Share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible into Class B Ordinary Shares under any circumstances. Only Class A Ordinary Shares are listed and traded on NASDAQ, and we intend to maintain the dual-class voting structure.
Mr. Yeung beneficially owns all of the issued Class B Ordinary Shares. As of April 18, 2023, these Class B Ordinary Shares constitute approximately 14.16% of our total issued and outstanding shares and 76.74% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding shares due to the disparate voting powers associated with our dual-class share structure. As a result of the dual-class share structure and the concentration of control, holders of Class B Ordinary Shares have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding election of directors and other significant corporate actions. This concentration of control may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of us, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of us and may reduce our share price. This concentrated control will limit the ability of holders of Class A Ordinary Shares to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover, or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A Ordinary Shares may view as beneficial.
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The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert our management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain qualified board members.
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, NASDAQ Global Market listing requirements and other applicable securities rules and regulations. As such, we incur relevant legal, accounting and other expenses, and these expenses may increase even more if we no longer qualify as an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. We may need to hire more employees or engage outside consultants to comply with these requirements, which will increase our costs and expenses.
Changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time-consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We expect these laws and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to render some activities more time-consuming and costly, although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty.
Many members of our management team have limited experience managing a publicly traded company, interacting with public company investors and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage the transition to being a public company subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws and regulations and the continuous scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. The need to establish the corporate infrastructure demanded of a public company may divert the management’s attention from implementing our growth strategy, which could prevent us from improving our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and consequently we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. These additional obligations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee, and qualified executive officers.
As a result of disclosure of information in this prospectus and in filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition will become more visible, which we believe may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If such claims are successful, our business and operating results could be adversely affected, and, even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could cause an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and reputation.
We are an “emerging growth company,” and it cannot be certain if the reduced SEC reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants less attractive to investors, which could have a material and adverse effect on us, including our growth prospects.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest to occur of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of the Business Combination, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of the most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and (ii) the date on which we issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. We intend to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to most other public companies, whether or not they are classified as “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, an exemption from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that our independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the
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effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.
In addition, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts “emerging growth companies” from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and we have different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with certain other public companies difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Furthermore, even after we no longer qualify as an “emerging growth company,” as long as we continue to qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including, but not limited to, the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events. In addition, we will not be required to file annual reports and financial statements with the SEC as promptly as U.S. domestic companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act, and are not required to comply with Regulation FD, which restricts the selective disclosure of material information.
As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they deem important or at the same time if we were not a foreign private issuer. We cannot predict if investors will find our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants less attractive because we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market and share price for our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants may be more volatile.
We qualify as 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 United States domestic public companies.
Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including: (i) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (iii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iv) the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.
We will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of NASDAQ. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. Accordingly, you may receive less or different information about us than you would receive about a U.S. domestic public company.
We could lose our status as a foreign private issuer under current SEC rules and regulations if more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities become directly or indirectly held of record by U.S. holders and any one of the following is true: (i) the majority of our directors or executive officers are U.S. citizens or residents; (ii) more than 50% of our assets are located in the United States; or (iii) our business is administered principally in the
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United States. If we lose our status as a foreign private issuer in the future, we will no longer be exempt from the rules described above and, among other things, will be required to file periodic reports and annual and quarterly financial statements as if we were a company incorporated in the United States. If this were to happen, we would likely incur substantial costs in fulfilling these additional regulatory requirements, and members of our management would likely have to divert time and resources from other responsibilities to ensuring these additional regulatory requirements are fulfilled.
We cannot guarantee that any share repurchase program will be fully consummated or that any share repurchase program will enhance long-term shareholder value, and share repurchases could increase the volatility of the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and could diminish our cash reserves.
On November 30, 2022, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program, under which we may repurchase up to US$20 million of our Class A Ordinary Shares in the open market over the following 24 months. The share repurchase program, authorized by our board of directors, does not obligate us to repurchase any specific dollar amount or to acquire any specific number of Class A Ordinary Shares. The share repurchase program could affect the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and increase volatility and may be suspended or terminated at any time, which may result in a decrease in the trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
As a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NASDAQ corporate governance rules, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards applicable to domestic U.S. companies or rely on exemptions that are available to a “controlled company”; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards.
We are a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and are listed on NASDAQ as a foreign private issuer. NASDAQ rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of our home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards applicable to domestic U.S. companies.
We are a “controlled company” as defined under the NASDAQ rules because Mr. Yeung, chairman of our board of directors and our chief executive officer, owns more than 50% of the total voting power of all issued and outstanding our Ordinary Shares. For so long as we remain a controlled company under that definition, we are permitted to elect to rely, and may rely, on certain exemptions from NASDAQ corporate governance rules.
As a foreign private issuer and a “controlled company,” we are permitted to elect to rely, and may rely, on certain exemptions from corporate governance rules, including (i) an exemption from the rule that a majority of our board of directors must be independent directors; (ii) an exemption from the rule that director nominees must be selected or recommended solely by independent directors; (iii) an exemption from the rule that the compensation committee must be comprised solely of independent directors; (iv) an exemption from the requirement that an audit committee be comprised of at least three members; (v) an exemption from the requirement that an annual general meeting must be held; (vi) an exemption from the requirement that we must obtain shareholder approval prior to a plan or other equity compensation arrangement is established or materially amended; and (vii) an exemption from the requirement to obtain shareholder approval for issuing additional securities exceeding 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares. We intend to rely on all of the foregoing exemptions available to foreign private issuers and “controlled company.”
As a result, you may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of NASDAQ applicable to companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.
We may issue additional securities without shareholder approval in certain circumstances, which would dilute existing ownership interests and may depress the market price of our shares.
We may issue additional Class A Ordinary Shares, Class B Ordinary Shares convertible into Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity or convertible debt securities of equal or senior rank in the future without approval of the holders of the Class A Ordinary Shares in certain circumstances, including as consideration for strategic acquisitions such as we did with a portion of the consideration for the acquisition of ACT Genomics. Our issuance of additional Class A Ordinary Shares, Class B Ordinary Shares, or other equity or convertible debt
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securities of equal or senior rank would have the following effects: (i) our existing shareholders’ proportionate ownership interest in us may decrease; (ii) the relative voting power of each previously outstanding Class A Ordinary Share may be diminished; and (iii) the market price of Class A Ordinary Shares may decline.
We have granted in the past, and we will also grant in the future, share incentives, which may result in increased share-based compensation expenses.
In August 2017, Prenetics HK’s board of directors adopted and the Prenetics HK’s shareholders approved the 2017 Share Entitlement/Option Scheme, for the purpose of granting share-based compensation awards to employees, directors and consultants to incentivize their performance and align their interests with Prenetics HK, which was replaced by the 2021 Share Incentive Plan adopted by Prenetics’ board of directors in June 2021, or the Prenetics 2021 Plan. No further awards will be granted under the Prenetics 2021 Plan. We approved and adopted the 2022 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2022 Plan. Initially, the maximum number of ordinary shares that may be issued under the 2022 Plan is (i) 10% of the total number of our Ordinary Shares that were outstanding (on a fully diluted basis) as of the date of consummation of the Business Combination (inclusive of the award pool that remains authorized but unissued prior to the consummation of the Business Combination), plus (ii) the number of shares reserved for issuance in accordance with our employee share purchase program, the maximum number being 2% of the total number of our Ordinary Shares that were outstanding (on a fully diluted basis) as of the date of consummation of the Business Combination. In addition, the number or ordinary shares that may be issued under the 2022 Plan will be increased on the first day of each calendar year, in an amount equal to the lesser of (A) three percent (3%) of the total number of Shares issued and outstanding on an as-converted fully-diluted basis on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year and (B) such number of ordinary shares determined by the Board.
We believe the granting of share-based compensation is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and as such, we will also grant share-based compensation and incur share-based compensation expenses in the future. As a result, expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
A provision in the Existing Warrant Agreement will result in additional dilution to our shareholders.
Because we issued additional Class A Ordinary Shares for capital raising purposes in connection with the Business Combination at an effective issue price of $7.75 per Class A Ordinary Share (the “Newly Issued Price”) and the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represented more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the Business Combination on the date of the completion of the Business Combination (net of redemptions), pursuant to the Existing Warrant Agreement, if the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares during the 20-trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummated the Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the Warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price applicable to our Warrants and described in the Existing Warrant Agreement will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price applicable to our Warrants and described in the Existing Warrant Agreement will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. As of June 14, 2022, the Market Value was determined to be $5.41 per share. As a result, effective after the close of trading on June 14, 2022: (i) the exercise price of the Warrants was adjusted from $11.50 per 1.29 shares to $8.91 per 1.29 shares (representing 115% of the Newly Issued Price); (ii) the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price applicable to the Warrants and described in the Existing Warrant Agreement was adjusted to $13.95 per share (representing 180% of the Newly Issued Price); and (iii) the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price applicable to the Warrants and described in the Existing Warrant Agreement was adjusted to $7.75 per share (representing the Newly Issued Price). Such adjustment under the foregoing provisions will result in additional dilution to our shareholders.
You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct
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substantially all of our operations, and a majority of our directors and executive officers reside, outside of the United States.
We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and we conduct a majority of our operations through our subsidiaries outside the United States. Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. A majority of our officers and directors reside outside the United States and reside in Hong Kong, and a substantial portion of the assets of those persons are located outside of the United States. None of our officers or directors reside in mainland China. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers who reside in Hong Kong or outside the United States, to bring original actions in Hong Kong or outside the United States based on the securities laws of the United States against our directors or officers who reside in Hong Kong or outside the United States, or to enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers in Hong Kong or outside the United States.
Our corporate affairs are be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (“Amended Articles”), the Cayman Islands Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws than the United States and some U.S. states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, shareholders of Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands may not (i) recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state of the United States; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state of the United States, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. Although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, a final and conclusive foreign judgment obtained against us will be recognized by the Grand Court as a cause of action for a debt and may be sued upon without reexamination of the issues if: (a) the foreign court had jurisdiction in the matter; (b) we either submitted to the jurisdiction of the foreign court or were resident and carrying on business in the jurisdiction and were duly served with process; (c) the judgment was not obtained by fraud; (d) the judgment was not in respect of penalties, taxes, fines or similar fiscal or revenue obligations imposed on us; (e) recognition or enforcement of the judgment in the Cayman Islands would not be contrary to public policy; and (f) the proceedings under which the judgment was obtained were not contrary to the principles of natural justice. A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records (other than the memorandum and articles of association, the register of mortgages and charges, any special resolutions passed by shareholders and a list of the names of the current directors) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Pursuant to the Amended Articles, our directors shall from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what time and places and under what conditions or articles the accounts and books of us or any of them shall be open to the inspection of our shareholders not being directors, and none of our shareholders (not being a director) shall have any right of inspection of any account or book or document of us except as conferred by law or authorized by the directors or by ordinary resolution of our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.
Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. As a foreign
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private issuer whose securities are listed on the NASDAQ, we are permitted to follow certain home country corporate governance practices in lieu of the requirements of the NASDAQ Rules pursuant to NASDAQ Rule 5615(a)(3), which provides for such exemption to compliance with the NASDAQ Rule 5600 Series. To the extent we choose to follow home country practice with respect to corporate governance matters, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers listed on the NASDAQ.
As a result of all of the above, our shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States.
Enforceability of Civil Liabilities
You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially all of our operations outside of the United States, and a majority of our directors and executive officers reside, outside of the United States. We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and we conduct a majority of our operations through our subsidiaries outside of the United States. Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. It may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us and/or our directors or officers who reside in Hong Kong or outside the United States, to bring original actions in Hong Kong or outside the United States based on the securities laws of the United States against us and/or our directors or officers who reside in Hong Kong or outside the United States, or to enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against us and/or our directors or officers in Hong Kong or outside the United States.
In addition, our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (“Amended Articles”), the Cayman Islands Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws than the United States and some U.S. states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, shareholders of Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
As a result of all of the above, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited.
Risks Relating to Taxation
We may be or become a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”), which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders of our ordinary shares or Warrants.
Depending on the value of our assets, which is determined based, in part, on the market value of our ordinary shares, and the nature of our assets and income over time, we could be classified as a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income; or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (generally determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income (the “asset test”). Based on our income and assets and the market value of our ordinary shares, we believe that we were not a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2022.
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There can be no assurance regarding our PFIC status for the current taxable year or foreseeable future taxable years, however, because our PFIC status is a factual determination made annually that will depend, in part, upon the composition of our income and assets. The value of our assets for purposes of the asset test, including the value of our goodwill and unbooked intangibles, may be determined in part by reference to the market price of our ordinary shares from time to time (which may be volatile). Because we will generally take into account our current market capitalization in estimating the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, our PFIC status for the current taxable year and foreseeable future taxable years may be affected by our market capitalization. Recent fluctuations in our market capitalization create a material risk that we may be classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year and foreseeable future taxable years. In addition, the composition of our income and our assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we spend our liquid assets. Under circumstances where our revenue from activities that produce passive income significantly increases relative to our revenue from activities that produce non-passive income, or where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of becoming a PFIC may substantially increase. Because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules, it is possible that the Internal Revenue Service may challenge our classification of certain income or assets as non-passive, or our valuation of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, each of which could cause us to become classified as a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Item 10. Additional Information – E. Taxation” in our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022, 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) holds our ordinary shares or Warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. Additionally, if we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which U.S. Holders hold our ordinary shares or Warrants, we would generally continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. Holders even if we do not satisfy either of the above tests to be classified as a PFIC in a subsequent taxable year.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
The proceeds from the sale or other disposition of the Shares covered by this prospectus are solely for the account of the selling shareholders. Accordingly, we will not receive any proceeds from the sale or other disposition of such Shares, and the net proceeds received from the sale or other disposition of such Shares by the selling shareholders, if any, is unknown. We will, however, bear the costs incurred in connection with the registration of the Shares.
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DIVIDEND POLICY
We have never declared or paid any cash dividend on our Class A Ordinary Shares. We currently intend to retain any future earnings and do not expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Any further determination to pay dividends on our ordinary shares would be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws, and would depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, general business conditions, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.
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SELLING SECURITYHOLDERS
This prospectus relates to the possible offer and sale from time to time by the Selling Securityholders of up to 1,481,482 Class A Ordinary Shares, which includes (i) 962,963 Class A Ordinary Shares issued to Professor Dennis Lo pursuant to the Insighta Share Sale Agreement; and (ii) 518,519 Class A Ordinary Shares issued to AC-Tech Investment Limited, a company wholly owned by Professor Chan Kwan Chee, pursuant to the Insighta Share Sale Agreement. We are registering these shares on behalf of the Selling Securityholders, to be offered and sold by it from time to time, to satisfy certain registration rights that we have granted to the Selling Securityholders pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement.
The Selling Securityholders may from time to time offer and sell any or all of the securities set forth below pursuant to this prospectus. When we refer to the “Selling Securityholders” in this prospectus, we mean the persons listed in the tables below, and the pledgees, donees, transferees, assignees, successors and others who later come to hold any of the Selling Securityholders’ interest in our securities after the date of this prospectus.
The table below sets forth information known to us as of January 17, 2024 regarding the names of the Selling Securityholders for which we are registering securities for resale to the public, their beneficial ownership of Class A Ordinary Shares, and the amount of Class A Ordinary Shares that may be offered from time to time by the Selling Securityholders pursuant to this prospectus. The individuals and entities listed below have beneficial ownership over their respective securities. The SEC has defined “beneficial ownership” of a security to mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of voting power and/or investment power over such security. A shareholder is also deemed to be, as of any date, the beneficial owner of all securities that such shareholder has the right to acquire within 60 days after that date through (i) the exercise of any option, warrant or right, (ii) the conversion of a security, (iii) the power to revoke a trust, discretionary account or similar arrangement, or (iv) the automatic termination of a trust, discretionary account or similar arrangement. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, ordinary shares subject to options or other rights (as set forth above) held by that person that are currently exercisable, or will become exercisable within 60 days thereafter, are deemed outstanding, while such shares are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing percentage ownership of any other person.
The securities held by certain of the Selling Securityholders are subject to transfer restrictions, as described in the section titled “Description of Share Capital — Transfer of Ordinary Shares.”
We cannot advise you as to whether the Selling Securityholders will in fact sell any or all of such securities. In addition, the Selling Securityholders may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of, at any time and from time to time, the ordinary shares in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act after the date of this prospectus, subject to applicable law.
Selling Securityholder information for each additional Selling Securityholder, if any, will be set forth by prospectus supplement to the extent required prior to the time of any offer or sale of such Selling Securityholder’s securities pursuant to this prospectus. Any prospectus supplement may add, update, substitute, or change the information contained in this prospectus, including the identity of each Selling Securityholder and the number of ordinary shares registered on its behalf. A Selling Securityholder may sell all, some or none of such securities in this offering. See the section titled “Plan of Distribution.
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The securities owned by the persons named below do not have voting rights different from the securities owned by other holders.
| Securities beneficially owned prior to this offering | Securities to be sold in this offering | Securities beneficially owned after this offering | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name of Selling Securityholder | Ordinary Shares | % (1) | Warrants | % (1) | Ordinary Shares | Warrants | Ordinary Shares (1)(2) | % (1)(2) | Warrants (1)(2) | % (1)(2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dennis Yuk Ming Lo (3) | 962,963 | 7.89 | - | - | 962,963 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| AC-Tech Investment Limited (4) | 518,519 | 4.25 | - | - | 518,519 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1)The percentage of our Ordinary Shares beneficially owned is computed on the basis of 10,624,228 Class A Ordinary Shares and 1,580,972 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023, and does not include 863,429 Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise of our Warrants.
(2)Assumes the sale of all shares offered in this prospectus.
(3)The address of Professor Lo, Yuk Ming Dennis is Flat 8B, Highview, 1A Cox’s Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
(4)AC-Tech Investment Limited is wholly owned by Professor Chan, Kwan Chee. The registered address of AC-Tech Investment Limited is Portcullis (Cayman) Ltd of The Grand Pavilion Commercial Centre, Oleander Way, 802 West Bay Road, P.O. Box, 32052, Grand Cayman, KY1-1208, Cayman Islands.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We are registering the resale by the Selling Securityholders named in this prospectus of: 1,481,482 Class A Ordinary Shares, which includes (i) 962,963 Class A Ordinary Shares issued to Professor Lo, Yuk Ming Dennis, and (ii) 518,519 Class A Ordinary Shares issued to AC-Tech Investment Limited, pursuant to the Insighta Share Sale Agreement.
We are registering the foregoing securities so that those securities may be freely sold to the public by the Selling Securityholders. We have agreed with certain Selling Securityholders pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement to use commercially reasonable efforts to keep the registration statement of which this prospectus constitutes a part effective until such time as such Selling Securityholders cease to hold any securities eligible for registration under the Registration Rights Agreement. The Selling Securityholders may offer and sell, from time to time, some or all of the securities covered by this prospectus, and each Selling Securityholder will act independently of us in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of any sale. However, there can be no assurance that the Selling Securityholders will sell all or any of the securities offered by this prospectus.
We will not receive any proceeds from any sale by the Selling Securityholders of the securities being registered hereunder. The aggregate proceeds to the Selling Securityholders will be the aggregate purchase price of the securities sold less any discounts and commissions borne by the Selling Securityholders. We will bear all costs, expenses and fees in connection with the registration of the securities offered by this prospectus, whereas the Selling Securityholders will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to their sale of our Class A Ordinary Shares. Our Class A Ordinary Shares are currently listed on NASDAQ under the symbols “PRE”.
Subject to the terms of the agreement(s) governing the registration rights applicable to a Selling Securityholder’s shares of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants, the Selling Securityholders may use any one or more of the following methods when selling the securities offered by this prospectus:
•purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by such broker-dealer for its own account pursuant to this prospectus;
•ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker solicits purchasers;
•block trades in which the broker-dealer so engaged will attempt to sell the securities as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;
•an over-the-counter distribution in accordance with the rules of NASDAQ;
•through trading plans entered into by a Selling Securityholder pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act that are in place at the time of an offering pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement hereto that provide for periodic sales of their securities on the basis of parameters described in such trading plans;
•through one or more underwritten offerings on a firm commitment or best efforts basis;
•settlement of short sales entered into after the date of this prospectus;
•agreements with broker-dealers to sell a specified number of the securities at a stipulated price per share or warrant;
•distribution to employees, members, limited partners or stockholders of the Selling Securityholder or its affiliates by pledge to secure debts and other obligations;
•delayed delivery arrangements;
•in “at the market” offerings, as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act, at negotiated prices, at prices prevailing at the time of sale or at prices related to such prevailing market prices, including sales made directly on a national securities exchange or sales made through a market maker other than on an exchange or other similar offerings through sales agents;
•directly to purchasers, including through a specific bidding, auction or other process or in privately negotiated transactions;
•through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether through an options exchange or otherwise;
•through a combination of any of the above methods of sale; or
•any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.
The Selling Securityholders may sell the securities at prices then prevailing, related to the then prevailing market price or at negotiated prices. The offering price of the securities from time to time will be determined by
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the Selling Securityholders and, at the time of the determination, may be higher or lower than the market price of our securities on NASDAQ or any other exchange or market. The Selling Securityholders have the sole and absolute discretion not to accept any purchase offer or make any sale of securities if they deem the purchase price to be unsatisfactory at any particular time or for any other reason.
With respect to a particular offering of the securities held by the Selling Securityholders, to the extent required, an accompanying prospectus supplement will be or, if appropriate, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is part may be, prepared and will set forth the following information:
•the specific securities to be offered and sold;
•the names of the Selling Securityholders;
•the respective purchase prices and public offering prices, the proceeds to be received from the sale, if any, and other material terms of the offering;
•settlement of short sales entered into after the date of this prospectus;
•the names of any participating agents, broker-dealers or underwriters; and
•any applicable commissions, discounts, concessions and other items constituting compensation from the Selling Securityholders.
To the extent required, we will use our best efforts to file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is part to describe any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this prospectus or any material change to such information, and this prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time to describe a specific plan of distribution.
Subject to the terms of the agreement(s) governing the registration rights applicable to a Selling Securityholder’s Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants, the Selling Securityholders also may transfer the securities in other circumstances, in which case the transferees, pledgees or other successors-in-interest will be the Selling Securityholders for purposes of this prospectus. Upon being notified by a Selling Securityholder that a donee, pledgee, transferee, other successor-in-interest intends to sell our securities, we will, to the extent required, promptly file a supplement to this prospectus or post-effective amendment to name specifically such person as a Selling Securityholder.
In addition, a Selling Securityholder that is an entity may elect to make a pro rata in-kind distribution of securities to its members, partners or shareholders pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part by delivering a prospectus with a plan of distribution. Such members, partners or shareholders would thereby receive freely tradeable securities pursuant to the distribution through a registration statement. To the extent a distributee is an affiliate of ours (or to the extent otherwise required by law), we may file a prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment in order to permit the distributees to use the prospectus to resell the securities acquired in the distribution.
The Selling Securityholders may also sell securities under Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, or in other transactions exempt from registration, rather than under this prospectus.
If any of the Selling Securityholders use an underwriter or underwriters for any offering, we will name such underwriter or underwriters, and set forth the terms of the offering, in a prospectus supplement pertaining to such offering and, except to the extent otherwise set forth in such prospectus, the applicable Selling Securityholders will agree in an underwriting agreement to sell to the underwriter(s), and the underwriter(s) will agree to purchase from the Selling Securityholders, the number of shares set forth in such prospectus supplement. These sales may be at a fixed price or varying prices, which may be changed, or at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices relating to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. The securities may be offered to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by one or more underwriters without a syndicate. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions. Unless otherwise set forth in such prospectus supplement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the securities offered if any of the securities are purchased.
Underwriters, broker-dealers or agents may facilitate the marketing of an offering online directly or through one of their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms and a prospectus
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online and, depending upon the particular underwriter, broker-dealer or agent, place orders online or through their financial advisors.
In offering the securities covered by this prospectus, the Selling Securityholders and any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents who execute sales for the Selling Securityholders may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. Any discounts, commissions, concessions or profit they earn on any resale of those securities may be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.
The underwriters, broker-dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us or the Selling Securityholders, may have banking, lending or other relationships with us or the Selling Securityholders or perform services for us or the Selling Securityholders, in the ordinary course of business.
Upon our notification by a Selling Securityholder that any material arrangement has been entered into with an underwriter or broker-dealer for the sale of securities through a block trade, special offering, exchange distribution, secondary distribution or a purchase by an underwriter or broker-dealer, we will file, if required by applicable law or regulation, a supplement to this prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act disclosing certain material information relating to such underwriter or broker-dealer and such offering.
In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents, as the case may be, involved in the offering of such securities may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of our securities. Specifically, the underwriters, broker-dealers or agents, as the case may be, may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position in our securities for their own account. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of our securities, the underwriters, broker-dealers or agents, as the case may be, may bid for, and purchase, such securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allotted to an underwriter or a broker-dealer for distributing such securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. The underwriters, broker-dealers or agents, as the case may be, are not required to engage in these activities, and may end any of these activities at any time.
The Selling Securityholders may also authorize underwriters, broker-dealers or agents to solicit offers by certain purchasers to purchase the securities at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts will be subject only to those conditions set forth in the prospectus supplement, and the prospectus supplement will set forth any commissions we or the Selling Securityholders pay for solicitation of these contracts.
In effecting sales, underwriters, broker-dealers or agents engaged by the Selling Securityholders may arrange for other broker-dealers to participate. Underwriters, broker-dealers or agents may receive commissions, discounts or concessions from the Selling Securityholders in amounts to be negotiated immediately prior to the sale.
It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in our securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot give any assurance as to the liquidity of the trading market for our securities.
A Selling Securityholder may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, including hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sales of the securities offered hereby or of securities convertible into or exchangeable for such securities. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by any Selling Securityholder or borrowed from any Selling Securityholder or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from any Selling Securityholder in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of shares. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, any Selling Securityholder may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a
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financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.
In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the aggregate maximum discount, commission, fees or other items constituting underwriting compensation to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker-dealer will not exceed 8% of the gross proceeds of any offering pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement.
If at the time of any offering made under this prospectus a member of FINRA participating in the offering has a “conflict of interest” as defined in FINRA Rule 5121 (“Rule 5121”), that offering will be conducted in accordance with the relevant provisions of Rule 5121.
In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the securities must be sold in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states the securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.
The Selling Securityholders and any other persons participating in the sale or distribution of the securities will be subject to applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, including, without limitation, Regulation M. These provisions may restrict certain activities of, and limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the securities by, the Selling Securityholders or any other person, which limitations may affect the marketability of the shares of the securities.
We will make copies of this prospectus available to the Selling Securityholders for the purpose of satisfying the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act.
We have agreed to indemnify the Selling Securityholders against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. The Selling Securityholders have agreed to indemnify us in certain circumstances against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act. We and/or the Selling Securityholders may indemnify any broker or underwriter that participates in transactions involving the sale of the securities against certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act.
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TAXATION
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 our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022, 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.
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DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL
A summary of the material provisions governing our share capital is described below. This summary is not complete and should be read together with the Amended Articles, a copy of which is included elsewhere in this registration statement.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability and our affairs are governed by the Amended Articles, the Cayman Islands Companies Act, and the common law of the Cayman Islands.
Our authorized share capital is $50,000 divided into 33,333,334 shares of $0.0015 par value each, of which (i) 26,666,667 are designated as Class A Ordinary Shares, (ii) 3,333,333 are designated as convertible Class B Ordinary Shares and (iii) 3,333,334 are designated as shares of such class or classes (however designated) as the board of directors may determine in accordance with Article 10 of the Amended Articles. All ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus are fully paid and non-assessable.
On November 30, 2022, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program, under which we may repurchase up to US$20 million of our Class A Ordinary Shares in the open market over the following 24 months. As of the date of this prospectus, we had repurchased 1,702,360 Class A Ordinary Shares under this share repurchase program. The following are summaries of material provisions of the Amended Articles and the Cayman Islands Companies Act insofar as they relate to the material terms of the ordinary shares.
Ordinary Shares
General
Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares generally have the same rights and powers except for voting and conversion rights. We maintain a register of its shareholders and a shareholder will only be entitled to a share certificate if our board of directors determines that share certificates be issued.
Danny Yeung controls the voting power of all of the outstanding Class B Ordinary Shares. Although Mr. Yeung controls the voting power of all of the outstanding Class B Ordinary Shares, his control over those shares is not permanent and is subject to reduction or elimination at any time or after certain periods as a result of a variety of factors. As further described below, upon any transfer of Class B Ordinary Shares by a holder thereof to any person which is not a Permitted Transferee of such holder, those shares will automatically and immediately convert into Class A Ordinary Shares. In addition, all Class B Ordinary Shares will automatically convert to Class A Ordinary Shares in other events described below. See “— Optional and Mandatory Conversion.”
Dividends
The holders of Ordinary Shares are entitled to such dividends as the board of directors may in its discretion lawfully declare from time to time, or as shareholders may declare by ordinary resolution (provided that no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the board of directors).
Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares rank equally as to dividends and other distributions. Dividends may be paid either in cash or in specie, provided, that no dividend can be made in specie on any Class A Ordinary Shares unless a dividend in specie in equal proportion is made on Class B Ordinary Shares.
Voting Rights
Holders of Ordinary Shares have the right to receive notice of, attend, speak and vote at general meetings of the shareholders. In respect of all matters upon which holders of Ordinary Shares are entitled to vote, each Class A Ordinary Share are entitled to one (1) vote and each Class B Ordinary Share are entitled to twenty (20) votes. At any meeting of shareholders a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided by way of a poll and not by way of a show of hands. A poll shall be taken in such manner and at such place as the chairperson of the meeting may direct (including the use of a ballot or voting papers, or tickets) and the result of a poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting.
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Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares vote together on all matters, except that we will not, without the approval of holders of a majority of the voting power of the Class B Ordinary Shares, voting exclusively and as a separate class:
•increase the number of authorized Class B Ordinary Shares;
•issue any Class B Ordinary Shares or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Class B Ordinary Shares, other than to any Key Executive or his or her affiliates, or on a pro rata basis to all holders of Class B Ordinary Shares permitted to hold such shares under the Amended Articles;
•create, authorize, issue, or reclassify into, any preference shares in our capital or any shares in our capital that carry more than one (1) vote per share;
•reclassify any Class B Ordinary Shares into any other class of shares or consolidate or combine any Class B Ordinary Shares without proportionately increasing the number of votes per Class B Ordinary Share; or
•amend, restate, waive, adopt any provision inconsistent with or otherwise vary or alter any provision of the Amended Articles relating to the voting, conversion or other rights, powers, preferences, privileges or restrictions of the Class B Ordinary Shares;
An ordinary resolution to be passed by the shareholders requires a simple majority of votes cast at a meeting of shareholders, while a special resolution requires not less than two-thirds of votes cast at a meeting of shareholders.
Optional and Mandatory Conversion
Each Class B Ordinary Share are convertible into one (1) Class A Ordinary Share (as adjusted for share splits, share combinations and similar transactions occurring after the Acquisition Effective Time) at any time at the option of the holder thereof. Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible into Class B Ordinary Shares under any circumstances.
Any number of Class B Ordinary Shares held by a holder thereof will automatically and immediately be converted into an equal number of Class A Ordinary Shares (as adjusted for share splits, share combinations and similar transactions occurring after the Acquisition Effective Time) upon the occurrence of any of the following:
•Any direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition of such number of Class B Ordinary Shares by the holder thereof or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such number of Class B Ordinary Shares through voting proxy or otherwise to any person that is not a Permitted Transferee of such holder;
•The direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition of a majority of the issued and outstanding voting securities of, or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such voting securities through voting proxy or otherwise, or the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of, a holder of Class B Ordinary Shares that is an entity to any person that is not a Permitted Transferee of the such holder; or
•A person becoming a holder of Class B Ordinary Shares by will or intestacy.
All Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding will be automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A Ordinary Shares upon the occurrence of any of the following:
•On Danny Yeung’s death or incapacity;
•On the date on which Danny Yeung is terminated for cause (as defined in the employment agreement with Danny Yeung (and in the event of a dispute regarding whether there was cause, cause will be deemed not to exist unless and until an affirmative ruling regarding such cause has been made by a court or arbitral panel of competent jurisdiction, and such ruling has become final and non-appealable)); or
•On the first date that both of the following conditions are satisfied: (I) Danny Yeung and his Affiliates and Permitted Transferees together own less than thirty three per cent (33%) of the number
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of Class B Ordinary Shares (which for these purposes shall be deemed to include all Class B Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of all outstanding restricted share units to acquire Class B Ordinary Shares that are held by Danny Yeung immediately following the Acquisition Effective Time) that Danny Yeung and his Affiliates and Permitted Transferees owned immediately following the Acquisition Effective Time, as adjusted for share splits, share combinations and similar transactions occurring after the Acquisition Effective Time; and (II) Danny Yeung ceases to be our Director or officer.
No Class B Ordinary Shares shall be issued by us after conversion of all Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares.
Transfer of Ordinary Shares
Subject to applicable laws, including securities laws, and the restrictions contained in the Amended Articles, any shareholders may transfer all or any of their Class A Ordinary Shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form, in a form prescribed by NASDAQ or any other form approved by our board of directors.
Class B Ordinary Shares may be transferred only to a Permitted Transferee of the holder and any Class B Ordinary Shares transferred otherwise will be converted into Class A Ordinary Shares as described above. See “— Optional and Mandatory Conversion.”
A “Permitted Transferee” with respect to the Class B Ordinary Shareholders, means any or all of the following:
(a)Danny Yeung and his Permitted Entities and Permitted Transferees of each of them (each a “Key Executive”);
(b)any Key Executive’s Permitted Entities;
(c)the transferee or other recipient in any transfer of any Class B Ordinary Shares by any Class B Ordinary Shareholder: (i) to (A) his or her Family Members; (B) any other relative or individual approved by our board of directors; or (C) any trust or estate planning entity (including partnerships, limited companies, and limited liability companies), that is primarily for the benefit of, or the ownership interests of which are Controlled by, such Class B Ordinary Shareholder, his or her Family Members, and/or other trusts or estate planning entities described in this paragraph (c), or any entity Controlled by such Key Executive or a trust or estate planning entity; or (ii) occurring by operation of law, including in connection with divorce proceedings;
(d)any charitable organization, foundation, or similar entity;
(e)our Company or any of its subsidiaries; or
(f)in connection with a transfer as a result of, or in connection with, the death or incapacity of a Key Executive: any Key Executive’s Family Members, another Class B Ordinary Shareholder, or a designee approved by majority of all our directors, provided that in case of any transfer of Class B Ordinary Shares pursuant to clauses (b) through (e) above to a person who at any later time ceases to be a Permitted Transferee under the relevant clause, we shall be entitled to refuse registration of any subsequent transfer of such Class B Ordinary Shares except back to the transferor of such Class B Ordinary Shares pursuant to clauses (b) through (e) (or to a Key Executive or his or her Permitted Transferees) and in the absence of such transfer back to the transferor (or to a Key Executive or his or her Permitted Transferees), the applicable Class B Ordinary Shares shall be subject to mandatory conversion as set out above.
A “Permitted Entity” with respect to any Key Executive means:
(a)any person in respect of which such Key Executive has, directly or indirectly: (i) control with respect to the voting of all the Class B Ordinary Shares held by or to be transferred to such person; (ii) the ability to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such person or any other person having the authority referred to in the preceding clause (a)(i) (whether by contract, as executor, trustee, trust protector or otherwise); or (iii) the operational or practical control of such
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person, including through the right to appoint, designate, remove or replace the person having the authority referred to in the preceding clauses (a)(i) or (ii);
(b)any trust the beneficiaries of which consist primarily of a Key Executive, his or her Family Members, and/or any persons Controlled directly or indirectly Controlled by such a trust; and
(c)any person Controlled by a trust described in the immediately preceding clause (b).
“Family Member” means the following individuals: the applicable individual, the spouse of the applicable individual (including former spouses), the parents of the applicable individual, the lineal descendants of the applicable individual, the siblings of the applicable individual, and the lineal descendants of a sibling of the applicable individual. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the descendants of any individual shall include adopted individuals and their issue but only if the adopted individual was adopted prior to attaining age 18.
“Controlled” means directly or indirectly: (i) the ownership or control of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such person; (ii) the right to control the exercise of a majority of the votes at a meeting of the board of directors (or equivalent governing body) of such person; or (iii) the ability to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such person (whether by contract, through other legally enforceable rights or howsoever arising).
Our board of directors may decline to register any transfer of any share in the event that any of the following is known by the directors not to be both applicable and true with respect to such transfer:
•the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, or our designated transfer agent or share registrar, accompanied by the certificate for the shares to which it relates (if any) and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;
•the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares;
•the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required;
•the transferred shares are fully paid up and free of any lien in favor of us (it being understood and agreed that all other liens, e.g., pursuant to a bona fide loan or indebtedness transaction, shall be permitted); or
•a fee of such maximum sum as NASDAQ may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as our board of directors may from time to time require, is paid to us in respect thereof.
If our board of directors refuses to register a transfer they shall, within two months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal stating the facts which are considered to justify the refusal to register the transfer.
Liquidation
Our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares will rank equally upon the occurrence of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up, in the event of which our assets will be distributed to, or the losses will be borne by, shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them.
Calls on Ordinary Shares and Forfeiture of Ordinary Shares
Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their Ordinary Shares. The Ordinary Shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are, after a notice period, subject to forfeiture.
Redemption of Ordinary Shares
Subject to the provisions of the Cayman Islands Companies Act, we may issue shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the shareholder or us. The redemption of such shares will be effected in such manner and upon such other terms as we may, by either resolution of our board of directors or special resolution of shareholders, determine before the issue of the shares.
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Variations of Rights of Shares
Subject to certain Amended Articles provisions governing the Class B Ordinary Shares, if at any time our share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may be varied without the consent of the holders of the issued shares of that class where such variation is considered by the directors not to have a material adverse effect upon such rights. Otherwise, any such variation will be made only with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the issued shares of that class, or with the approval of a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes cast at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.
General Meetings of Shareholders
We will hold an annual general meeting at such time and place as our board of directors will determine. Our board of directors may call extraordinary general meetings whenever they think fit, and must convene an extraordinary general meeting upon the requisition of (a) shareholders holding at least one third of the votes that may be cast at such meeting, or (b) the holders of Class B Ordinary Shares entitled to cast a majority of the votes that all Class B Ordinary Shares are entitled to cast. At least seven (7) calendar days’ notice in writing shall be given for any general meeting.
One or more shareholders holding not less than one-third of the our total issued share capital in issue present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote will be a quorum for all purposes, provided that, from and after the Acquisition Effective Time where Class B Ordinary Shares are in issue, the presence in person or by proxy of holders of a majority of Class B Ordinary Shares will be required in any event.
Inspection of Books and Records
Our board of directors will determine whether, to what extent, at what times and places and under what conditions or articles our accounts and books will be open to the inspection by shareholders, and no shareholder (not being our director) will otherwise have any right of inspecting any of our account or book or document except as required by the Cayman Islands Companies Act or authorized by ordinary resolution of shareholders.
Changes in Capital
We may from time to time by ordinary resolution, subject to the rights of holders of Class B Ordinary Shares:
•increase its share capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such amount, as the resolution will prescribe;
•consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into shares of a larger amount than existing shares;
•sub-divide its existing shares or any of them into shares of a smaller amount; provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share will be the same as it was in case of the share from which the reduced share is derived; or
•cancel any shares that at the date of the passing of the resolution have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled.
Subject to the rights of Class B Ordinary Shares, we may by special resolution reduce its share capital or any capital redemption reserve fund in any manner permitted by law.
Warrants
In connection with and upon the consummation of the Business Combination, each Artisan Warrant outstanding immediately prior to the Business Combination was assumed by the Company and converted into a Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase such number of Class A Ordinary Share equal to the Class A Exchange Ratio upon exercise. Each Warrant continues to have and be subject to substantially the same terms
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and conditions as were applicable to such Artisan Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination (including any repurchase rights and cashless exercise provisions).
Exempted Company
We are an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of Cayman Islands.
The Cayman Islands Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary resident company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
•an exempted company (other than an exempted company holding a license to carry on business in the Cayman Islands) does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands;
•an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection;
•an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;
•an exempted company may issue shares with no par value;
•an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation;
•an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;
•an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and
•an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
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EXPENSES RELATED TO THE OFFERING
We estimate the following expenses in connection with the offer and sale of our Class A Ordinary Shares by the Selling Securityholders.
SEC registration fee | $ | 957.76 | ||||||
FINRA filing fee | * | |||||||
Legal fees and expenses | * | |||||||
Accountants’ fees and expenses | * | |||||||
Printing expenses | * | |||||||
Transfer agent fees and expenses | * | |||||||
Miscellaneous costs | * | |||||||
Total | $ | 957.76 | ||||||
*These fees are calculated based on the securities offered and the number of issuances and accordingly cannot be defined at this time
Except for the SEC registration fee, estimated expenses are not presently known. The foregoing sets forth the general categories of expenses that we anticipate we will incur in connection with the offering of securities under this registration statement. To the extent required, any applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the estimated aggregate amount of expenses payable in respect of any offering of securities under this registration statement.
Under agreements to which we are party with the Selling Securityholders, we have agreed to bear all expenses relating to the registration of the resale of the securities pursuant to this prospectus.
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LEGAL MATTERS
Mourant Ozannes has advised us on certain legal matters as to Cayman Islands law, including the issuance of the ordinary shares offered by this prospectus.
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EXPERTS
The consolidated statements of financial position of Prenetics Global Limited as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022, have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of KPMG, independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES AND AGENT FOR SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE UNITED STATES
We are a public limited company organized under the laws of Cayman Islands. As a result, the rights of holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares will be governed by Cayman Islands law and our articles of association. The rights of shareholders under Cayman Islands law may differ from the rights of shareholders of companies incorporated in other jurisdictions. A substantial amount of our assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to enforce in the United States judgments obtained in U.S. courts against us based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. securities laws.
Our principal executive office is Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier King’s Road, 728 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong.
We have irrevocably appointed Cogency Global Inc. as our agent to receive service of process in any action against us in any U.S. federal or state court arising out of this offering or any purchase or sale of securities in connection with this offering. The address of our agent is 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor New York, N.Y. 10168.
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DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This prospectus, which is a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. For further information, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as part of the registration statement. If a document has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, we refer you to the copy of the document that has been filed. Each statement in this prospectus relating to a document filed as an exhibit is qualified in all respects by the filed exhibit.
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act. Accordingly, we are required to file reports and other information with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 20-F and reports on Form 6-K. The SEC maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information we have filed electronically with the SEC. 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 are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act.
We also make available on our website, free of charge, our annual report on Form 20-F and the text of our reports on Form 6-K, including any amendments to these reports, as well as certain other SEC filings, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Our website address is www.prenetics.com. The reference to our website is an inactive textual reference only, and information contained therein or connected thereto is not incorporated into this prospectus.
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS
Item 8. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
The laws of the Cayman Islands do 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 Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against wilful default, wilful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our Amended Articles provides for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud or wilful default.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors. Under these agreements, we have agreed to indemnify our directors against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being our director.
In addition, we maintain standard policies of insurance under which coverage is provided to our directors and officers against loss rising from claims made by reason of breach of duty or other wrongful act, and to us with respect to payments which may be made by us to such directors and officers pursuant to the above indemnification provision or otherwise as a matter of law.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is theretofore unenforceable.
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Item 9. Exhibits
| Exhibit No. | Description | Incorporation by reference | |||||||||||||||
| Form | File No. | Exhibit No. | Filing Date | ||||||||||||||
| 2.1* | F-4 | 333-260928 | 2.1 | March 30, 2022 | |||||||||||||
| 2.2* | F-4 | 333-260928 | 2.1 | March 30, 2022 | |||||||||||||
| 3.1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4.1* | F-4 | 333-260928 | 4.1 | March 30, 2022 | |||||||||||||
| 5.1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10.23* | F-1 | 333-265284 | 10.23 | July 6, 2023 | |||||||||||||
| 10.25 | |||||||||||||||||
| 23.1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 24.1 | Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this registration statement) | ||||||||||||||||
| 107 | |||||||||||||||||
*Previously filed.
Item 10. Undertakings
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;
(ii)to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this 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 a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
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(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;
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or From F-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the 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 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, with respect to registration statements on Form F-3, a post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act or Item 8.A of Form 20-F if such financial statements and information are contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Form F-3.
(5)That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act 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 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; and
(6)That, for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act 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
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(iv)any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.
(7)That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) 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.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act 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 SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities 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 of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
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SIGNATURE
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 January 17, 2024.
Prenetics Global Limited | |||||
By: /s/ Danny Sheng Wu Yeung Name: Danny Sheng Wu Yeung Title: Chief Executive Officer | |||||
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POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned constitutes and appoints each of Danny Sheng Wu Yeung and Lo Hoi Chun, each acting alone, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign this Registration Statement on Form F-3, or other appropriate form, and all amendments thereto, including post-effective amendments, of Prenetics Global Limited, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other document in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, each acting alone, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming that any such attorney-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| SIGNATURE | CAPACITY | DATE | |||||||||
| /s/ Danny Sheng Wu Yeung | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors (Principal Executive Officer) | January 17, 2024 | |||||||||
Danny Sheng Wu Yeung | |||||||||||
| /s/ Lo Hoi Chun | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | January 17, 2024 | |||||||||
Lo Hoi Chun | |||||||||||
| /s/ Cheng Yin Pan | January 17, 2024 | ||||||||||
Cheng Yin Pan | Independent Director | ||||||||||
| /s/ Cui Zhanfeng | January 17, 2024 | ||||||||||
Cui Zhanfeng | Director | ||||||||||
| /s/ Ian Ying Woo | January 17, 2024 | ||||||||||
Ian Ying Woo | Independent Director | ||||||||||
| /s/ Chiu Wing Kwan Winnie | January 17, 2024 | ||||||||||
Chiu Wing Kwan Winnie | Independent Director | ||||||||||
II-6
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE
Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned, solely in his capacity as the duly authorized representative of Prenetics Global Limited, has signed this registration statement in the City of New York, New York, on January 17, 2024.
Authorized U.S. Representative
Cogency Global Inc.
By: /s/ Colleen A. De Vries
Name: Colleen A. De Vries
Title: Senior Vice President
II-7
AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED (adopted by a special resolu�on passed on 15 September 2021 and effec�ve at the Ini�al Merger Effec�ve Time, and with the inclusion of an ordinary resolu�on passed on 20 October 2023 authorizing a Reverse Stock Split) __________________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS ITEM PAGE NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS ON OCTOBER 6, 2023 TO, AMONG OTHERS, AUTHORIZE A REVERSE STOCK SPLIT FOR 1 FOR 15 ORDINARY SHARES………………...1 MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING DATED OCTOBER 20, 2023, AUTHORIZING THE REVERSE STOCK SPLIT…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………8 AMENDED AND RESTATED MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10
PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier King’s Road, 728 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS To be held on October 20, 2023 To the Shareholders of Prenetics Global Limited: Notice is hereby given that the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Prenetics Global Limited (the “Company”) will be held on October 20, 2023 at 11:30am at the Company’s principal executive offices, at Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier King’s Road, 728 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. You will be able to attend, vote your shares, and submit questions during the Annual Meeting for the following purposes: 1. To authorize a reverse stock split for 1 for 15 ordinary shares. 2. To provide an open forum for shareholders of the Company (“Shareholders”) to discuss Company affairs with management. 3. To transact any other business that is properly brought before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. The close of business on October 6, 2023 (the “Record Date”) has been fixed as the record date for the purpose of determining the Shareholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting. The register of members of the Company will not be closed. This notice (“Notice”) and proxy statement (“Proxy Statement”) and the accompanying form of proxy card will first be dispatched to the Shareholders on or about October 10, 2023. By Order of the Board of Directors, /s/ Danny Sheng Wu Yeung _______________________________________ Danny Sheng Wu YEUNG (Chairman and CEO) Dated: October 6, 2023
PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier King’s Road, 728 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong PROXY STATEMENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING How Can I Attend the Annual Meeting? Holders of record of the Company’s Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares planning to attend the Annual Meeting in person are required to register their intention to attend by submitting the online registration form accessible at https://ir.prenetics.com/news- events/events by October 16, 2023, Hong Kong Time. Why Am I Receiving This Proxy Statement? We are sending you this Proxy Statement because the Company’s Board of Directors is soliciting your proxy to be used at the Annual Meeting, or at any adjournment or postponement of that meeting. Details of the Annual Meeting are set forth in the Notice accompanying this Proxy Statement. Who Can Vote? Owners of ordinary shares in the Company (“Ordinary Shares”) on the Record Date are entitled to vote. We have two classes of Ordinary Shares: Class A Ordinary Shares (“Class A Ordinary Shares”) and Class B Ordinary Shares (“Class B Ordinary Shares”). The Class A Ordinary Shares are publicly traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and we are soliciting proxies only from owners of the Class A Ordinary Shares. Each Class A Ordinary Share that you own entitles you to one vote and each Class B Ordinary Share that you own entitles you to twenty votes. What May I Vote On? A proposal to authorize a reverse stock split of the Class A Ordinary Shares. How Do I Vote? If you own our Ordinary Shares as a registered holder (a “Direct Shareholder”), you should either (1) complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card and return it promptly in the
prepaid envelope provided, (2) visit https://www.cstproxy.com/prenetics/2023 to vote, or (3) attend the meeting in person to vote on the proposal. If you own our Ordinary Shares through a brokerage firm, bank or other financial intermediary (an “Indirect Shareholder”), you should complete, sign and date the voting instruction form provided by such financial intermediary and return it promptly in accordance with the instructions set forth therein. How Do I Request Electronic Delivery of Future Proxy Materials? You may opt to receive meeting notices and proxy materials online. Direct Shareholders can opt for electronic delivery. Indirect Shareholders should check with their financial intermediaries regarding the availability of electronic delivery service. May I Revoke My Proxy? Your proxy may be revoked prior to its exercise by following the instructions contained in the proxy card or voting instruction form, as the case may be. If I Plan To Attend The Annual Meeting, Should I Still Vote By Proxy? Whether you plan to attend the Annual Meeting or not, we urge you to vote by proxy. Returning the proxy card will not affect your right to attend the Annual Meeting, and your proxy will not be used if you are personally present at the meeting and inform the secretary of the Company in writing prior to the voting that you wish to vote your Ordinary Shares in person. How Will My Proxy Get Voted? If you properly fill in and return your proxy card or voting instruction form, your proxy holder (the individual named on your proxy card, or failing him/her, the duly appointed chairman of the Annual Meeting) will vote your Ordinary Shares as you have directed. If you are a Direct Shareholder and you sign the proxy card but do not make specific choices, the proxy holder will vote your Ordinary Shares as recommended by the Board of Directors and our management. If you are an Indirect Shareholder and you sign the voting instruction form but do not make specific choices or do not return your voting instruction form, the relevant financial intermediary may either vote your Ordinary Shares on your behalf (if permitted by applicable rules) or return a proxy to us leaving your Ordinary Shares un-voted. Beneficial owners who wish to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person should contact their brokerage firm, bank or other financial intermediary holding our Ordinary Shares on
their behalf in order to obtain a “legal proxy” which will allow them to both attend the meeting and vote in person. PROPOSAL 1: AUTHORIZATION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO EFFECT A REVERSE STOCK SPLIT The following is a summary of the principal terms of the proposed Reverse Stock Split. We encourage you to carefully read the description below. As of September 7, 2023, the Board of Directors unanimously approved a resolution to authorize the CEO to effect a Reverse Stock Split on a whole number ratio basis, by consolidating every 15 existing issued and unissued Ordinary Shares of US$0.0001 par value each into one consolidated Ordinary Share of US$0.0015 par value each (subject to receipt of the necessary shareholder approval). The Board of Directors expects that it will increase the share price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. The Reverse Stock Split is intended to ensure the Company’s ability to maintain a minimum closing bid price of US$1.00 per Class A Ordinary Share for at least thirty (30) consecutive trading days, as required by the Nasdaq Capital Market. There can be no assurance, however, that following the Reverse Stock Split the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares will increase in proportion to the reduction in the number of Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding before the proposed Reverse Stock Split. Our Class B Ordinary Shares are not publicly traded, but the Reverse Stock Split (if effected) will apply to Class B Ordinary Shares in the same manner as in Class A Ordinary Shares. Under the laws of the Cayman Islands, the Reverse Stock Split concurrently with the number of authorized shares of Ordinary Shares, the par value of the Ordinary Shares and the amount of issued share capital will be adjusted without further actions. Therefore, the number of issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares will decrease but the number of Ordinary Shares remaining available for issuance by us in the future will also decrease in the same proportion. No further action on the part of Shareholders will be required to either effect or abandon the Reverse Stock Split. In this Proxy Statement, unless stated otherwise, references to the consequences of the Reverse Stock Split will be based on the assumption that the ratio of the stock split is 15:1 and references to Ordinary Shares herein will cover both Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares.
The ordinary resolution shareholders will be asked to approve is as follows: BE IT RESOLVED AS AN ORDINARY RESOLUTION THAT: 1. with effect as of the date the Board of Directors may determine: a. the existing issued and unissued Class A Ordinary Shares of the Company be consolidated by consolidating every 15 existing issued and unissued Class A Ordinary Shares of US$0.0001 par value each in the Company into 1 consolidated Class A Ordinary Share of US$0.0015 par value each in the Company and the existing issued and unissued Class B Ordinary Shares of the Company be consolidated by consolidating every 15 existing issued and unissued Class B Ordinary Shares of US$0.0001 par value each in the Company, or such lesser whole share amount as the Board of Directors may determine in its sole discretion, into 1 consolidated Class B Ordinary Share of US$0.0015 par value each in the Company (collectively, the “Reverse Stock Split”); and b. no fractional Class A Ordinary Shares nor fractional Class B Ordinary Shares shall be issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split and, in the event that a Shareholder would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional share upon the Reverse Stock Split, the number of Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Class B Ordinary Shares to be received by such Shareholder shall be rounded up to the next highest whole number of Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Class B Ordinary Shares (as applicable); and 2. any one director or officer of the Company be and is hereby authorized, for and on behalf of the Company, to do all such other acts or things necessary or desirable to implement, carry out and give effect to the Reverse Stock Split, if and when deemed advisable by the Board of Directors of the Company in its sole discretion. Impact of the Proposed Reverse Stock Split If Effected The principal effects of the Reverse Stock Split will be that: • the number of issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares will be reduced proportionately based on the Reverse Stock Split ratio; • the number of Ordinary Shares reserved for issuance, any maximum number of Ordinary Shares with respect to which equity awards may be granted to any participant and the number of Ordinary Shares and any exercise price subject to awards outstanding under the
Company’s share incentive plans will be adjusted proportionately based on the Reverse Stock Split ratio such that the number of Ordinary Shares reserved for issuance and the number of Ordinary Shares subject to such limits shall be reduced and any applicable exercise price shall be increased; and • the Reverse Stock Split will likely increase the number of Shareholders who own odd lots (less than 100 shares). Shareholders who hold odd lots may experience an increase in the cost of selling their shares and may have greater difficulty in executing sales. Our publicly traded Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “PRE” and “PRENW” respectively. Except for adjustments that may result from the treatment of fractional shares as described below, as the Reverse Stock Split will apply to all our issued Ordinary Shares, the proposed Reverse Stock Split will not alter the relative rights and preferences of our existing Shareholders nor affect any Shareholder’s proportionate equity interest in the Company. Moreover, the number of Shareholders of record will not be affected by the Reverse Stock Split. No Fractional Shares Shareholders will not receive fractional post-Reverse Stock Split shares in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. Instead, resulting fractional shares will be rounded up to the next whole share. Mechanism of the Reverse Stock Split If the Board of Directors effects the Reverse Stock Split, the Reverse Stock Split will become effective at such time as is specified in the Company’s board resolutions, which is referred to as the effective time of the Reverse Stock Split. Beginning at the effective time of the Reverse Stock Split, each certificate representing pre-Reverse Stock Split Ordinary Shares will be deemed for all corporate purposes to evidence ownership of post-Reverse Stock Split Ordinary Shares. Direct Shareholders with their holdings in book-entry form will be provided with a statement reflecting the number of Ordinary Shares registered in their accounts. Direct Shareholders with their holdings in certificate form will receive a transmittal letter from the Company’s transfer agent as soon as practicable after the effective time of the Reverse Stock Split. The transmittal letter will be containing instructions specifying how they can exchange their certificate representing the pre-Reverse Stock Split Ordinary Shares for a statement of holding. This means that, instead of receiving a new stock certificate, they will receive a statement of
holding that indicates the number of post-Reverse Stock Split Ordinary Shares they own in book- entry form. Financial intermediaries will be instructed to effect the Reverse Stock Split for Indirect Shareholders; however, these organizations may apply their own specific procedures for processing the Reverse Stock Split. The number of Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of each outstanding warrant to purchase Class A Ordinary Shares will decrease in proportion to the Reverse Stock Split ratio and the exercise price of each outstanding warrant to purchase Class A Ordinary Shares will increase in proportion to the Reverse Stock Split ratio, such that the aggregate exercise price payable upon exercise of each outstanding warrant to purchase Class A Ordinary Shares will remain the same both before and after the Reverse Stock Split and our treatment of fractional Ordinary Shares exercisable under the warrants will be the same as our treatment of the Ordinary Shares. Pursuant to the terms of our 2022 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), the Board of Directors or a committee thereof, as applicable, will adjust the number of Ordinary Shares available for future grant under the Plan, the number of Ordinary Shares underlying outstanding awards, the exercise price per share of outstanding stock options, and other terms of outstanding awards issued pursuant to the Plan, as well as certain issuance limits set forth in the Plan, to equitably reflect the effects of the Reverse Stock Split. Based upon the Reverse Stock Split ratio, proportionate adjustments are also generally required to be made to the per share exercise price and the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise or conversion of outstanding options, and any convertible or exchangeable securities entitling the holders to purchase, exchange for, or convert into, Ordinary Shares. This would result in approximately the same aggregate price being required to be paid under such options, and convertible or exchangeable securities upon exercise, and approximately the same value of Ordinary Shares being delivered upon such exercise, exchange or conversion, immediately following the Reverse Stock Split as was the case immediately preceding the Reverse Stock Split. The number of Ordinary Shares subject to restricted stock awards will be similarly adjusted, and our treatment of fractional Ordinary Shares exercisable under the stock options or granted under the stock awards will be the same as our treatment of the Ordinary Shares. The number of Ordinary Shares reserved for issuance pursuant to these securities and our Plan will be adjusted proportionately based upon the Reverse Stock Split ratio, and our treatment of fractional Ordinary Shares will be the same as our treatment of the Ordinary Shares.
No Appraisal Rights Shareholders will not have dissenters’ or appraisal rights under Cayman Islands corporate law or under the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association in connection with the proposed Reverse Stock Split. Vote Required and Board Recommendation As this action requires approval by way of Ordinary Resolution, the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes cast by, or on behalf of, the shareholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required for approval of this proposal. The Board recommends a vote FOR this proposal (to be passed as an ordinary resolution). CONSEQUENCES OF THE REVERSE STOCK SPLIT ON YOU Our summary of the Reverse Stock Split may not contain all information that is important to you. You should consult your own advisers regarding your particular circumstances, including tax issues. DISCUSSION WITH MANAGEMENT To facilitate shareholder engagement in the Company, the Annual Meeting will also serve as an open forum for the Shareholders to engage in a discussion with the management on the business performance and other affairs of the Company. We believe this would provide the management with diversity of insight on how best to position the Company for long-term growth. OTHER MATTERS We are not aware of any matters other than those stated in this Proxy Statement that are to be presented for action at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters should properly come before the Annual Meeting, it is intended that proxies in the accompanying form will be voted on any such other matters in accordance with the judgment of the persons voting such proxies. Discretionary authority to vote on such matters is conferred by such proxies upon the persons voting them. COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Shareholders wishing to communicate with the Board of Directors or any individual director may write to the Board of Directors or the individual director to the Board of Directors,
Prenetics Global Limited, Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier King’s Road, 728 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. Any such communication must state the number of Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by the Shareholder making the communication. All such communications will be forwarded to the full Board of Directors or to any individual director or directors to whom the communication is directed unless the communication is clearly of a marketing nature or is unduly hostile, threatening, illegal, or similarly inappropriate, in which case the Company has the authority to discard the communication or take appropriate legal action regarding the communication. WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION Notice of the Annual Meeting, and this Proxy Statement are available at https://www.cstproxy.com/prenetics/2023. The Company files annual reports and other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Company’s SEC filings made electronically through the SEC’s EDGAR system are available to the public at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may read and copy any document the Company files at the website of the SEC referred to above. By Order of the Board of Directors, /s/ Danny Sheng Wu Yeung Danny Sheng Wu Yeung (Chairman and CEO) Dated: October 6, 2023 PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED (Incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability) (the “Company”) MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE COMPANY HELD ON OCTOBER 20, 2023 AT 11:30 AM AT THE COMPANY’S PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES AT 701-706, K11 ATELIER KING’S ROAD, 728 KING’S ROAD, QUARRY BAY, HONG KONG (THE “ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING”). 1. Chairman
1.1. In accordance with the Company’s articles of association (the “Articles”), the Chairman of the Company acted as chairman of the meeting. 2. Quorum 2.1. The Chairman noted that, in accordance with the Articles, the requisite quorum for one or more Shareholders holding not less than one-third of the total issued share capital of the Company in issue present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote, provided that, a majority of the issued Class B Ordinary Shares shall be required in any event. 2.2. The Chairman declared the meeting duly constituted. 3. Notice of meeting 3.1. The Chairman presented to the meeting a copy of the notice of Annual General Meeting dated October 6, 2023 (the “Notice”) which convened the meeting. 3.2. The shareholders present unanimously agreed that the Notice should be taken as read. 4. Voting procedure 4.1. The Chairman announced that, in accordance with the Articles, the Chairman was taking a poll for the resolution set out in the Notice. 5. Resolution 5.1. The Chairman proposed the resolution to authorize a Reverse Stock Split as set out in the Notice as an ordinary resolution of the Company. 5.2. As at the Record Date (as defined in the Notice as the close of Business on October 6, 2023), the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares is 157,674,687, each of which
is entitled to one vote, and the total number of Class B Ordinary Shares is 22,597,221, each of which is entitled to twenty votes. The total number of votes is 609,619,107. 5.3. The resolution was put to vote by poll. The poll results were as follows: For Against Abstain Class A Ordinary Shares 17,041,126 84,938 13,013 Class B Ordinary Shares 22,597,221 0 0 Total number of votes 468,985,546 84,938 13,013 Percentage of total votes 76.931% 0.014% 0.002% 5.4. As more than 50% of the votes of such Shareholders being entitled to vote in person or by proxy were casted in favor of the resolution, the resolution proposed at the Annual General Meeting was duly passed as an ordinary resolution of the Company. 6. Closure There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed. /s/ Yeung Danny Sheng Wu __________________________ YEUNG Danny Sheng Wu Chairman of the Meeting
COMPANIES ACT (AS AMENDED) COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES AMENDED AND RESTATED MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED (adopted by a special resolution passed on 15 September 2021 and effective at the Initial Merger Effective Time)
1 COMPANIES ACT (AS AMENDED) COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES AMENDED AND RESTATED MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION OF PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED (adopted by a special resolution passed on 15 September 2021 and effective at the Initial Merger Effective Time)
2 1. The name of the Company is Prenetics Global Limited. 2. The registered office of the Company shall be at the offices of Mourant Governance Services (Cayman) Limited, 94 Solaris Avenue, Camana Bay, PO Box 1348, Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands or at such other place as the Directors may from time to time decide. 3. The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by law as provided by Section 7(4) of the Companies Act. 4. The Company shall have and be capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit as provided by Section 27(2) of the Companies Act. 5. Nothing in the preceding paragraphs shall be deemed to permit the Company to carry on the business of a bank or trust company without being licensed in that behalf under the provisions of the Banks and Trust Companies Act (as amended) or to carry on insurance business from within the Cayman Islands or the business of an insurance manager, agent, sub- agent or broker without being licensed in that behalf under the provisions of the Insurance Act (as amended), or to carry on the business of company management without being licensed in that behalf under the provisions of the Companies Management Act (as amended). 6. The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried on outside the Cayman Islands, provided that nothing in this Memorandum of Association shall be construed as to prevent the Company from effecting and concluding contracts in the Cayman Islands, and exercising in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of business outside the Cayman Islands. 7. The liability of each member is limited to the amount from time to time unpaid on such member's shares. 8. The authorised share capital of the Company is US$50,000 divided into 500,000,000 Shares of US$0.0001 par value each, of which (i) 400,000,000 shall be designated as Class A Ordinary Shares, (ii) 50,000,000 shall be designated as convertible Class B Ordinary Shares and (iii) 50,000,000 shall be designated as shares of such class or classes (however designated) as the Board of Directors may determine in accordance with Article 10 of the Articles, with the power for the Company, insofar as is permitted by law and the Articles, to redeem, purchase or redesignate any of its shares and to increase or reduce the said share capital subject to the Companies Act and the Articles and to issue any part of its capital, whether original, redeemed or increased with or without any preference, priority or special privilege or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or restrictions and so that unless the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly declare every issue of shares whether declared to be preference or otherwise shall be subject to the powers hereinbefore contained. 9. The Company may exercise the power contained in Section 206 of the Companies Act to deregister in the Cayman Islands and be registered by way of continuation in another jurisdiction. 10. Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Memorandum bear the same meanings given to those terms in the Articles.
COMPANIES ACT (AS AMENDED) COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED (adopted by a special resolution passed on 15 September 2021 and effective at the Initial Merger Effective Time)
TABLE OF CONTENTS ARTICLE PAGE TABLE A 1 DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION 1 COMMENCEMENT OF BUSINESS 6 SITUATION OF REGISTERED OFFICE 7 SHARES 7 REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES 12 TREASURY SHARES 12 MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS 13 SHARE CERTIFICATES 14 TRANSFER AND TRANSMISSION OF SHARES 14 LIEN 16 CALL ON SHARES 16 FORFEITURE OF SHARES 17 ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL 18 GENERAL MEETINGS 18 NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS 19 PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS 19 VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS 21 WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS OF SHAREHOLDERS 23 DIRECTORS 23 TRANSACTIONS WITH DIRECTORS 25 POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS 26 PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS 26 WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS OF DIRECTORS 28 PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT 28 BORROWING POWERS 29 SECRETARY 29 THE SEAL 29 DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND RESERVES 29 SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT 30 ACCOUNTS 30 AUDIT 31 NOTICES AND INFORMATION 32
WINDING UP AND FINAL DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS 34 INDEMNITY 34 DISCLOSURE 34 CLOSING REGISTER OF MEMBERS OR FIXING RECORD DATE 35 REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION 35 FINANCIAL YEAR 35 AMENDMENTS TO MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION 35 MERGERS AND CONSOLIDATION 36
COMPANIES ACT (AS AMENDED) COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED (adopted by a special resolution passed on 15 September 2021 and effective at the Initial Merger Effective Time) TABLE A 1. In these Articles, the regulations contained in Table A in the First Schedule to the Companies Act (as defined below) do not apply except insofar as they are repeated or contained in these Articles. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION 2. In these Articles, the following words and expressions shall have the meanings set out below save where the context otherwise requires:
Acquisition Effective Time has the meaning ascribed to such term in the Business Combination Agreement; Affiliate means, in respect of a person, any other person that, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, Controls, is Controlled by, or is under common Control with, such person; provided, that in the case of a Key Executive, the term Affiliate shall include such Key Executive’s Permitted Entities, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein; Articles means these Articles of Association of the Company, as amended from time to time by Special Resolution; Auditors means the auditor or auditors for the time being of the Company; Board of Directors means the Directors assembled as a board; Business Combination Agreement means that certain Business Combination Agreement among the Company, Artisan Acquisition Corp., AAC Merger Limited, PGL Merger Limited and Prenetics Group Limited dated 15 September 2021 (as the same may be amended, restated or supplemented); Business Day means any day, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and any other day on which commercial banks are authorized or required by law to close in New York, U.S., the Cayman Islands, or Hong Kong; Chairperson means the chairperson of the Board of Directors; Class A Ordinary Share means a Class A Ordinary Share in the capital of the Company of a par value of US$0.0001 having the rights, benefits and privileges set out in these Articles; Class B Ordinary Share means a Class B Ordinary Share in the capital of the Company of a par value of US$0.0001 having the rights, benefits and privileges set out in these Articles; Class B Ordinary Shareholder means a holder of Class B Ordinary Shares; Communication Facilities means video, video-conferencing, internet or online conferencing applications, telephone or tele-conferencing and/or any other video-communications, internet or online
conferencing application or telecommunications facilities by means of which all persons participating in a meeting are capable of hearing and being heard by each other; Companies Act means the Companies Act (as amended); Company means the above-named company; Control, Controlling, under common Control with means directly or indirectly: (i) the ownership or control of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such person; (ii) the right to control the exercise of a majority of the votes at a meeting of the board of directors (or equivalent governing body) of such person; or (iii) the ability to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such person (whether by contract, through other legally enforceable rights or howsoever arising); Designated Stock Exchange means NASDAQ or any other internationally recognized stock exchange on which the Company’s securities are traded; Designated Stock Exchange Rules means the relevant code, rules and regulations, as amended, from time to time, applicable as a result of the original and continued listing of any Shares on the Designated Stock Exchange; Directors means the directors of the Company for the time being; Electronic Record has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Act; Electronic Transactions Act means the Electronic Transactions Act (as amended); Family Members means the following individuals: the applicable individual, the spouse of the applicable individual (including former spouses), the parents of the applicable individual, the lineal descendants of the applicable individual, the siblings of the applicable individual, and the lineal descendants of a sibling of the applicable individual. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the descendants of any individual shall include adopted individuals and their issue but only if the adopted individual was adopted prior to attaining age 18; Incapacity means with respect to an individual, the permanent and total disability of such individual so that such individual is unable
to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months as determined by a licensed medical practitioner. In the event of a dispute regarding whether an individual has suffered an Incapacity, no Incapacity of such individual will be deemed to have occurred unless and until an affirmative ruling regarding such Incapacity has been made by a court or arbitral panel of competent jurisdiction, and such ruling has become final and non-appealable; Indemnified Person has the meaning set out in Article 173; Initial Merger Effective Time has the meaning ascribed to such term in the Business Combination Agreement; Key Executive means Danny Yeung and his Permitted Entities and Permitted Transferees of each of them; Memorandum means the Memorandum of Association of the Company, as amended and restated from time to time by Special Resolution; Notice Period has the meaning set out in Article 123; Ordinary Resolution means a resolution: (a) passed by a simple majority of the votes of such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy, at a general meeting of the Company and where a poll is taken regard shall be had in computing a majority to the number of votes to which each Shareholder is entitled; or (b) approved in writing by all the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders aforesaid, and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed; Ordinary Shares means, collectively, the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares; paid up means paid up as to the par value and any premium payable in respect of the issue of any Shares and includes credited as paid up;
Permitted Entity with respect to any Key Executive: (a) any person in respect of which such Key Executive has, directly or indirectly: (i) control with respect to the voting of all the Class B Ordinary Shares held by or to be transferred to such person; (ii) the ability to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such person or any other person having the authority referred to in the preceding clause (a)(i) (whether by contract, as executor, trustee, trust protector or otherwise); or (iii) the operational or practical control of such person, including through the right to appoint, designate, remove or replace the person having the authority referred to in the preceding clauses (a)(i) or (ii); (b) any trust the beneficiaries of which consist primarily of a Key Executive, his or her Family Members, and/or any persons Controlled directly or indirectly Controlled by such a trust; and (c) any person Controlled by a trust described in the immediately preceding clause (b); Permitted Transferee with respect to the Class B Ordinary Shareholders, any or all of the following: (a) any Key Executive; (b) any Key Executive’s Permitted Entities; (c) the transferee or other recipient in any transfer of any Class B Ordinary Shares by any Class B Ordinary Shareholder: (i) to (A) his or her Family Members; (B) any other relative or individual approved by the Board of Directors; or (C) any trust or estate planning entity (including partnerships, limited companies, and limited liability companies), that is primarily for the benefit of, or the ownership interests of which are Controlled by, such Class B Ordinary Shareholder, his or her Family Members, and/or other trusts or estate planning entities described in this paragraph (c), or any entity Controlled by such Key Executive or a trust or estate planning entity; or (ii) occurring by operation of law, including in connection with divorce proceedings; (d) any charitable organization, foundation, or similar entity; (e) the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (f) in connection with a transfer as a result of, or in connection with, the death or Incapacity of a Key Executive: any Key Executive’s Family Members, another Class B Ordinary Shareholder, or a designee approved by majority of all Directors , provided that in case of any transfer of Class B Ordinary Shares pursuant to clauses (b) through (e) above to a person who at any later time ceases to be a Permitted Transferee under the relevant clause, the Company shall be entitled to refuse registration of any subsequent transfer of such Class B Ordinary Shares except back to the transferor of such Class B Ordinary Shares pursuant to clauses (b) through (e) (or to a Key Executive or his or her Permitted Transferees) and in the absence of such transfer back to the transferor (or to a Key Executive or his or her Permitted Transferees), the
applicable Class B Ordinary Shares shall convert in accordance with Article 21(d)(iv) applied mutatis mutandis; person means, any natural person, firm, company, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association or other entity (whether or not having separate legal personality) or any of them as the context so requires; present means in respect of any person, such person's presence at a general meeting of the Company (or any meeting of the holders of any class of Shares), which may be satisfied by means of such person or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, its duly authorized representative (or, in the case of any Shareholder, a proxy which has been validly appointed by such Shareholder in accordance with these Articles), being: (a) physically present at the meeting; or (b) in the case of any meeting at which Communication Facilities are permitted in accordance with these Articles, including any Virtual Meeting, connected by means of the use of such Communication Facilities; Register of Members means the register of Shareholders to be kept pursuant to these Articles and the Companies Act; Registered Office means the registered office of the Company for the time being; Seal means the common seal of the Company including any duplicate seal; Secretary means any person appointed by the Directors to perform any of the duties of the secretary of the Company, including a joint, assistant or deputy secretary; Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States of America, as amended, or any similar federal statute and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time; Share means any share in the capital of the Company of any class including a fraction of a share; Share Premium Account
means the share premium account established in accordance with these Articles and the Companies Act; Shareholder means any person registered in the Register of Members as the holder of Shares of the Company; signed includes an electronic signature and a signature or representation of a signature affixed by mechanical means; Special Resolution means a special resolution: (a) passed by a majority of at least two-thirds of such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy, at a general meeting of the Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given and where a poll is taken regard shall be had in computing a majority to the number of votes to which each Shareholder is entitled; or (b) approved in writing by all the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders aforesaid, and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed; Treasury Shares means Shares that were previously issued but were purchased, redeemed, surrendered or otherwise acquired by the Company and not cancelled; and Virtual Meeting means any general meeting of the Company (or any meeting of the holders of any class of shares) at which the Shareholders (and any other permitted participants of such meeting, including without limitation the chairperson of the meeting and any Directors) are permitted to attend and participate solely by means of Communication Facilities. 3. In these Articles, unless there be something in the subject or context inconsistent with such construction: (a) words importing the singular number shall include the plural number and vice versa; (b) words importing a gender shall include other genders; (c) words importing persons only shall include companies, partnerships, trusts or associations or bodies of persons, whether corporate or not; (d) the word "may" shall be construed as permissive and the word "shall" shall be construed as imperative; (e) the word "year" shall mean calendar year, the word "quarter" shall mean calendar quarter and the word "month" shall mean calendar month;
(f) a reference to a "dollar" or "$" is a reference to the legal currency of the United States of America; (g) a reference to any enactment includes a reference to any modification or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force; (h) a reference to any meeting (whether of the Directors, a committee appointed by the Board of Directors or the Shareholders or any class of Shareholders) includes any adjournment of that meeting; (i) Sections 8 and 19 of the Electronic Transactions Act shall not apply; (j) a reference to "written" or "in writing" includes a reference to all modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form, including in the form of an Electronic Record; and (k) the term "holder" in relation to a Share means a person whose name is entered in the Register of Members as the holder of such Share. 4. Subject to the two preceding Articles, any words defined in the Companies Act shall, if not inconsistent with the subject or context, bear the same meaning in these Articles. 5. The table of contents to, and the headings in, these Articles are for convenience of reference only and are to be ignored in construing these Articles. COMMENCEMENT OF BUSINESS 6. The business of the Company may be conducted as the Board of Directors shall see fit. SITUATION OF REGISTERED OFFICE 7. The Registered Office shall be at such address in the Cayman Islands as the Directors shall from time to time determine. The Company, in addition to the Registered Office, may establish and maintain such other offices and places of business and agencies in such places as the Directors may from time to time determine. SHARES 8. The Directors may impose such restrictions as they think necessary on the offer and sale of any Shares. 9. Subject to these Articles (including Article 21(c)(iv)) and to any direction that may be given by the Shareholders in a general meeting, and without prejudice to any rights previously conferred on the holders of existing Shares, all Shares for the time being unissued shall be under the control of the Directors who may issue, allot and dispose of or grant options over the same and issue warrants or similar instruments with respect thereto to such persons, on such terms, and with or without preferred, deferred or other rights and restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise, and otherwise in such manner as they may think fit. For such purposes, the Directors may reserve an appropriate number of Shares for the time being unissued. No holder of Ordinary Shares shall have pre-emptive rights. 10. Subject to the Companies Act, and without prejudice to any rights previously conferred on the holders of existing Shares, any share or fraction of a share in the Company's share capital may be issued either at a premium or at par, and with such preferred, deferred, other special rights, or restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of share capital or otherwise, as the Board of Directors may from time to time by resolution determine, and any share may be issued by the Directors on the terms that it is, or at the option of the Directors is liable, to be redeemed or purchased by the Company whether out of capital in whole or in part or otherwise. No Share may be issued at a discount except in accordance with the Companies Act. Except as set forth otherwise in Article 21(c)(iv), the Directors may provide, out of the unissued shares (other than unissued Ordinary Shares), for series of preference shares. Before any preference shares of any such series are issued, the Directors shall fix, by resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors, the following provisions of the preference shares thereof, if applicable: (a) the designation of such series, the number of preference shares to constitute such series and the subscription price thereof if different from the par value thereof; (b) whether the preference shares of such series shall have voting rights, in addition to any voting rights provided by law, and, if so, the terms of such voting rights, which may be general or limited;
(c) the dividends, if any, payable on such series, whether any such dividends shall be cumulative, and, if so, from what dates, the conditions and dates upon which such dividends shall be payable, and the preference or relation which such dividends shall bear to the dividends payable on any Shares of any other class or any other series of preference shares; (d) whether the preference shares of such series shall be subject to redemption by the Company, and, if so, the times, prices and other conditions of such redemption; (e) the amount or amounts payable upon preference shares of such series upon, and the rights of the holders of such series in, a voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, or upon any distribution of the assets, of the Company; (f) whether the preference shares of such series shall be subject to the operation of a retirement or sinking fund and, if so, the extent to and manner in which any such retirement or sinking fund shall be applied to the purchase or redemption of the preference shares of such series for retirement or other corporate purposes and the terms and provisions relative to the operation thereof; (g) whether the preference shares of such series shall be convertible into, or exchangeable for, Shares of any other class or any other series of preference shares or any other securities and, if so, the price or prices or the rate or rates of conversion or exchange and the method, if any, of adjusting the same, and any other terms and conditions of conversion or exchange; (h) the limitations and restrictions, if any, to be effective while any preference shares of such series are outstanding upon the payment of dividends or the making of other distributions on, and upon the purchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Company of, the existing Shares or Shares of any other class or any other series of preference shares; (i) the conditions or restrictions, if any, upon the creation of indebtedness of the Company or upon the issue of any additional Shares, including additional preference shares of such series or of any other class of Shares or any other series of preference shares; and (j) any other powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof. Without limiting the foregoing and subject to Article 21(c)(iv) and Article 86, the voting powers of any series of preference shares may include the right, in the circumstances specified in the resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors providing for the issuance of such preference shares, to elect one or more Directors who shall serve for such term and have such voting powers as shall be stated in the resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors providing for the issuance of such preference shares. The term of office and voting powers of any Director elected in the manner provided in the immediately preceding sentence of this Article 10 may be greater than or less than those of any other Director or class of Directors. The powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights of each series of preference shares, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, if any, may differ from those of any and all other series at any time outstanding. All Shares of any one series of preference shares shall be identical in all respects with all other Shares of such series, except that Shares of any one series issued at different times may differ as to the dates from which dividends thereon shall be cumulative. 11. The Directors may in their absolute discretion refuse to accept any application for Shares and may accept any application in whole or in part. 12. The Company may on any issue of Shares deduct any sales charge or subscription fee from the amount subscribed for the Shares. 13. No person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share upon any trust (other than any trust recognized as a Permitted Entity or Permitted Transferee), and the Company shall not be bound by or recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share, or (except as otherwise provided by these Articles or as required by law) any other right in respect of any Share except an absolute right thereto in the registered holder, provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall be entitled to recognise any such interests as shall be determined by the Directors.
14. The Directors shall keep or cause to be kept a Register of Members as required by the Companies Act at such place or places as the Directors may from time to time determine. In the absence of any such determination, the Register of Members shall be kept at the Registered Office. Title to Shares may be evidenced and transferred in accordance with the laws applicable to and the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange. 15. The Directors in each year shall prepare or cause to be prepared an annual return and declaration setting forth the particulars required by the Companies Act in respect of exempted companies and deliver a copy thereof to the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands. 16. The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer. 17. The Directors may issue fractions of a Share and, if so issued, a fraction of a Share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to nominal or par value, premium, calls or otherwise howsoever), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights (including, without prejudice to the foregoing generality, voting and participation rights) and other attributes of a Share. If more than one fraction of a Share is issued to or acquired by the same Shareholder, such fractions shall be accumulated. 18. The premium arising on all issues of Shares shall be held in the Share Premium Account established in accordance with these Articles. 19. The Company may, insofar as permitted by law, pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the lodgement of fully or partly paid-up Shares or partly in one way and partly in the other. The Company may also on any issue of Shares pay such brokerage as may be lawful. 20. Payment for Shares shall be made at such time and place and to such person on behalf of the Company as the Directors may from time to time determine. Payment for any Shares shall be made in such currency as the Directors may determine from time to time, provided that the Directors shall have the discretion to accept payment in any other currency or in kind or a combination of cash and in kind. 21. Rights and Restrictions Attaching to Ordinary Shares: Except as otherwise provided in these Articles (including Articles 21(c)(iv), 21(d) and 86), the Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares have the same rights and powers, and rank equally (including as to dividends and distributions, and upon the occurrence of any liquidation or winding up of the Company), share ratably and are identical in all respects and as to all matters, unless different treatment of the Shares of each such class is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Class A Ordinary Shares and the holders of a majority of the Class B Ordinary Shares, each voting exclusively and as a separate class. (a) Income: Holders of Ordinary Shares shall be entitled to such dividends as the Directors may in their absolute discretion lawfully declare from time to time. (b) Capital: Holders of Ordinary Shares shall be entitled to a return of capital on liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company in accordance with Article 171 et seq. (c) Attendance at General Meetings; Class Voting: (i) Holders of Ordinary Shares have the right to receive notice of, attend, speak and vote at general meetings of the Company. (ii) Except as otherwise provided in these Articles (including Article 21(c)(iv)), holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares shall at all times vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote for Shareholders’ consent. (iii) On all matters subject to a vote of the Shareholders, Ordinary Shares shall be entitled to voting rights as set forth in Article 86. (iv) Subject to applicable law, in addition to any rights provided by applicable law or otherwise set forth in these Articles, the Company shall not, without the approval by vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the Class B Ordinary Shares, voting exclusively and as a separate class, directly or indirectly, or whether by amendment or through merger, recapitalization, consolidation or otherwise:
(1) increase the number of authorized Class B Ordinary Shares; (2) issue any Class B Ordinary Shares or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Class B Ordinary Shares, other than (i) to any Key Executive or his or her Affiliates, or (ii) on a pro rata basis to all holders of Class B Ordinary Shares permitted to hold such shares under these Articles; (3) create, authorize, issue, or reclassify into, any preference shares in the capital of the Company or any Shares in the capital of the Company that carry more than one (1) vote per share; (4) reclassify any Class B Ordinary Shares into any other class of Shares or consolidate or combine any Class B Ordinary Shares without proportionately increasing the number of votes per Class B Ordinary Share; or (5) amend, restate, waive, adopt any provision inconsistent with or otherwise vary or alter any provision of the Memorandum or these Articles relating to the voting, conversion or other rights, powers, preferences, privileges or restrictions of the Class B Ordinary Shares. (d) Optional and Automatic Conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares: (i) Each Class B Ordinary Share is convertible into one (1) Class A Ordinary Share (as adjusted for share splits, share combinations and similar transactions occurring after the Acquisition Effective Time) at any time at the option of the holder thereof. In no event shall any Class A Ordinary Share be convertible into any Class B Ordinary Shares. (ii) Any number of Class B Ordinary Shares held by a holder thereof will be automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A Ordinary Shares upon the occurrence of any of the following: (1) Any direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition of such number of Class B Ordinary Shares by the holder thereof or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such number of Class B Ordinary Shares through voting proxy or otherwise to any person that is not an Permitted Transferee of such holder; for the avoidance of doubt, the creation of any pledge, charge, encumbrance, or other third party right of whatever description on any of Class B Ordinary Shares to secure contractual or legal obligations shall not be deemed as a sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition under this Article 21(d)(ii)(1) unless and until any such pledge, charge, encumbrance, or other third party right is enforced and results in a third party that is not an Permitted Transferee of such holder holding directly or indirectly legal or beneficial ownership or voting power through voting proxy or otherwise to the related Class B Ordinary Shares, in which case all the related Class B Ordinary Shares shall be automatically converted into the same number of Class A Ordinary Shares; (2) The direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition of a majority of the issued and outstanding voting securities of, or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such voting securities through voting proxy or otherwise, or the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of, a holder of Class B Ordinary Shares that is an entity to any person that is not an Permitted Transferee of the such holder; for the avoidance of doubt, the creation of any pledge, charge, encumbrance, or other third party right of whatever description on the issued and outstanding voting securities or the assets of a holder of Class B Ordinary Shares to secure contractual or legal obligations shall not be deemed as a sale, transfer, assignment, or disposition under this Article 21(d)(ii)(2) unless and until any such pledge, charge, encumbrance or other third party right is enforced and results in a third party that is not an Permitted Transferee of such holder holding directly or indirectly legal or beneficial
ownership or voting power through voting proxy or otherwise to the related issued and outstanding voting securities or the assets; or (3) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a person becomes a holder of Class B Ordinary Shares by will or intestacy, then the Class B Ordinary Shares transferred to such holder by will or intestacy shall be automatically converted into the same number of Class A Ordinary Shares. (iii) Notwithstanding Article 21(d)(ii), all Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding will be automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A Ordinary Shares upon the occurrence of any of the following: (1) on Danny Yeung’s death or Incapacity; (2) on the date on which Danny Yeung is terminated for cause (as defined in the employment agreement with Danny Yeung (and in the event of a dispute regarding whether there was cause, cause will be deemed not to exist unless and until an affirmative ruling regarding such cause has been made by a court or arbitral panel of competent jurisdiction, and such ruling has become final and non-appealable)); or (3) on the first date that both of the following conditions are satisfied: (I) Danny Yeung and his Affiliates and Permitted Transferees together own less than thirty three per cent (33%) of the number of Class B Ordinary Shares (which for these purposes shall be deemed to include all Class B Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of all outstanding restricted share units to acquire Class B Ordinary Shares that are held by Danny Yeung immediately following the Acquisition Effective Time) that Danny Yeung and his Affiliates and Permitted Transferees owned immediately following the Acquisition Effective Time, as adjusted for share splits, share combinations and similar transactions occurring after the Acquisition Effective Time; and (II) Danny Yeung ceases to be a Director or officer of the Company. (iv) No Class B Ordinary Shares shall be issued by the Company after conversion of all Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares. (e) Procedure of Conversion. Any conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares pursuant to these Articles shall be effected by means of either: (i) the re-designation and re-classification of each relevant Class B Ordinary Share as a Class A Ordinary Share, such conversion to become effective forthwith upon entries being made in the Register of Members to record the re-designation and re- classification of the relevant Class B Ordinary Shares as Class A Ordinary Shares; or (ii) the compulsory redemption without notice of Class B Ordinary Shares of any Class B Ordinary Shareholder and, on behalf of such Shareholder, automatic application of such redemption proceeds in paying for such new Class A Ordinary Shares into which the Class B Ordinary Shares have been converted or exchanged at a price per Class B Ordinary Share necessary to give effect to a conversion or exchange calculated on the basis that the Class A Ordinary Shares to be issued as part of the conversion or exchange will be issued at par. The Class A Ordinary Shares to be issued on an exchange or conversion shall be registered in the name of such Shareholder or in such name as the Shareholder may direct in the Register of Members. (f) Reservation of Class A Ordinary Shares Issuable upon Conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available out of its authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares, solely for the purpose of effecting the conversion of the Class B Ordinary Shares, such number of its Class A Ordinary Shares as shall from time to time be sufficient to effect the conversion of all outstanding Class B Ordinary Shares; and if at any time the number of authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares shall not be sufficient to effect the conversion of all then-outstanding Class B Ordinary Shares, the Company will take such corporate action as may, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary to increase its authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares to such numbers of shares as shall be sufficient for such purpose. REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES 22. Subject to the Companies Act, the Company may:
(a) issue Shares on terms that they are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company and/or the Shareholder on such terms and in such manner as the Company may, before the issue of such Shares, determine by either resolution of the Board of Directors or by Special Resolution; (b) purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) on such terms and in such manner agreed with the relevant Shareholder as have been approved by the Directors or by the Shareholders by Ordinary Resolution, or are otherwise authorized by these Articles; and (c) make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of Shares in any manner authorised by the Companies Act, including out of its capital, profits or the proceeds of a fresh issue of Shares. 23. Unless the Directors determine otherwise, any Share in respect of which notice of redemption has been given shall not be entitled to participate in the profits of the Company in respect of the period after the date specified as the date of redemption in the notice of redemption. 24. The redemption, purchase or surrender of any Share shall not be deemed to give rise to the redemption, purchase or surrender of any other Share. 25. The Directors may when making payments in respect of a redemption or purchase of Shares, if authorised by the terms of issue of the Shares being redeemed or purchased or with the agreement of the holder of such Shares, make such payment either in cash or in specie. 26. Subject to the Companies Act, the Company may accept the surrender for no consideration of any fully paid Share (including any redeemable Share) on such terms and in such manner as the Directors may determine. TREASURY SHARES 27. Shares that the Company purchases, redeems or acquires (by way of surrender or otherwise) may, at the option of the Company, be cancelled immediately or held as Treasury Shares in accordance with the Companies Act. In the event that the Directors do not specify that the relevant Shares are to be held as Treasury Shares, such Shares shall be cancelled. 28. No dividend may be declared or paid, and no other distribution (whether in cash or otherwise) of the Company's assets (including any distribution of assets to Shareholders on a winding up) may be declared or paid in respect of a Treasury Share. 29. The Company shall be entered in the Register of Members as the holder of the Treasury Shares, provided that: (a) the Company shall not be treated as a Shareholder for any purpose and shall not exercise any right in respect of the Treasury Shares, and any purported exercise of such a right shall be void; and (b) a Treasury Share shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting of the Company and shall not be counted in determining the total number of issued shares at any given time, whether for the purposes of these Articles or the Companies Act, save that an allotment of Shares as fully paid bonus shares in respect of Treasury Shares is permitted and Shares allotted as fully paid bonus shares in respect of Treasury Shares shall be treated as Treasury Shares. 30. Treasury Shares may be disposed of by the Company on any terms and conditions determined by the Directors. MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS 31. Subject to Article 21(c)(iv), if at any time the share capital of the Company is divided into different classes of Shares, the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class) may, whether or not the Company is being wound up, be varied or abrogated without the consent of the holders of the issued Shares of that class where such variation or abrogation is considered by the Directors not to have a material adverse effect upon such rights; otherwise, any such variation or abrogation shall be made only with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the issued Shares of that class, or with the approval of a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes cast at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares
of that class. For the avoidance of doubt, the Directors reserve the right, notwithstanding that any such variation or abrogation may not have a material adverse effect, to obtain consent from the holders of Shares of the relevant class. 32. The provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to every such meeting of the holders of one class of Shares except the following: (a) separate meetings of the holders of a class of Shares may be called only by: (i) the Chairperson; (ii) a majority of the entire Board of Directors (unless otherwise specifically provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of such class); or (iii) with respect to meetings of the holders of Class B Ordinary Shares, Danny Yeung; (b) except as set forth in clause (a) above or provided in Article 70 below, nothing in this Article 32 or in Article 31 shall be deemed to give any Shareholder or Shareholders the right to call a class or series meeting; and (c) the necessary quorum shall be one or more persons holding or representing by proxy at least one-third of the issued Shares of the class (but if at any adjourned meeting of such holders a quorum as aforementioned is not present, those Shareholders who are present in person or by proxy shall form a quorum). 33. For the purposes of Articles 31 and 32, the Directors may treat all classes of Shares, or any two classes of Shares, as forming a single class if they consider that each class would be affected in the same way by the proposal or proposals under consideration. In any other case, the Directors shall treat all classes of Shares, or any two classes of Shares, as separate classes. 34. The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any class shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further Shares ranking in priority thereto or pari passu therewith. SHARE CERTIFICATES 35. The Shares will be issued in fully registered, book-entry form. Certificates will not be issued unless the Directors determine otherwise. Share certificates (if any) shall specify the Share or Shares held by that Shareholder and the amount paid up thereon; provided, that in respect of a Share or Shares held jointly by several persons the Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate, and delivery of a certificate for a Share to one of several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all. All certificates for Shares shall be delivered personally or sent through the post addressed to the Shareholder entitled thereto at the Shareholder’s registered address as appearing in the Register of Members. All share certificates shall bear legends required under the applicable laws, including the Securities Act. Any two or more certificates representing Shares of any one class held by any Shareholder may at the Shareholder’s request be cancelled and a single new certificate for such Shares issued in lieu on payment (if the Directors shall so require) of $1.00 or such smaller sum as the Directors shall determine. 36. If a share certificate shall be damaged or defaced or alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, a new certificate representing the same Shares may be issued to the relevant Shareholder upon request subject to delivery up of the old certificate or (if alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed) compliance with such conditions as to evidence and indemnity and the payment of out-of-pocket expenses of the Company in connection with the request as the Directors may think fit. In the event that Shares are held jointly by several persons, any request may be made by any one of the joint holders and if so made shall be binding on all of the joint holders. TRANSFER AND TRANSMISSION OF SHARES 37. Any Shareholder may transfer all or any of its Shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form in use in the Cayman Islands, in a form prescribed by the Designated Stock Exchange or in any other form approved by the Board of Directors and may be under hand or, if the transferor or transferee is a clearing house or its nominee(s), by hand or by machine imprinted signature or by such other manner of execution as the Board of Directors may approve from time to time.
38. The Directors shall not refuse to register any transfer of a Share which is permitted under these Articles save that the Directors may decline to register any transfer of any Share in the event that any of the following is known by the Directors not to be both applicable and true with respect to such transfer: (a) the instrument of transfer is lodged with the Company, or the designated transfer agent or share registrar, accompanied by the certificate for the shares to which it relates (if any) and such other evidence as the Board of Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; (b) the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of Shares; (c) the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; (d) the transferred Shares are fully paid up and free of any lien in favor of the Company (it being understood and agreed that all other liens, including pursuant to a bona fide loan or indebtedness transaction, shall be permitted); and (e) a fee of such maximum sum as the Designated Stock Exchange may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as the Board of Directors may from time to time require, is paid to the Company in respect thereof. 39. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within two months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal stating the facts which are considered to justify the refusal to register the transfer. 40. The registration of transfers may, on 14 calendar days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers or by electronic means, be suspended and the Register of Members closed at such times and for such periods as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine; provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the Register of Members closed for more than 30 calendar days in any year. 41. An instrument of transfer must be executed by or on behalf of the transferor (and if in respect of a nil or partly paid up Share or the Directors so require, signed by the transferee). Such instrument of transfer must be accompanied by such evidence as the Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer and the transferor is deemed to remain the holder until the transferee’s name is entered in the Register of Members. The instrument of transfer must be completed and signed in the exact name or names in which such Shares are registered, indicating any special capacity in which it is being signed with relevant details supplied to the Company. 42. All instruments of transfer which are registered shall be retained by the Company, but any instrument of transfer which the Directors may decline to register shall (except in any case of fraud) be returned to the person depositing the same. 43. In case of the death of a Shareholder, the survivors or survivor (where the deceased was a joint holder) and the executors or administrators of the deceased where the deceased was the sole or only surviving holder, shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having title to the deceased's interest in the Shares, but nothing in this Article shall release the estate of the deceased holder whether sole or joint from any liability in respect of any Share solely or jointly held by the deceased. 44. Any guardian of an infant Shareholder and any curator or other legal representative of a Shareholder under legal disability and any person entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall, upon producing such evidence of title as the Directors may require, have the right either to be registered as the holder of the Share or to make such transfer thereof as the deceased or bankrupt Shareholder could have made, but the Directors shall in either case have the same right to refuse or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Shares by the infant or by the deceased or bankrupt Shareholder before the death or bankruptcy or by the Shareholder under legal disability before such disability. 45. A person so becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall have the right to receive and may give a discharge for all dividends and other money payable or other advantages due on or in respect of the Share, but such person shall not be entitled to receive notice of or to attend or vote at meetings of the Company, or save as aforesaid, to any of the rights or privileges of a Shareholder unless and until such person shall be registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share, provided always that the Directors may at any time give notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered or to transfer the Share and if the notice is not complied with within ninety (90) calendar days the Directors may thereafter withhold all dividends or other monies payable or other advantages due in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.
46. The transferor shall be deemed to remain a holder of the Share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members in respect of the relevant Share. LIEN 47. The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on all Shares (whether fully paid-up or not) registered in the name of a Shareholder (whether solely or jointly with others) for all debts, liabilities or engagements to or with the Company (whether presently payable or not) by such Shareholder or the Shareholder's estate, either alone or jointly with any other person, whether a Shareholder or not, but the Directors may at any time declare any Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The registration of a transfer of any such Share shall operate as a waiver of the Company's lien (if any) thereon. The Company's lien (if any) on a Share shall also extend to all dividends or any amount payable in respect of that Share. 48. The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any Shares on which the Company has a lien, if a sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable, and is not paid within fourteen (14) calendar days after notice has been given to the holder of the Shares, or to the person entitled to it in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of the holder, demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the Shares may be sold. 49. To give effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Shares sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The purchaser or the purchaser's nominee shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer, and the purchaser shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall the purchaser's title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the sale or the exercise of the Company's power of sale under these Articles. 50. The net proceeds of such sale, after payment of costs, shall be applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable and any residue shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the Shares at the date of the sale. CALL ON SHARES 51. Subject to the terms of the allotment the Directors may from time to time make calls upon the Shareholders in respect of any monies unpaid on their Shares (whether in respect of par value or premium), and each Shareholder shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen (14) calendar days' notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on the Shares. A call may be revoked or postponed as the Directors may determine. A call may be required to be paid by instalments. A person upon whom a call is made shall remain liable for calls made upon them notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the Shares in respect of which the call was made. 52. A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed. 53. The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect thereof. 54. If a sum called in respect of a Share is not paid before or on the day appointed for payment thereof, the person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest upon the sum at the rate of eight percent per annum from the day appointed for the payment thereof to the time of the actual payment, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of that interest wholly or in part. 55. An amount payable in respect of a Share on allotment or at any fixed date, whether on account of the par value of the Share or premium or otherwise, shall be deemed to be a call and if it is not paid all the provisions of these Articles shall apply as if that amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call. 56. The Directors may make arrangements on the issue of Shares for a difference between the Shareholders as to the amount and times of payment of calls, or the interest to be paid. 57. The Directors may, if they think fit, receive an amount from any Shareholder willing to advance all or any part of the monies uncalled and unpaid upon any Shares held by such Shareholder, and upon all or any of the monies so advanced may (until the same would, but for such advance, become presently payable) pay interest at such rate (not exceeding without the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution, eight percent per annum) as may be agreed upon between the Directors and the Shareholder paying such amount in advance.
58. No such amount paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Shareholder paying such amount to any portion of a dividend declared in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such amount would, but for such payment, become payable. FORFEITURE OF SHARES 59. If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the Directors may give to the person from whom it is due not less than fourteen (14) calendar days' notice requiring payment of the amount unpaid together with any interest which may have accrued. The notice shall specify where payment is to be made and shall state that if the notice is not complied with the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited. 60. If the notice is not complied with any Share in respect of which it was given may, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors. Such forfeiture shall include all dividends or other monies declared payable in respect of the forfeited Share and not paid before the forfeiture. 61. A forfeited Share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit and at any time before a sale, re-allotment or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. Where for the purposes of its disposal a forfeited Share is to be transferred to any person the Directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Share in favour of that person. 62. A person any of whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Shareholder in respect of them and shall surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate for the Shares forfeited and shall remain liable to pay to the Company all monies which at the date of forfeiture were payable by such person to the Company in respect of those Shares together with interest, but such person's liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all monies due and payable by such person in respect of those Shares. 63. A certificate in writing under the hand of one Director or officer of the Company that a Share has been forfeited on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the fact as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. The certificate shall (subject to the execution of any instrument of transfer) constitute a good title to the Share and the person to whom the Share is disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall such person's title to the Share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the Share. 64. The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the par value of the Share or by way of premium as if it had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL 65. Subject to the rights of Class B Ordinary Shares, including under Article 21(c)(iv), the Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution: (a) increase its share capital by such sum to be divided into Shares of such amounts as the resolution shall prescribe; (b) consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of a larger amount than its existing Shares; (c) sub-divide its existing Shares or any of them into Shares of a smaller amount; provided, that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share is derived; or (d) cancel any Shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled. 66. All new Shares created hereunder shall be subject to the same provisions with reference to the payment of calls, liens, transfer, transmission, forfeiture, and otherwise as the Shares in the original share capital. 67. Subject to the Companies Act and the rights of Class B Ordinary Shares, including under Article 21(c)(iv), the Company may by Special Resolution from time to time reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any way, and in particular, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, may: (a) cancel any paid-up share capital which is lost, or which is not represented by available assets; or
(b) pay off any paid-up share capital which is in excess of the requirements of the Company, and may, if and so far as is necessary, alter the Memorandum by reducing the amounts of its share capital and of its Shares accordingly. GENERAL MEETINGS 68. All general meetings of the Company other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings. The Company shall hold an annual general meeting and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. The annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Directors shall determine. At these annual general meetings, the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented. 69. The Directors may proceed to convene a general meeting whenever they think fit, including, without limitation, for the purposes of considering a liquidation of the Company, and they shall convene a general meeting on the requisition of the Shareholders in accordance with these Articles. 70. A Shareholders requisition is a requisition in writing of: (a) Shareholders holding at the date of deposit of the requisition not less than one third of the votes that may be cast by all of the issued share capital of the Company as at that date carries the right of voting at general meetings of the Company; or (b) the holders of Class B Ordinary Shares entitled to cast a majority of the votes that all Class B Ordinary Shares are entitled to cast. 71. The requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the principal place of business of the Company (with a copy forwarded to the Registered Office), and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more requisitionists. 72. If the Directors do not within 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 21 calendar days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one half 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 months after the expiration of the second said 21 calendar days. 73. A general meeting convened as aforesaid by requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings are convened by the Directors. A general meeting may be convened in the Cayman Islands or at such other location, as the Directors think fit. NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS 74. At least seven (7) calendar days’ notice in writing shall be given for any general meeting. Every notice shall be exclusive of the day on which it is given or deemed to be given and shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be conducted at the meeting and shall be given in the manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner if any as may be prescribed by the Company by Ordinary Resolution, provided, that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this Article 74 has been given and whether or not the provisions of these Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed: (a) in the case of an annual general meeting by all the Shareholders (or their proxies) entitled to attend and vote thereat; and (b) in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by Shareholders (or their proxies) having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, together holding Shares entitling the holders thereof to not less than two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast at such extraordinary general meeting. 75. The accidental omission to give notice of a general meeting to or the non-receipt of a notice of a general meeting by any person entitled to receive such notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at that general meeting. PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
76. No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. One or more Shareholders holding not less than one-third of the total issued share capital of the Company in issue present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote shall be a quorum for all purposes; provided, that, from and after the Acquisition Effective Time where there are Class B Ordinary Shares in issue, the presence in person or by proxy of holders of a majority of the issued Class B Ordinary Shares shall be required in any event. 77. Save as otherwise provided for in these Articles, if within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened on the requisition of or by Shareholders, shall be dissolved. In any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place or to such other day and at such other time and place as the Chairperson may determine and if at such adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for holding the meeting, the meeting shall be dissolved. 78. If the Directors wish to make this facility available for a specific general meeting or all general meetings of the Company, attendance and participation in any general meeting of the Company may be by means of Communication Facilities. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Directors may determine that any general meeting may be held as a Virtual Meeting. The notice of any general meeting at which Communication Facilities will be utilized (including any Virtual Meeting) must disclose the Communication Facilities that will be used, including the procedures to be followed by any Shareholder or other participant of the meeting who wishes to utilize such Communication Facilities for the purposes of attending and participating in such meeting, including attending and casting any vote thereat. 79. The Chairperson, if any, of the Board of Directors shall preside as chairperson at every general meeting. If there is no such Chairperson, or if at any general meeting the appointed chairperson is not present within fifteen (15) minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting or is unwilling to act as chairperson of the meeting, any Director or person nominated by the Directors shall preside as chairperson of that meeting, failing which the Shareholders present shall choose any person present to be chairperson of that meeting. 80. The chairperson of any general meeting (including any Virtual Meeting) shall be entitled to attend and participate at any such general meeting by means of Communication Facilities, and to act as the chairperson of such general meeting, in which event the following provisions shall apply: (a) The chairperson of the meeting shall be deemed to be present at the meeting; and (b) If the Communication Facilities are interrupted or fail for any reason to enable the chairperson of the meeting to hear and be heard by all other persons participating in the meeting, then the other Directors present at the meeting shall choose another Director present to act as chairperson of the meeting for the remainder of the meeting; provided that if no other Director is present at the meeting, or if all the Directors present decline to take the chair, then the meeting shall be automatically adjourned to the same day in the next week and at such time and place as shall be decided by the Board of Directors. 81. The chairperson of the general meeting may with the consent of any general meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place (provided, that no general meeting called by a holder of Class B Ordinary Shares may be adjourned unless a quorum does not exist), but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting except business which might lawfully have been transacted at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting is adjourned for ten (10) calendar days or more, not less than seven (7) calendar days' notice in writing specifying the place, the day and the hour of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of the original meeting but it shall not be necessary to specify in such notice the nature of the business to be transacted at the adjourned meeting. Save as aforesaid, it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting. 82. The Directors may cancel or postpone any duly convened general meeting at any time prior to such meeting, except for general meetings requisitioned by the Shareholders in accordance with these Articles, for any reason or for no reason, upon notice in writing to Shareholders. A postponement may be for a stated period of any length or indefinitely as the Directors may determine. 83. At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided by way of a poll and not on a show of hands. 84. A poll shall be taken in such manner and at such place as the chairperson of the meeting may direct (including the use of a ballot or voting papers, or tickets) and the result of a poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting. 85. All questions submitted to a meeting shall be decided by an Ordinary Resolution except where a greater majority is required by these Articles or by the Companies Act.
VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS 86. Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any class or classes of Shares, including in Articles 21(c)(iv) and 21(d), each Class A Ordinary Share shall be entitled to one (1) vote on all matters subject to a vote of the Shareholders, and each Class B Ordinary Share shall be entitled to twenty (20) votes on all matters subject to a vote of the Shareholders. 87. In the case of joint holders of a Share, the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders, and for this purpose seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register of Members in respect of the Shares. 88. A Shareholder who has appointed special or general attorneys or a Shareholder who is subject to a disability may vote, by such Shareholder's attorney, committee, receiver, curator bonis or other person in the nature of a committee, receiver, or curator bonis appointed by a court and such attorney, committee, receiver, curator bonis or other person may vote by proxy; provided that such evidence as the Directors may require of the authority of the person claiming to vote shall, unless otherwise waived by the Directors, have been deposited at the Registered Office not less than forty eight (48) hours before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which such person claims to vote. No Shareholder shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless all calls or other sums presently payable by him in respect of Shares in the Company have been paid. 89. No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered, and every vote not disallowed at such meeting shall be valid for all purposes. Any such objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairperson of the meeting, whose decision shall be final and conclusive. 90. On a poll votes may be given either personally or by proxy and a Shareholder entitled to more than one vote need not, if the Shareholder votes, use all their votes or cast all the votes the Shareholder uses in the same way. 91. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointor or of the appointor's attorney duly authorised in writing, or if the appointor is a corporation, either under its common seal or under the hand of an officer or attorney so authorised. 92. Any person (whether a Shareholder or not) may be appointed to act as a proxy. A Shareholder may appoint more than one proxy to attend on the same occasion. Where a Shareholder appoints more than one proxy the instrument of proxy shall specify the number of Shares in respect of which each proxy is entitled to exercise the related votes. 93. The instrument appointing a proxy and the power of attorney or other authority (if any) under which it is signed, or a certified copy of such power or authority, must be deposited at the Registered Office, or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice of meeting or in the instrument of proxy issued by the Company: (a) not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the general meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote; or (b) not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the taking of the poll, provided, that the Directors may in the notice convening the general meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, direct that the instrument appointing a proxy may be deposited (no later than the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting) at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company. The chairperson of the meeting may in any event at his discretion direct that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted, or which has not been declared to have been duly deposited by the chairperson, shall be invalid. 94. An instrument of proxy shall: (a) be in any common form or in such other form as the Directors may approve; (b) be deemed to confer authority to vote on any amendment of a resolution put to the general meeting for which it is given as the proxy thinks fit; and (c) subject to its terms, be valid for any adjournment of the general meeting for which it is given.
95. The Directors may at the expense of the Company send to the Shareholders instruments of proxy (with or without prepaid postage for their return) for use at any general meeting, either in blank or nominating in the alternative any one or more of the Directors or any other persons. If for the purpose of any general meeting invitations to appoint as proxy a person or one of a number of persons specified in the invitations are issued at the expense of the Company, such invitations shall be issued to all (and not to some only) of the Shareholders entitled to be sent a notice of the meeting and to vote thereat by proxy. 96. A vote given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the death or insanity of the principal or the revocation of the instrument of proxy, or of the authority under which the instrument of proxy was executed, or the transfer of the share in respect of which the proxy is given provided that no intimation in writing of such death, insanity, revocation or transfer shall have been received by the Company at the Registered Office before commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the instrument of proxy is used. 97. Anything which under these Articles a Shareholder may do by proxy that Shareholder may also do by a duly appointed attorney. The provisions of these Articles relating to proxies and instruments appointing proxies apply, mutatis mutandis, to any such attorney and the instrument appointing that attorney. CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS 98. Any Shareholder which is a corporation or other non-natural person may, in accordance with its constitutional documents, or in the absence of such provision by a resolution of its directors or other governing body, authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting or meetings of the Company. The person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of such corporation or other non-natural person as the corporation or other non-natural person could exercise if it were a Shareholder who was an individual and such corporation or other non-natural person shall for the purposes of these Articles be deemed to be present in person at any such meeting if a person so authorised is present. CLEARING HOUSES 99. If a recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) is a Shareholder of the Company it may authorise such person(s) as it thinks fit to act as its representative(s) at any general meeting of the Company or of any class of Shareholders of the Company; provided, that, if more than one person is so authorised, the authorisation shall specify the number and class of shares in respect of which each such person is so authorised. Each person so authorised pursuant to this Article shall be deemed to have been duly authorised without further evidence of the facts and shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) which he represents as that recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) could exercise if it were an individual Shareholder holding the number and class of shares specified in such authorisation. WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS OF SHAREHOLDERS 100. A resolution (including a Special Resolution) in writing signed by all the Shareholders for the time being entitled to receive notice of, attend and vote at a general meeting (or, being entities, signed by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as a resolution passed at a general meeting duly convened and held and may consist of several documents in the like form each signed by one or more of the Shareholders. DIRECTORS 101. (a) Unless otherwise determined by the Company by Ordinary Resolution, the number of Directors shall not be less than two (2) Directors and the exact number of Directors shall be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors. (b) The Chairperson shall be Danny Yeung, as long as Danny Yeung is a Director. In the event that Danny Yeung is not a Director, the Board of Directors shall elect and appoint a Chairperson by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the Directors then in office, and the period for which the Chairperson will hold office will also be determined by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the Directors then in office. The Chairperson shall preside as chairperson at every meeting of the Board of Directors. To the extent the Chairperson is not present at a meeting of the Board of Directors within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the attending Directors may choose one of their member to be the chairperson of that meeting. (c) An appointment of a Director may be on terms that the Director shall automatically retire from office (unless he has sooner vacated office) at the next or a subsequent annual general meeting or upon any
specified event or after any specified period in a written agreement between the Company and the Director, if any; but no such term shall be implied in the absence of express provision. Each Director whose term of office expires shall be eligible for re-election at a general meeting of the Company or re-appointment by the Board of Directors. 102. A Director shall not be required to hold any Shares in the Company by way of qualification. A Director who is not a Shareholder of the Company shall nevertheless be entitled to receive notice of and to attend and speak at general meetings of the Company and all classes of Shares of the Company. 103. The Company may, by Ordinary Resolution, appoint any person to be a Director and may in like manner remove any Director and may appoint another person in the Director's stead. Without prejudice to the power of the Company by Ordinary Resolution to appoint a person to be a Director, the Board of Directors, so long as a quorum of Directors remains in office, shall have the power at any time and from time to time to appoint any person to be a Director so as to fill a casual vacancy or as an addition to the existing Board of Directors or otherwise. 104. Each Director shall be entitled to such remuneration as approved by the Board of Directors or by Ordinary Resolution and this may be in addition to such remuneration as may be payable under any other Article. Such remuneration shall be deemed to accrue from day to day. The Directors and the Secretary may also be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in attending and returning from meetings of the Directors or any committee of the Directors or general meetings or in connection with the business of the Company. The Directors may, in addition to such remuneration as aforesaid, grant special remuneration to any Director who, being called upon, shall perform any special or extra services to or at the request of the Company. 105. Each Director shall have the power to nominate in writing another Director or any other person to act as alternate Director in the Director's place at any meeting of the Directors at which the Director is unable to be present and at the Director's discretion to remove such alternate Director. On such appointment being made the alternate Director shall (except as regards the power to appoint an alternate Director or as provided otherwise in the form of appointment) be subject in all respects to the terms and conditions existing with reference to the other Directors and each alternate Director, whilst acting in the place of an absent Director, shall exercise and discharge all the functions, powers and duties of the Director being represented. Any Director who is appointed as alternate Director shall be entitled at a meeting of the Directors to cast a vote on behalf of their appointor in addition to the vote to which such Director is entitled in his or her own capacity as a Director, and shall also be considered as two Directors for the purpose of making a quorum of Directors. Any person appointed as an alternate Director shall automatically vacate such office as an alternate Director if and when the Director by whom the alternate Director has been appointed vacates his or her office of Director. The remuneration of an alternate Director shall be payable out of the remuneration of the Director appointing such alternate Director and shall be agreed between them. 106. Every instrument appointing an alternate Director shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve. 107. The appointment and removal of an alternate Director shall take effect when lodged at the Registered Office or delivered at a meeting of the Directors. 108. Any Director may appoint any individual, whether or not a Director, to be the proxy of that Director to attend and vote on his behalf, in accordance with instructions given by that Director, or in the absence of such instructions at the discretion of the proxy, at a meeting or meetings of the Directors which that Director is unable to attend personally. The instrument appointing the proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointing Director and shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve, and must be lodged with the chairperson of the meeting at which such proxy is to be used, or first used, prior to the commencement of the meeting. 109. The office of a Director shall be vacated in any of the following events namely: (b) if the Director resigns their office by notice in writing signed by such Director and left at the Registered Office; (c) if the Director becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with such Director's creditors generally; (d) if the Director dies or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; (e) if the Director ceases to be a Director by virtue of, or becomes prohibited from being a Director by reason of, an order made under any provisions of any law or enactment;
(f) if the Director is removed from office by notice addressed to such Director at their last known address and signed by all of the co-Directors (not being less than two in number); or (g) if the Director is removed from office by Ordinary Resolution. 110. The Board of Directors may, from time to time, and except as required by applicable law or the Designated Stock Exchange Rules, adopt, institute, amend, modify or revoke the corporate governance policies or initiatives, which shall be intended to set forth the policies of the Company and the Board of Directors on various corporate governance related matters as the Board of Directors shall determine by resolution of Directors from time to time. TRANSACTIONS WITH DIRECTORS 111. A Director or alternate Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of Auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director on such terms as to tenure of office and otherwise as the Directors may determine. A Director or alternate Director may act by himself or by, through or on behalf of his firm in a professional capacity for the Company and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director or alternate Director; provided, that nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his firm to act as Auditor to the Company. 112. No Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by their office from contracting with the Company either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or any contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director is in any way interested be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office or of the fiduciary relationship thereby established, but the nature of the Director's interest must be declared by such Director at the meeting of the Directors at which the question of entering into the contract or arrangement is first taken into consideration, or if the Director was not at the date of that meeting interested in the proposed contract or arrangement, then at the next meeting of the Directors held after such Director becomes so interested, and in a case where the Director becomes interested in a contract or arrangement after it is made, then at the first meeting of the Directors held after such Director becomes so interested. 113. In the absence of some other material interest than is indicated below, provided a Director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or proposed contract with the Company declares (whether by specific or general notice) the nature of their interest at a meeting of the Directors that Director may vote in respect of any contract or proposed contract or arrangement notwithstanding that such Director may be interested therein and if such Director does so his vote shall be counted and such Director may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of the Directors at which any such contract or proposed contract or arrangement shall come before the meeting for consideration. A general notice that a Director or alternate Director is a shareholder, director, officer or employee of any specified firm or company and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction with such firm or company shall be sufficient disclosure for the purposes of voting on a resolution in respect of a contract or transaction in which he has an interest and he may be counted in the quorum, and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction. 114. Where proposals are under consideration concerning the appointment (including fixing or varying the terms of appointment) of two or more Directors to offices or employments with the Company or any company in which the Company is interested, such proposals may be divided and considered in relation to each Director separately and in such cases each of the Directors concerned shall be entitled to vote (and be counted in the quorum) in respect of each resolution except that concerning the Director's own appointment. 115. Any Director may continue to be or become a director, managing director, manager or other officer or shareholder of any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested, and no such Director shall be accountable for any remuneration or other benefits received by the Director as a director, managing director, manager or other officer or shareholder of any such other company. The Directors may exercise the voting power conferred by the shares in any other company held or owned by the Company or exercisable by them as directors of such other company, in such manner in all respects as they think fit (including the exercise thereof in favour of any resolution appointing themselves or any of them directors, managing directors or other officers of such company, or voting or providing for the payment of remuneration to the directors, managing directors or other officers of such company). POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS 116. The business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors, who may exercise all such powers of the Company as are not by the Companies Act or by these Articles required to be exercised by the Company in general meeting, subject nevertheless to any regulations of these Articles, to the Companies Act, and to such regulations being not
inconsistent with the aforesaid regulations or provisions as may be prescribed by the Company in general meeting, but no regulations made by the Company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if such regulations had not been made. The general powers given by this Article shall not be limited or restricted by any special authority or power given to the Directors by any other Article. 117. Subject to these Articles, the Directors may from time to time appoint any individual, whether or not a Director of the Company, to hold such office in the Company as the Directors may think necessary for the administration of the Company, including without prejudice to the foregoing generality, the office of the Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer, one or more Vice Presidents, Managers or Controllers, and for such term and at such remuneration (whether by way of salary or commission or participation in profits or partly in one way and partly in another), and with such powers and duties as the Directors may think fit. Unless otherwise specified in the terms of the officer's appointment an officer may be removed by resolution of the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution of the Shareholders. The Directors may also appoint one or more of their body (but not an alternate Director) to the office of managing director upon like terms, but any such appointment shall ipso facto determine if any managing director ceases from any cause to be a Director, or if the Shareholders by Ordinary Resolution resolves that his tenure of office be terminated. 118. The Directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any person, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys or authorised signatory of the Company for such purposes and with such powers authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of persons dealing with any such attorneys or authorised signatory as the Directors may think fit, and may also authorise any such attorney or authorised signatory to sub-delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in such attorney or authorised signatory. The Directors may also appoint any person to be the agent of the Company for such purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and on such conditions as they determine, including authority for the agent to delegate all or any of their powers. 119. The Directors may from time to time provide for the management of the affairs of the Company in such manner as they shall think fit and the provisions contained in the following paragraphs shall be without prejudice to the general powers conferred by this paragraph. 120. All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable or transferable instruments drawn by the Company, and all receipts for monies paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed, as the case may be, in such manner as the Directors shall from time to time by resolution determine. 121. The Directors from time to time and at any time may establish any committees, local boards or agencies for managing any of the affairs of the Company and may appoint any persons to be members of such committees, local boards or agencies, and may appoint any managers or agents of the Company and may fix the remuneration of any of the aforesaid. PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS 122. The Directors may meet together (whether within or outside the Cayman Islands) for the dispatch of business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their meetings, as they think fit. Questions and matters arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes. Each Director present in person or represented by his proxy or alternate shall be entitled to one (1) vote in deciding matters deliberated at any meeting of the Directors. Before the Acquisition Effective Time, in the case of an equality of votes, the Chairperson shall not have a second or casting vote and the resolution shall fail. From and after the Acquisition Effective Time, in the case of an equality of votes, the Chairperson shall have a second or casting vote. A Director may, and the Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors. 123. At least three (3) Business Days’ notice in writing shall be given to all Directors and their respective alternates (if any) for a Board of Directors meeting which notice shall specify a date, time and agenda for such meeting; provided, that such notice period may be reduced or waived with the consent of all the Directors or their respective alternates (if any) either at, before or after the meeting is held; provided, further, that such notice period may, in the event of an emergency as determined by a majority of all Directors, be shortened to such notice period as the Chairperson may determine to be appropriate. The applicable notice period under this Article 123 for the applicable meeting of the Board of Directors shall be referred to as the Notice Period. 124. An agenda identifying in reasonable detail the issues to be considered by the Directors at any such meeting and copies (in printed or electronic form) of any relevant papers to be discussed at the meeting together with all relevant information shall be provided to and received by all Directors and their alternates (if any) within the Notice
Period. The agenda for each meeting shall include any matter submitted to the Company by any Director within the Notice Period. 125. Unless approved by all Directors (whether or not present or represented at such meeting), matters not set out in the agenda need not be considered at a Board of Directors meeting. 126. A Director or Directors may participate in any meeting of the Board of Directors, or of any committee appointed by the Board of Directors of which such Director or Directors are members, by means of Communication Facilities and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting. 127. The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors and unless so fixed shall be a majority of the Directors then in office, including the Chairperson; provided, however, a quorum shall nevertheless exist at a meeting at which a quorum would exist but for the fact that the Chairperson is voluntarily absent from the meeting and notifies the Board of Directors his decision to be absent from that meeting, before or at the meeting; provided, further, that a Director and his appointed alternate Director shall be considered only one person for this purpose. A Director represented by proxy or by an alternate Director at any meeting shall be deemed to be present for the purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present. If a quorum is not present at a Board of Directors meeting within thirty (30) minutes following the time appointed for such Board of Directors meeting, the relevant meeting shall be adjourned for a period of at least three (3) Business Days and the presence of any two (2) Directors shall constitute a quorum at such adjourned meeting. A meeting of the Directors at which a quorum is present when the meeting proceeds to business shall be competent to exercise all powers and discretions for the time being exercisable by the Directors. 128. The continuing Directors or sole continuing Director may act notwithstanding any vacancies in their body, but if and so long as their number is reduced below the minimum number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles, then the continuing Directors or Director may act only to summon a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose. 129. Without prejudice to the powers conferred by these Articles, the Directors from time to time and at any time may establish and delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of such member or members of their body as they think fit, and may authorise the members for the time being of any such committee, or any of them, to fill up any vacancies therein and to act notwithstanding vacancies.. Any committee so formed shall, in the exercise of the powers so delegated, conform to any regulations that may be imposed on them by the Directors. The Directors may adopt formal written charters for committees. 130. The meetings and proceedings of any such committee consisting of two or more Directors shall be governed by the provisions of these Articles regulating the meetings and proceedings of the Directors so far as the same are applicable and are not superseded by any regulations made by the Directors under the preceding Article. 131. A committee appointed by the Directors may elect a chairperson of its meetings. If no such chairperson is elected, or if at any meeting the chairperson is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the members present may choose one of their number to be chairperson of the meeting. A committee appointed by the Directors may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the committee members present and in case of an equality of votes the chairperson of the committee shall have a second or casting vote. 132. All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, or by any individual acting as a Director, shall notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or individual acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, or had vacated office, or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if every such individual had been duly appointed and was qualified and had continued to be a Director and had been entitled to vote. 133. The Directors shall cause minutes to be made of: (a) all appointments of officers made by the Directors; (b) the names of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of Directors; and (c) all resolutions and proceedings of all meetings of the Company and of the Directors and of any committee of Directors. Any such minutes, if purporting to be signed by the chairperson of the meeting at which the proceedings took place, or by the chairperson of the next succeeding meeting, shall, until the contrary be proved, be conclusive evidence of the proceedings.
WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS OF DIRECTORS 134. A resolution in writing signed by all the Directors for the time being or all the members of a committee of Directors entitled to receive notice of a meeting of the Board of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be (an alternate Director, subject as provided otherwise in the terms of appointment of the alternate Director, being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointer), shall be as valid and effective as a resolution passed at a duly convened meeting of the Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be. When signed a resolution may consist of several documents in the like form each signed by one or more of the Directors (or their alternates). PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT 135. A Director who is present at a meeting of the Board of Directors or of a committee of Directors at which action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless the Director's dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless the Director shall file their written dissent from such action with the person acting as the chairperson or secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered mail to such person immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action. BORROWING POWERS 136. The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and hypothecate, mortgage, charge or pledge its undertaking, property, and assets or any part thereof, and to issue debentures, debenture stock or other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party. SECRETARY 137. The Directors may appoint any person to be a Secretary who shall hold office for such term, at such remuneration and upon such conditions and with such powers as they think fit. Any Secretary so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors or by the Company by Ordinary Resolution. Anything required or authorised to be done by or to the Secretary may, if the office is vacant or there is for any other reason no Secretary capable of acting, be done by or to any assistant or deputy Secretary or if there is no assistant or deputy Secretary capable of acting, by or to any officer of the Company authorised generally or specially in that behalf by the Directors, provided that any provisions of these Articles requiring or authorising a thing to be done by or to a Director and the Secretary shall not be satisfied by its being done by or to the same person acting both as Director and as, or in the place of, the Secretary. 138. No person shall be appointed or hold office as Secretary who is: (a) the sole Director; (b) a corporation the sole director of which is the sole Director; or (c) the sole director of a corporation which is the sole Director. THE SEAL 139. The Company may, if the Directors so determine, have a Seal. The Directors shall provide for the safe custody of the Seal and the Seal shall never be used except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors authorised by the Directors in that behalf. The Directors may keep for use outside the Cayman Islands a duplicate Seal. The Directors may from time to time as they see fit (subject to the provisions of these Articles relating to share certificates) determine the persons and the number of such persons in whose presence the Seal or the facsimile thereof shall be used, and until otherwise so determined the Seal or the duplicate thereof shall be affixed in the presence of any one Director or the Secretary, or of some other person duly authorised by the Directors. DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND RESERVES 140. Subject to the Companies Act, these Articles, and any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any class or classes of Shares, the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, declare dividends and distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the dividends or distributions out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor. No dividend or distribution shall be paid except out of the realised or unrealised profits of the Company, or out of the Share Premium Account, or as otherwise permitted by the Companies Act. Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any class or classes of Shares and these Articles, the Company by Ordinary
Resolution may declare dividends out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors. 141. The Directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, at the discretion of the Directors, be applicable for meeting contingencies, or for equalising dividends or for any other purpose to which those funds may be properly applied and pending such application may, at the like discretion, either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments (other than Shares of the Company) as the Directors may from time to time think fit. 142. Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to Shares, or as otherwise determined by the Directors, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid or credited as fully paid on the Shares, but if and so long as nothing is paid up on any of the Shares in the Company dividends may be declared and paid according to the par value of the Shares. No amount paid on a Share in advance of calls shall, while carrying interest, be treated for the purposes of this Article as paid on the Share. If any Share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for dividend or distribution as from a particular date, that Share shall rank for dividend or distribution accordingly. 143. The Directors may deduct and withhold from any dividend or distribution otherwise payable to any Shareholder all sums of money (if any) then payable by the Shareholder to the Company on account of calls or otherwise or any monies which the Company is obliged by law to pay to any taxing or other authority. 144. The Directors may declare that any dividend or distribution be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular of shares, debentures or securities of any other company or in any one or more of such ways and, where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient and in particular may issue fractional Shares and fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any Shareholder upon the basis of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of all Shareholders and may vest any such specific assets in trustees as may seem expedient to the Directors. No dividend shall be made in specie on any Class A Ordinary Shares unless a dividend in specie in equal proportion is made on the Class B Ordinary Shares. 145. Any dividend, distribution, interest or other monies payable in cash in respect of Shares may be paid in any manner determined by the Directors. If paid by cheque it will be sent by mail addressed to the holder at his address in the Register of Members, or addressed to such person and at such address as the holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque shall (unless the Directors in their sole discretion otherwise determine) be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent or to the order of such other person as the Shareholder entitled, or such joint holders as the case may be, may direct. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any dividends, bonuses, or other monies payable in respect of the Share held by them as joint holders. 146. Any dividend or distribution which cannot be paid to a Shareholder and/or which remains unclaimed after six (6) months from the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution may, in the discretion of the Directors, be paid into a separate account in the Company's name, provided that the Company shall not be constituted as a trustee in respect of that account and the dividend or distribution shall remain as a debt due to the Shareholder. Any dividend or distribution which remains unclaimed after a period of six years from the date on which such dividend or other distribution becomes payable shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company. 147. No dividend or distribution shall bear interest against the Company. SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT 148. The Directors shall establish an account on the books and records of the Company to be called the Share Premium Account and shall carry to the credit of such account from time to time a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any Share. ACCOUNTS 149. The Directors shall cause proper books of account (including, where applicable, material underlying documentation including contracts and invoices) to be kept with respect to all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in respect of which the receipt or expenditure takes place, all sales and purchases of goods by the Company and the assets and liabilities of the Company. Such books of account must be retained for a minimum period of five years from the date on which they are prepared. Proper books shall not be deemed to be kept if there are not kept such books of account as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of the Company's affairs and to explain its transactions.
150. The books of account shall be kept at the Registered Office or at such other place as the Directors think fit, and shall always be open to inspection by the Directors. 151. The Board of Directors shall from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what time and places and under what conditions or articles the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Shareholders not being Directors, and no Shareholder (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspection of any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by law or authorised by the Board of Directors or by Ordinary Resolution of the Shareholders. 152. The Directors may cause to be prepared and to be laid before the Company in general meeting profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, group accounts (if any) and such other reports and accounts as may be required by law and the listing rules of the Designated Stock Exchange. 153. Subject to the requirements of applicable law and the listing rules of the Designated Stock Exchange, the accounts relating to the Company’s affairs shall be audited with such financial year end as set forth in Article 180 and in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Company by Ordinary Resolution or failing any such determination by the Directors or failing any determination as aforesaid shall not be audited. AUDIT 154. The Directors may appoint an auditor of the Company who shall hold office until removed from office by a resolution of the Directors and may fix his or their remuneration. 155. Every Auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and officers of the Company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of auditors. 156. Auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next general meeting following their appointment, and at any time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors at any general meeting of the Company. 157. The accounts relating to the Company's affairs shall be audited in such manner as may be determined from time to time by Ordinary Resolution of the Shareholders or failing any such determination, by the Board of Directors, or failing any determination as aforesaid, shall not be audited. CAPITALISATION OF PROFITS 158. Subject to the Companies Act, these Articles and any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any class or classes of Shares, the Board of Directors may: (a) resolve to capitalise any amount standing to the credit of reserves (including a share premium account, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account) or otherwise available for distribution; (b) appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalised to the Shareholders in the proportions in which such sum would have been divisible amongst such Shareholders had the same been a distribution of profits by way of dividend or other distribution, and apply that sum on their behalf in or towards: (i) paying up the amounts (if any) for the time being unpaid on Shares held by them respectively; or (ii) paying up in full unissued Shares or debentures of a nominal amount equal to that sum, and allot the Shares or debentures, credited as fully paid, to the Shareholders (or as they may direct) in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other, but the share premium account, the capital redemption reserve and profits which are not available for distribution may, for the purposes of this Article, only be applied in paying up unissued Shares to be allotted to Shareholders credited as fully paid; (c) make any arrangements it thinks fit to resolve a difficulty arising in the distribution of a capitalised reserve and in particular, without limitation, where Shares or debentures become distributable in fractions the Board of Directors may deal with the fractions as it thinks fit (including provisions whereby the benefit of fractional entitlements accrue to the Company rather than to the Shareholders concerned);
(d) authorise a person to enter (on behalf of all the Shareholders concerned) an agreement with the Company providing for either: (i) the allotment to the Shareholders respectively, credited as fully paid, of Shares or debentures to which they may be entitled on the capitalisation, or (ii) the payment by the Company on behalf of the Shareholders (by the application of their respective operations of the reserves resolved to be capitalised) of the amounts or part of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing Shares, an agreement made under the authority being effective and binding on all those Shareholders; and (e) generally do all acts and things required to give effect to the resolution. NOTICES AND INFORMATION 159. Any notice or document may be served by the Company on any Shareholder: (a) personally; (b) by registered post or courier to that Shareholder's address as appearing in the Register of Members; or (c) by cable, telex, facsimile, e-mail or any other electronic means should the Directors deem it appropriate. 160. In the case of joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to that one of the joint holders whose name stands first in the Register of Members in respect of the joint holding, and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the joint holders. 161. Notices posted to addresses outside the Cayman Islands shall be forwarded by prepaid airmail or a recognized courier service. 162. Any Shareholder present, either personally or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company shall for all purposes be deemed to have received due notice of such meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which such meeting was convened. 163. Any summons, notice, order or other document required to be sent to or served upon the Company, or upon any Director or officer of the Company may be sent or served by leaving the same or sending it through the post in a prepaid letter envelope or wrapper, addressed to the Company or to such Director or officer at the Registered Office. 164. Any notice or other document, if served by: (a) registered post, shall be deemed to have been served five calendar days after the time when the letter containing the same is posted; (b) facsimile, shall be deemed to have been served upon production by the transmitting facsimile machine of a report confirming transmission of the facsimile in full to the facsimile number of the recipient ; (c) recognised courier service, shall be deemed to have been served 48 hours after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier service; or (d) electronic means, shall be deemed to have been served immediately (i) upon the time of the transmission to the electronic mail address supplied by the Shareholder to the Company or (ii) upon the time of its placement on the Company's website. In proving service by post or courier service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice or documents was properly addressed and duly posted or delivered to the courier service. 165. Any notice or document delivered or sent by post to or left at the registered address of any Shareholder in accordance with these Articles shall notwithstanding that such Shareholder be then dead, bankrupt or dissolved, and whether or not the Company has notice of such death, bankruptcy or dissolution, be deemed to have been duly served in respect of any Share registered in the name of such Shareholder as sole or joint holder, unless the Shareholder's name shall at the time of the service of the notice or document, have been removed from the Register of Members as the holder
of the Share, and such service shall for all purposes be deemed a sufficient service of such notice or document on all persons interested (whether jointly with or as claiming through or under such Shareholder) in the Share. 166. Notice of every general meeting shall be given to: (a) all Shareholders holding Shares with the right to receive notice and who have supplied to the Company an address for the giving of notices to them; (b) every person entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder, who but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting; and (c) each Director and alternate Director. No other person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings. 167. No Shareholder shall be entitled to require discovery of any information in respect of any detail of the Company’s trading or any information which is or may be in the nature of a trade secret or secret process which may relate to the conduct of the business of the Company and which in the opinion of the Board of Directors would not be in the interests of the Shareholders of the Company to communicate to the public. 168. The Board of Directors shall be entitled to release or disclose any information in its possession, custody or control regarding the Company or its affairs to any of its members including, without limitation, information contained in the Register of Members and transfer books of the Company. WINDING UP AND FINAL DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS 169. The Directors may present a winding up petition on behalf of the Company without the sanction of a resolution of the Shareholders passed at a general meeting. 170. If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator shall apply the assets of the Company in satisfaction of creditors' claims in such manner and order as such liquidator thinks fit. 171. If the Company shall be wound up, and the assets available for distribution amongst the Shareholders shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Shareholders in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them. If in a winding up the assets available for distribution amongst the Shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Shareholders in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them 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 the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise. This Article is without prejudice to the rights of the holders of Shares issued upon special terms and conditions. 172. If the Company shall be wound up (whether the liquidation is voluntary, under supervision or by the court) the liquidator may, subject to the rights attaching to any Shares and with the authority of a Special Resolution, divide among the Shareholders in specie the whole or any part of the assets of the Company, and whether or not the assets shall consist of property of a single kind, and may for such purposes set such value as the liquidator deems fair upon any one or more class or classes of property, and may determine how such division shall be carried out as between the Shareholders. The liquidator may, with the like authority, vest any part of the assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of Shareholders as the liquidator, with the like authority, shall think fit, and the liquidation of the Company may be closed and the Company dissolved, but so that no Shareholder shall be compelled to accept any assets in respect of which there is liability. INDEMNITY 173. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, every Director (including for the purposes of this Article any alternate Director appointed pursuant to the provisions of these Articles) or officer of the Company together with every former Director and former officer of the Company and the personal representatives of the same (but not including the Company's auditors) (each an Indemnified Person) shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability, action, proceeding, claim, demand, costs, damages or expenses, including legal expenses, whatsoever which they or any of them may incur as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out their functions other than such liability (if any) that they may incur by their own dishonesty, actual fraud or wilful default. No such Indemnified Person shall be liable to the Company for any loss or damage in carrying out their functions unless that liability arises through the dishonesty, actual fraud or wilful default of such Indemnified Person. No Indemnified Person shall be found to be dishonest or have committed actual fraud or wilful default under this Article
unless or until a court of competent jurisdiction shall have made a finding to that effect, and such finding shall have become final and non-appealable. 174. The Directors on behalf of the Company, shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of any person who is or was a Director or officer of the Company indemnifying them against any liability which may lawfully be insured against by the Company. DISCLOSURE 175. Any Director, officer or authorised agent of the Company shall, if lawfully required to do so under the laws of any jurisdiction to which the Company is subject or in compliance with the rules of any stock exchange upon which the Company’s shares are listed, be entitled to release or disclose to any regulatory or judicial authority, or to any stock exchange upon which the Company’s shares are listed, any information in their possession regarding the affairs of the Company including, without limitation, any information contained in the Register of Members. CLOSING REGISTER OF MEMBERS OR FIXING RECORD DATE 176. For the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at any meeting of Shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination as to who is a Shareholder for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period but not to exceed in any case 30 calendar days. If the Register of Members shall be so closed for the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders such register shall be so closed for at least 10 calendar days immediately preceding such meeting and the record date for such determination shall be the date of the closure of the Register of Members. 177. In lieu of or apart from closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of the Shareholders and for the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend, the Directors may, at or within 90 calendar days prior to the date of declaration of such dividend fix a subsequent date as the record date of such determination. 178. If the Register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of those Shareholders entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is sent or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Shareholders. When a determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders has been made as provided in this section, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof. REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION 179. The Company may by Special Resolution resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing. The Directors may cause an application to be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing and may cause all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company. FINANCIAL YEAR 180. The Directors shall determine the financial year of the Company and may change the same from time to time. Unless they determine otherwise, the financial year of the Company shall end on December 31st of each year. AMENDMENTS TO MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION 181. Subject to Article 21(c)(iv)(5), the Company may from time to time alter or add to these Articles or alter or add to the Memorandum with respect to any objects, powers or other matters specified therein or change the name of the Company by passing a Special Resolution in the manner prescribed by the Companies Act. MERGERS AND CONSOLIDATION
182. The Company shall have the power to merge or consolidate with one or more other constituent companies (as defined in the Companies Act) upon such terms as the Directors may determine and (to the extent required by the Companies Act) with the approval of a Special Resolution.
Paul Christopher | Simon Lawrenson | Danielle Roman | Claire Fulton | Justine Lau | James Broad | Jessica Lee | Michael Popki n | Paul Trewartha Mourant Ozannes (Hong Kong) LLP is a limited liability partnership under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance (Cap. 159) of Hong Kong and is registered and regulated by the Law Society of Hong Kong as a Foreign Law Firm. Further information about the partners and Mourant Ozannes (Hong Kong) LLP and other Mourant network members is available on our website: www.mourant.com mourant.com Mourant Ozannes (Hong Kong) LLP 1002-1008 10/F Gloucester Tower Landmark 15 Queen's Road Central Hong Kong T + 852 3995 5700 F + 852 3995 5799 Prenetics Global Limited c/o Unit 701-706 K11 Atelier King's Road 728 King's Road Quarry Bay Hong Kong Date | 16 January 2024 Our ref | 8054020/89319411/1 Dear Sirs and Mesdames Prenetics Global Limited (the Company) We have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to the Company to provide this legal opinion in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form F-3 to be filed on 17 January 2024 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, relating to the offering and sale (the Offering) of 1,481,482 Class A Ordinary Shares of par value US$0.0015 par value each (the Shares). 1. Documents Reviewed For the purposes of this opinion we have examined a copy of each of the following documents: (a) The certificate of incorporation of the Company dated 21 July 2021; (b) The amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as adopted by a special resolution on 15 September 2021 (the M&A); (c) The Company's register of directors and officers (the Register of Directors, together with the M&A, the Company Records); (d) written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company dated 23 June 2023 and dated 13 July 2023 approving (among other things) the offering of the Shares by the Company (collectively, the Board Resolutions); (e) notice dated 6 October 2023, and minutes, of the annual general meeting of the Company held on 20 October 2023 authorising a reverse stock split of the Company's Class A Ordinary Shares (the resolutions passed at such general meeting, together with the Board Resolutions, the Resolutions); (f) a certificate of good standing dated 12 January 2024, issued by the Registrar of Companies (the Registrar) in the Cayman Islands (the Certificate of Good Standing); and (g) a draft of the registration statement on Form F-3 to be filed with the Commission on 17 January 2024 in relation to the Company (excluding its exhibits and any documents incorporated by reference into such registration statement) (the Registration Statement).
8062151/89319411/1 2 2. Assumptions The following opinions are given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion letter. These opinions only relate to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion letter. In giving these opinions we have relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified: 2.1 Copy documents or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals. 2.2 That where a document has been examined by us in draft form, it will be or has been executed and/or filed in the form of the draft, and where a number of drafts of a document have been examined by us all changes thereto have been marked or otherwise drawn to our attention. 2.3 The accuracy and completeness of all factual representations made in the documents reviewed by us. 2.4 The genuineness of all signatures and seals. 2.5 The Resolutions were duly passed, are in full force and effect and have not been amended, revoked or superseded. 2.6 There is nothing under any law (other than the law of the Cayman Islands) which would or might affect the opinions set out below. 2.7 That the directors of the Company have not exceeded any applicable allotment authority conferred on the directors by the shareholders. 2.8 That the Company received in full the consideration for which the Company agreed to issue the Shares, which is equal to at least the par value thereof. 2.9 The validity and binding effect under the laws of the United States of America of the Registration Statement and the Registration Statement will be duly filed with the Commission. 2.10 Each director of the Company (and any alternate director) has disclosed to each other director any interest of that director (or alternate director) in the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement in accordance with the M&A. 2.11 The Company is not insolvent, will not be insolvent and will not become insolvent as a result of executing, or performing its obligations under the Registration Statement and no steps have been taken, or resolutions passed, to wind up the Company or appoint a receiver in respect of the Company or any of its assets. 2.12 The Company Records were and remain at the date of this opinion accurate and complete. 2.13 No Share had been issued for a price which is less than its par value. 2.14 No change will be made to the Company's memorandum of association or articles of association which will affect the continuing accuracy of this opinion. 3. Opinion Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set out below and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that: 3.1 The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Company is deemed to be in good standing on the date of issue of the Certificate of Good Standing if it:
8062151/89319411/1 3 (a) has paid all fees and penalties under the Companies Act; and (b) is not, to the Registrar's knowledge, in default under the Companies Act. 3.2 Based solely on our review of the M&A and the Resolutions, the authorised share capital of the Company is US$50,000 divided into 33,333,334 shares of US$0.0015 par value each, of which (i) 26,666,667 are designated as Class A Ordinary Shares, (ii) 3,333,333 are designated as convertible Class B Ordinary Shares and (iii) 3,333,334 are designated as shares of such class or classes (however designated) as the board of directors may determine in accordance with the M&A and the Resolutions. 3.3 The issue of the Shares had been duly authorised and the Shares are legally issued and allotted, fully paid and non-assessable. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a share is only issued when it has been entered in the register of members (shareholders). 4. Qualifications 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. In this opinion the phrase non-assessable means, with respect to Shares in the Company, that a member shall not, solely by virtue of its status as a member, be liable for additional assessments or calls on the Shares by the Company or its creditors (except in exceptional circumstances and subject to the M&A, 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). 5. Consent We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the heading Legal Matters in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder. Yours faithfully Mourant Ozannes (Hong Kong) LLP
1 REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT This REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of 20 July, 2023, is made and entered into by and among Prenetics Global Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and the undersigned parties listed on the signature pages hereto (each such party a “Holder” and collectively the “Holders”). RECITALS WHEREAS, the Company and the Holders (who are defined as the “Purchaser” and the “Vendors”, respectively, therein) entered into that certain Share Sale Agreement, dated as of 25 June, 2023 (the “Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which and in consideration for each Holder entering into, the Purchase Agreement, the Company shall cause to be issued to the Holders the Consideration Shares (as defined therein) in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement; WHEREAS, pursuant to the terms of, and in consideration for each Holder entering into, the Purchase Agreement, and to induce each Holder to execute and deliver the Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide the Holders with certain registration rights with respect to the Registrable Securities (as defined herein) as set forth herein; NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the representations, covenants and agreements contained herein and in the Purchase Agreement, and certain other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows: ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS The terms defined in this Article 1 shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, have the respective meanings set forth below: “Adverse Disclosure” shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, (a) which disclosure, in the good faith judgment of the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, after consultation with counsel to the Company, (i) would be required to be made in any Registration Statement or Prospectus in order for the applicable Registration Statement or Prospectus not to contain any Misstatement, and (ii) would not be required to be made at such time if the Registration Statement were not being filed, declared effective or used, as the case may be, and (b) as to which the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public. “Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the preamble of this Agreement. “Allowable Grace Period” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in subsection 3.2.1. “Applicable Law” means, with respect to a Person, any laws, regulations, rules, measures, guidelines, treaties, judgments, determination, decisions, orders or notices, demands, decree, of any Governmental Authority or stock exchange and in any jurisdiction that is applicable to such Person. “Board” shall mean the board of directors of the Company. “Business Day” shall mean a day a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in Hong Kong, the State of New York, the USA or the Cayman Islands are required or authorised by law to be closed, or on which a tropical cyclone warning no.8 or above or a “black” rainstorm warning signal is hoisted in Hong Kong at any time between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Hong Kong time. “Commission” shall mean the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor Entity. “Company” shall have the meaning given in the preamble of this Agreement. “Completion” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Purchase Agreement. “Consideration Shares” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Purchase Agreement. “Effective Date” means the date that the applicable Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission. “Effectiveness Period” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in subsection 3.1.2. “Eligible Market” means The New York Stock Exchange, Inc., NYSE AMEX Equities, the NASDAQ Global Select Market,
2 The NASDAQ Global Market or the NASDAQ Capital Market. “Entity” means any corporation (including any nonprofit corporation), general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, joint venture, estate, trust, company (including any company limited by shares, limited liability company, or joint stock company), firm, society, or other enterprise, association, organization, or entity. “Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as it may be amended from time to time, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. “Filing Deadline” means (i) with respect to the Shelf Registration Statement required to be filed to pursuant to Section 2.1, within six (6) months following Completion and (ii) with respect to any New Registration Statement that may be required to be filed by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, the 30th Business Day following the sale of substantially all of the Registrable Securities included in the Initial Registration Statement or the most recent prior New Registration Statement, as applicable, or such other date as permitted by the Commission and, in each of (i) and (ii), in accordance with the requirements under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission. “Form F-1” shall mean such form under the Securities Act as in effect on the date hereof or any successor registration form under the Securities Act subsequently adopted by the Commission. “Form F-1 Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1. “Form F-3” shall mean such form under the Securities Act as in effect on the date hereof or any registration form under the Securities Act subsequently adopted by the Commission that permits forward incorporation of substantial information by reference to other documents filed by the Company with the Commission. “Form F-3 Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1. “Governmental Authority” means any United States or non-United States: (i) nation, state, commonwealth, province, territory, region, county, city, municipality, district, or other jurisdiction of any nature; (ii) federal, state, local, municipal, foreign or other government; or (iii) governmental, quasi-governmental, public or statutory authority of any nature (including any governmental division, department, agency, regulatory or administrative authority, commission, instrumentality, official, organization, unit, body, or Entity and any court, judicial or arbitral body, or other tribunal). “Grace Period” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in subsection 3.2.1. “Holders” shall have the meaning given in the preamble of this Agreement. “Hong Kong” means the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. “Indemnified Party” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.3. “Lock-Up Agreement” shall mean, as applicable, the agreements and undertakings of the Holders set forth in clause 6.3 of the Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which each Holder has agreed not to transfer the Registrable Securities held by such Holder for a certain period of time after Completion. “Misstatement” shall mean an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated in a Registration Statement or Prospectus, or necessary to make the statements in a Registration Statement or Prospectus (in the case of a Prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading “New Registration Statement” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1. “Permitted Transferees” shall mean a person or entity to whom a Holder of Registrable Securities is permitted to transfer such Registrable Securities prior to the expiration of the lock-up period under the applicable Lock-Up Agreement, and to any transferee thereafter. “Pro Rata” shall mean, with respect to a given Registration, offering or Transfer of Registrable Securities pursuant to this Agreement, pro rata based on (A) the number of Registrable Securities that each Holder, as applicable, has requested or proposed to be included in such Registration, offering or Transfer and (B) the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that all Holders have requested or proposed to be included in such Registration, offering or Transfer. “Ordinary Shares” means the fully paid Class A ordinary shares in the capital of the Company.
3 “Person” means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, syndicate, person (including, without limitation, a “person” as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), trust, association, or to the extent not already covered, an Entity, or government, political subdivision, agency or instrumentality of a government, or to the extent not already covered, a Governmental Authority. “PRC” means the People’s Republic of China but excluding, for the purposes of this Agreement, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. “Prospectus” shall mean the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, as supplemented by any and all prospectus supplements and as amended by any and all post-effective amendments and including all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus. “Prospectus Supplement” means any prospectus supplement to the Prospectus filed with the Commission from time to time pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, including the documents incorporated by reference therein. “Purchase Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to this Agreement. “Registrable Securities” shall mean: (A) all of the Consideration Shares; and (B) any other equity security of the Company issued or issuable with respect to any such Consideration Shares, including, without limitation, by way of a stock dividend or stock split or in connection with a recapitalization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, reorganization or similar transaction; provided, however, as to any particular Registrable Securities, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (i) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (ii) such securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates for such securities not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of such securities shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (iii) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding; or (iv) such securities have been sold to, or through, a broker, dealer or underwriter in a public distribution or other public securities transaction; “Registration” shall mean a registration effected by preparing and filing one or more Registration Statements or similar documents in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act and pursuant to Rule 415, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective. “Registration Statement” shall mean any registration statement or registrations statements that cover the Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, including the Prospectus included in such registration statement, amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registration statement, and all exhibits to and all material incorporated by reference in such registration statement. “Required Holders” means the holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities. “Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any other similar or successor rule or regulation of the Commission that may at any time permit the Investors to sell securities of the Company to the public without registration. “Rule 415” means Rule 415 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any other similar or successor rule or regulation of the Commission providing for offering securities on a delayed or continuous basis. “SEC Guidance” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1. “Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. “Shelf” shall mean the Form F-1 Shelf, the Form F-3 Shelf or any Subsequent Shelf, as the case may be. “Shelf Registration” shall mean a Registration of securities pursuant to a Registration Statement filed with the Commission in accordance with and pursuant to Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule then in effect).
4 “Subsequent Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.2. “Transfer” shall mean the (a) sale of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act with respect to, any security, (b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or (b). “Trading Day” shall mean any day on which the Trading Market or, if the Ordinary Shares are then listed on any other Eligible Market, such Eligible Market is open for trading (regular way), including any day on which the Trading Market (or such Eligible Market, as applicable) is open for trading (regular way) for a period of time less than the customary time. “Trading Market” means The Nasdaq Global Market. “Transaction Documents” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Purchase Agreement. ARTICLE 2 REGISTRATIONS Resale Shelf Registration. 2.1.1 The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission as soon as practicable, but in no event later than the Filing Deadline, and use commercially reasonable efforts to (a) cause to be declared effective as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter, a Registration Statement for a Shelf Registration on Form F-3 (a “Form F-3 Shelf”)(or, if the Company is not eligible to use Form F-3, a Form F-1 (the “Form F-1 Shelf”)) covering the resale by the Holders of the maximum number of Registrable Securities (determined as of two (2) Business Days prior to such filing), in accordance with applicable Commission rules, regulations and interpretations, on a delayed or continuous basis and (b) subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, including Section 3.2, keep such Form F-1 Shelf or Form F-3 Shelf effective and available for use in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act. 2.1.2 Such Shelf shall provide for the resale of the Registrable Securities included therein pursuant to any method or combination of methods legally available to, and requested by, any Holder named therein. 2.2 Rule 415 Cutback. 2.2.1 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in Section 2.1, in the event the Commission informs the Company that all of the Registrable Securities cannot, as a result of the application of Rule 415 of the Securities Act, be registered for resale as a secondary offering on a single registration statement, the Company agrees to promptly (a) inform each of the Holders and use its commercially reasonable efforts to file amendments to the Shelf Registration as required by the Commission and/or (b) withdraw the Shelf Registration and file a new Registration Statement (a “New Registration Statement”), on Form F-3, or if Form F-3 is not then available to the Company for such Registration Statement, on such other form available to register for resale the Registrable Securities as a secondary offering; provided, however, that prior to filing such amendment or New Registration Statement, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to advocate with the Commission for the registration of all of the Registrable Securities in accordance with any publicly-available written or oral guidance, comments, requirements or requests of the Commission staff (the “SEC Guidance”). 2.2.2 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if any SEC Guidance sets forth a limitation of the number of Registrable Securities permitted to be registered on a particular Registration Statement as a secondary offering (and notwithstanding that the Company used commercially reasonable efforts to advocate with the Commission for the registration of all or a greater number of Registrable Securities), unless otherwise directed in writing by a Holder as to its Registrable Securities and subject to a determination by the Commission that certain Holders must be reduced first based on the number of Registrable Securities held by such Holders, the number of Registrable Securities to be registered on such Registration Statement will be reduced on a Pro Rata basis among the Holders. 2.2.3 If the Company amends the Shelf Registration or files a New Registration Statement, as the case may be, under this Section 2.2, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission, as promptly as allowed by the Commission or SEC Guidance, one or more registration statements on Form F-3 or such other form available to register for resale those Registrable Securities (a) that were not registered for resale on the Shelf Registration, as amended, or the New Registration Statement and (b) are no longer restricted by any Lock-Up Agreement. 2.1
5 2.3 Amendment, Supplement and Subsequent Shelf. 2.3.1 The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain a Shelf in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, and shall prepare and file with the Commission from time to time such amendments and supplements to the Shelf as may be necessary to keep the Shelf continuously effective, available for use and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until such time as there are no longer any Registrable Securities. 2.3.2 If a Shelf ceases to be effective under the Securities Act for any reason at any time while Registrable Securities are still outstanding, the Company shall, subject to Section 3.2, use commercially reasonable efforts to as promptly as is reasonably practicable (a) cause such Shelf to again become effective under the Securities Act (including using commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the prompt withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of such Shelf), (b) amend such Shelf in a manner reasonably expected to result in the withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of such Shelf, or (c) prepare and file an additional Registration Statement for a Shelf Registration (a “Subsequent Shelf”) registering the resale of all Registrable Securities (determined as of two (2) Business Days prior to such filing), and pursuant to any method or combination of methods legally available to, and requested by, any Holder named therein. 2.3.3 If a Subsequent Shelf is filed pursuant to subsection 2.3.2, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to (a) cause such Subsequent Shelf to become effective under the Securities Act as promptly as is reasonably practicable after the filing thereof, and (b) keep such Subsequent Shelf continuously effective, available for use and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until such time as there are no longer any Registrable Securities. Any such Subsequent Shelf shall be on Form F-3 to the extent that the Company is eligible to use such form, and shall be an automatic shelf registration statement as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act if the Company is a well-known seasoned issuer as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act at the most recent applicable eligibility determination date. ARTICLE 3 COMPANY PROCEDURES 3.1 General Procedures. In connection with any Registration Statement and whenever any Registrable Securities are to be registered pursuant to Article 2, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to effect such Registration to permit the sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution thereof, and pursuant thereto the Company shall, as expeditiously as reasonably practicable without causing any undue disruption to the business of the Company: 3.1.1 prepare and file with the Commission a Registration Statement with respect to such Registrable Securities and use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and remain effective for the Effectiveness Period (as defined below); 3.1.2 subject to Section 3.2, prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement, and such supplements to the Prospectus, as may be required by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company or by the Securities Act or rules and regulations thereunder to keep the Registration Statement effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement are no longer Registrable Securities (the “Effectiveness Period”); 3.1.3 prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, use commercially reasonable efforts to (a) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may reasonably request in writing and (b) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be reasonably necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be reasonably necessary to enable the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition thereto to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this subsection 3.1.3 or to take any action to which it would be subject to general service of process or taxation in any such jurisdiction where it is not then otherwise so subject; 3.1.4 promptly notify the Holders of Registrable Securities of the receipt by the Company of any notification by a governmental authority or the Commission with respect to the suspension of the registration or qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of any jurisdiction in the United States or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; 3.1.5 cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each securities exchange or automated quotation system on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed;
6 3.1.6 provide a transfer agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than the effective date of such Registration Statement; 3.1.7 advise each seller of such Registrable Securities, and in no event later than one (1) Business Day, promptly after it shall receive notice or obtain knowledge thereof, of the issuance of any stop order by the Commission suspending the effectiveness of such Registration Statement or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose and promptly use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such stop order should be issued; 3.1.8 at least five (5) Business Days prior to the filing of any Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or Prospectus, furnish a copy thereof to such Holder of such Registrable Securities or its counsel without charge (including any exhibits thereto and any filing made under the Exchange Act that is to be incorporated by reference therein) and, thereafter, give good faith consideration to the comments of a single U.S. counsel for such sellers; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to consider any comments received unless such comments shall have been received by the Company at least three (3) Business Days prior to the relevant filing; 3.1.9 as promptly as reasonably practicable after becoming aware of such event or facts, notify the Holders, at any time when a Prospectus relating to such Registration Statement is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the occurrence of any event or the existence of such facts as a result of which the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes a Misstatement, and then, subject to Section 3.2, to correct such Misstatement as set forth in Section 3.2 hereof; 3.1.10 make available to its security holders (which may be satisfied by making such information available on EDGAR), as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least twelve (12) months beginning with the first day of the Company’s first full calendar quarter after the Effective Date of the particular Registration Statement which satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder (or any successor rule then in effect); and 3.1.11 otherwise, cooperate reasonably with, and take such customary actions as may reasonably be requested by the participating Holders, consistent with the terms of this Agreement, in connection with any Registration hereunder. 3.2 Restrictions on Registration Rights; Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure. 3.2.1 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein (but subject to subsection 3.2.5), at any time after the Effective Date of a particular Registration Statement, the Company shall be permitted to suspend each Holder’s use of any Prospectus that is part of any Registration Statement (in which event, the Holders shall, in accordance with subsection 3.2.2, discontinue sales of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement contemplated by this Agreement), if the Company is aware of any material, non-public information concerning the Company or any of its subsidiaries the disclosure of which at the time is not, in the good-faith opinion of the Board, in the best interest of the Company, nor, based on the advice of counsel to the Company, otherwise required (a “Grace Period”); provided, however, that the Company shall promptly, but in no event later than 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the second (2nd) Trading Day immediately prior to the commencement of any Grace Period (except for such case where it is impossible to provide such two-Trading Day advance notice, in which case the Company shall provide such notice as soon as possible), notify the Holders in writing of the (i) existence of material, non-public information giving rise to a Grace Period (provided that in each such notice the Company shall not disclose the content of such material, non-public information to the Holders) and the date on which such Grace Period will begin and (ii) date on which such Grace Period is expected to end; provided, further, that (I) no Grace Period shall exceed sixty (60) consecutive Trading Days or an aggregate of one hundred and twenty (120) days in any twelve (12) month period; provided, further, that the Company shall not register any securities for the account of itself or any other shareholder during any such Grace Period, (II) the first day of any Grace Period must be at least three (3) Trading Days (or such shorter period as may be agreed between the Company the Holders) after the last day of any prior Grace Period and (III) no Grace Period may exist during the first ten (10) consecutive Trading Days after the Effective Date of the particular Registration Statement (each, an “Allowable Grace Period”). For purposes of determining the length of an Allowable Grace Period above, such Allowable Grace Period shall begin on and include the date set forth in the notice referred to in clause (i) above, provided that such notice is received by the Holders not later than 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the second (2nd) Trading Day immediately prior to such commencement date (except for such case where it is impossible to provide such two-Trading Day advance notice, in which case the Company shall provide such notice as soon as possible) and shall end on and include the later of the date the Holders receive the notice referred to in clause (ii) above and the date referred to in such notice. Upon expiration of each Allowable Grace Period, the Company shall promptly terminate any suspension of sales it has put into effect and shall take such other reasonable actions to permit registered sales of Registrable Securities as contemplated by this Agreement and shall again be bound by subsection 3.1.9 with respect to the information giving rise thereto, unless such material, non-public information is no longer applicable. 3.2.2 Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that (a) a Registration Statement or Prospectus contains a
7 Misstatement, or (b) an Allowable Grace Period is in effect, each of the Holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until it has received copies of a supplemented or amended Prospectus correcting the Misstatement as contemplated by subsection 3.1.9 (it being understood that the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as practicable after the time of such notice) or until it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed. 3.2.3 In addition, if the filing, initial effectiveness or continued use of a Registration Statement in respect of any Registration at any time (a) would require the inclusion in such Registration Statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the Company’s control, (b) would, in the good faith view of the Company, require the Company to make an Adverse Disclosure, (c) would, in the good faith view of the Company, accompanied by a certificate signed by the Company’s Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or Chief Financial Officer stating that in the good faith judgment of the Board it would, be materially detrimental to the Company or (d) could materially affect a bona fide business or financing transaction of the Company or its subsidiaries, then the Company may, from the date sixty (60) days prior to the Company’s good faith estimate of the date of the filing of a Registration Statement and continuing after the Effective Date of any such Registration Statement, and provided that the Company continues to actively employ, in good faith, commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the effectiveness of the applicable Registration Statement, upon giving prompt written notice of such action to the Holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such Registration Statement for the period of time determined in good faith by the Company to be necessary for such purpose. 3.2.4 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Company shall not have the right to exercise the rights set forth in this Section 3.2 for more than sixty (60) consecutive Trading Days or more than one hundred and twenty (120) days, in any such case, in any twelve (12) month period. In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the Holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the Prospectus relating to any Registration in connection with any sale or offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall promptly notify the Holders of the expiration of any period during which it exercised its rights under this Section 3.2. 3.2.5 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 3.2, the Company shall cause its transfer agent to deliver Ordinary Shares to a Permitted Transferee of a Holder in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement in connection with any sale of Registrable Securities with respect to which the Holder has entered into a contract for sale, and delivered a copy of the Prospectus included as part of the particular Registration Statement to the extent applicable, prior to the Holder’s receipt of the notice of an Allowable Grace Period and for which the Holder has not yet settled.
8 ARTICLE 4 OBLIGATIONS OF THE HOLDERS 4.1 Obligations of the Holders. 4.1.1 At least five (5) Business Days prior to the first anticipated filing date of each Registration Statement (or such shorter period to which the parties agree), the Company shall notify the Holders in writing of the information the Company requires from the Holders with respect to such Registration Statement. It shall be a condition precedent to the obligations of the Company to complete the Registration pursuant to this Agreement with respect to the Registrable Securities of the Holders that each Holder shall furnish to the Company such information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities held by it and the intended method of disposition of the Registrable Securities held by it, as shall be reasonably required to effect and maintain the effectiveness of the registration of such Registrable Securities and shall execute such documents in connection with such registration as the Company may reasonably request. 4.1.2 Each Holder, by its acceptance of the Registrable Securities, agrees to cooperate with the Company as reasonably requested by the Company in connection with the preparation and filing of each Registration Statement hereunder, unless such Holder has notified the Company in writing of the Holder’s election to exclude all of the Holder’s Registrable Securities from such Registration Statement. 4.1.3 Each Holder agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in subsection 3.1.8, subsection 3.1.10, or Section 3.2, such Holder shall immediately discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to any Registration Statement(s) covering such Registrable Securities until the Holder’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus contemplated by subsection 3.1.8 or Section 3.2 or receipt of notice that no supplement or amendment is required. 4.1.4 Each Holder covenants and agrees that it shall comply with the prospectus delivery and other requirements of the Securities Act as applicable to it in connection with sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement. ARTICLE 5 EXPENSES OF REGISTRATION 5.1 Expenses of Registration. In accordance with clause 9.1 of the Purchase Agreement and except as provided in clause 9.3 of the Purchase Agreement, each party shall bear its own fees and expenses related to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. All reasonable expenses of the Company, other than sales or brokerage commissions and fees and disbursements of counsel for, and other expenses of, the Holders, incurred in connection with registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to Section 2 and Section 3 hereof, including, without limitation, all registration, listing and qualifications fees, printers and accounting fees, and fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company, shall be paid by the Company, but excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, fees and disbursements of any legal counsel to the Holders. ARTICLE 6 INDEMNIFICATION 6.1 Indemnification by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, to the extent permitted by law, each Holder of Registrable Securities, its officers, employees, directors, affiliates, partners, members, attorneys and agents, and each Person who controls such Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) (each, a “Holder Indemnified Party”) against all losses, judgments, claims, damages, liabilities and out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable outside attorneys’ fees), whether joint or several, resulting from, arising out of or that are based on any untrue or allegedly untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or any violation by the Company of the Securities Act or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder applicable to the Company and relating to action or inaction required of the Company in connection with any such Registration, except insofar as the same are caused by or contained in any information or affidavit furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein, or if such losses, judgments, claims, damages, liabilities and out-of-pocket expenses are based on any such Holder’s violation of the federal securities laws or failure to sell the Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution contained in the Prospectus. The Company shall promptly reimburse a Holder Indemnified Party for any reasonable expenses incurred by such Holder Indemnified Party in connection with investigating and defending any proceeding or action to which this Section 6.1 applies (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of legal counsel) except insofar as such proceeding or action arise out of or are based on any information or affidavit furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder, expressly for
9 use therein, or if such proceeding or action are based on any such Holder’s violation of the federal securities laws or failure to sell the Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution contained in the Prospectus. 6.2 Indemnification by Holders. In connection with any Registration Statement in which a Holder of Registrable Securities is participating, such Holder shall furnish to the Company in writing such information and affidavits as the Company reasonably requests for use in connection with any such Registration Statement or Prospectus and, to the extent permitted by law, shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers and agents, and each person who controls the Company (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against any losses, judgments, claims, damages, liabilities and out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable outside attorneys’ fees), whether joint or several, resulting from, arising out of or that are based on any untrue or allegedly untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue or allegedly untrue statement or omission or alleged omission are caused by or contained in any information or affidavit so furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein, or if such losses, judgments, claims, damages, liabilities and out-of-pocket expenses are based on any such Holder’s violation of the federal securities laws or failure to sell the Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution contained in the Prospectus; provided, however, that the obligation to indemnify shall be several, not joint and several, among such Holders of Registrable Securities, and the liability of each such Holder of Registrable Securities shall be in proportion to and limited to the net proceeds received by such Holder from the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. 6.3 Indemnification Process. 6.3.1 Any person entitled to indemnification pursuant to Sections 6.1 or 6.2 (each, an “Indemnified Party”) shall: 6.3.1.1 if a claim is to be made against any Person (the “Indemnifying Party”) for indemnification hereunder, give prompt written notice to the Indemnifying Party of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities or out-of-pocket expenses (provided that the failure to give prompt notice shall not impair any Person’s right to indemnification hereunder to the extent such failure has not prejudiced the Indemnifying Party); and 6.3.1.2 unless in the Indemnified Party’s reasonable judgment, a conflict of interest between such Indemnified Party and Indemnifying Party may exist with respect to such claim, permit such Indemnifying Party to assume control of the defense of such claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party. 6.3.2 If such control of defense is assumed, the Indemnifying Party shall not be subject to any liability to the Indemnified Party for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnified Party in connection with the defense thereof. 6.3.3 An Indemnifying Party who is not entitled to, or elects not to, assume the control of defense of a claim shall not be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one (1) counsel for all parties indemnified by such Indemnifying Party with respect to such claim, unless in the reasonable judgment of any Indemnified Party a conflict of interest may exist between such Indemnified Party and any other of such Indemnified Parties with respect to such claim. 6.3.4 No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement or compromise which cannot be settled in all respects by the payment of money (and such money is so paid by the Indemnifying Party pursuant to the terms thereof) or which settlement includes a statement or admission of fault and culpability on the part of such Indemnified Party or which settlement does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such Indemnified Party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation. No Indemnified Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnifying Party (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement or compromise of any claim, dispute losses, damages, liabilities or other matter for which it, or any other Indemnified Party, could seek indemnification hereunder. 6.3.5 The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Indemnified Party or any officer, director or controlling person of such Indemnified Party and shall survive the transfer of securities. ARTICLE 7 CONTRIBUTION
10 7.1 Contribution. If the indemnification provided under Sections 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 from the Indemnifying Party is judicially determined to be unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an Indemnified Party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and out-of-pocket expenses referred to herein (other than pursuant to the express provisions of this Agreement), then each Indemnifying Party, in lieu of indemnifying the Indemnified Party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the Indemnified Party as a result of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and out-of-pocket expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnified Party, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the Indemnifying Party and Indemnified Party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or allegedly untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact, was made by (or omitted to be made by, in the case of an omission), or relates to any information or affidavit supplied by (or not supplied by, in the case of an omission), such Indemnifying Party or Indemnified Party, and the Indemnifying Party’s and Indemnified Party’s relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action; provided, however, that the liability of any Holder under this Section 7.1 shall be limited to the amount of the net proceeds received by such Holder in such offering giving rise to such liability. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses or other liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Sections 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3 above, any legal or other fees, charges or out- of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with any investigation or proceeding. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7.1 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation, which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 7.1. No Person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution pursuant to this Section 7.1 from any Person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. ARTICLE 8 REPORTS UNDER THE EXCHANGE ACT 8.1 Reports under the Exchange Act. With a view to making available to the Investor the benefits of Rule 144, the Company agrees to: 8.1.1 use its commercially reasonable efforts to make and keep public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144; 8.1.2 use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so long as the Company remains subject to such requirements (it being understood that nothing herein shall limit any of the Company’s obligations under the Purchase Agreement) and the filing of such reports and other documents is required for the applicable provisions of Rule 144; 8.1.3 furnish to each Holder, so long as they hold Registrable Securities, promptly upon written request, (i) a written statement by the Company, if true, that it has complied with the reporting, submission and posting requirements of Rule 144 and the Exchange Act, (ii) a copy of the most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the Commission under the Exchange Act or report on Form 6-K containing interim financial information of the Company, and such other reports and documents so filed by the Company with the Commission if such reports are not publicly available via EDGAR, and (iii) such other information as may be reasonably requested to permit the Holder to sell such securities pursuant to Rule 144 without registration. ARTICLE 9 ASSIGNMENT OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS 9.1 Assignment of Registration rights. Neither the Company nor any of the Holders shall assign this Agreement or any of their respective rights or obligations hereunder; provided that any transaction, whether by merger, reorganization, restructuring, consolidation, financing or otherwise, whereby the Company or any Holder, as the case may be, remains the surviving entity immediately after such transaction shall not be deemed an assignment and any Holder shall be permitted to transfer its rights and obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate. This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties and its successors and the permitted assigns of the Holders. This Agreement shall not confer any rights or benefits on any Persons that are not parties hereto, other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement. ARTICLE 10 AMENDMENT OR WAIVER 10.1 Amendment or waiver. No provision of this Agreement may be (i) amended other than by a written instrument signed by both the Company and the Required Holders or (ii) waived other than in a written instrument signed by an authorized representative of the party against whom enforcement of such waiver is sought; provided that, that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment or modification to the Agreement that would have a disproportionately adverse effect on any Holder’s rights hereunder in any material respect shall require the prior written consent of such Holder. Failure of any party to exercise any right or remedy under
11 this Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a party in exercising such right or remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof. ARTICLE 11 MISCELLANEOUS 11.1 Notices. All general notices, demands, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given or made hereunder (“Notices”) shall be in writing and delivered personally or sent by courier or sent by electronic mail to the intended recipient thereof. Any such Notice shall be deemed to have been duly served (a) if given personally or sent by local courier, upon delivery during normal business hours at the location of delivery or, if later, then on the next Business Day after the day of delivery; (b) if sent by electronic mail during normal business hours at the location of delivery, immediately, or, if later, then on the next Business Day after the day of delivery; or (c) the third (3rd) Business Day following the day sent by reputable international overnight courier (with written confirmation of receipt). Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be addressed: If to the Company: Prenetics Global Limited Unit 701-706, K11 Atelier King’s Road, 728 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Attention: Mr. Danny Yeung/Mr. Stephen Lo Email address: danny@prenetics.com; stephen.lo@prenetics.com If to any Holder, at such Holder’s address or contact information as set forth under such Holder’s signature to this Agreement or to such Holder’s address as found in the Company’s books and records. Any party may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by written notice to the other parties hereto, and such change of address shall become effective thirty (30) days after delivery of such notice as provided in this Section 11.1. Any Holder not desiring to receive Notices at any time and from time to time may so notify the other parties, who shall thereafter not make, give or deliver any Notice to such Holder until duly notified otherwise (or until the expiry of any period specified in such Holder’s notice). 11.2 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (including by electronic means), each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute the same instrument, but only one of which need be produced. 11.3 Governing Law; Venue. Each party expressly agrees that this Agreement, and all claims or causes of action based upon, arising out of, or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to principles or rules of conflict of laws to the extent such principles or rules would require or permit the applicable of laws of another jurisdiction. Any claim or cause of action based upon, arising out of or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may be brought in federal and state courts located in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, and each of the parties irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of each such court, waives any obligation it may now or hereafter have to personal jurisdiction, venue or to convenience of forum, agrees that all claims in respect of any cause of action may be heard and determined only in any such court, and agrees not to bring any cause of action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any other court. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) to such party at the address for such notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to affect the right of any party to serve process in any manner permitted by law or to commence legal proceedings or otherwise proceed against any other party in any other jurisdiction, in each case, to enforce judgments obtained in any action brought pursuant to this Section 11.3. If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction. EACH OF THE PARTIES HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY. 11.4 Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any specific provision of this Agreement shall not invalidate or render unenforceable any of its other provisions. The parties hereto further agree that if any provision contained in this Agreement is, to any extent, held invalid or unenforceable in any respect under the laws governing this Agreement, they shall take any actions necessary to render the remaining provisions of this Agreement valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law and, to the extent necessary, shall amend or otherwise modify this Agreement to replace any provision contained in this Agreement that is held invalid or unenforceable with a valid and enforceable provision giving effect to the intent of the parties hereto.
12 11.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, the other Transaction Documents (including any applicable Lock-up Agreements), the schedules and exhibits attached hereto and thereto and the instruments references herein and therein constitute the entire agreement and understanding of the parties solely with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements, negotiations and understandings between the parties, both oral and written, solely with respect to such matters. There are no restrictions, promises, undertakings, representations or warranties by either party relative to subject matter hereof not expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents provided, however, that nothing contained in this Agreement or any other Transaction Document shall (or shall be deemed to (i) have any effect on any agreements any Holder has entered into with, or any instrument that any Investor received from, the Company prior to the date hereof with respect to any prior investment made by such Holder in the Company, (ii) waive, alter, modify or amend in any respect any obligations of the Company or any rights of or benefits to any Holder or any other Person in any agreement entered into prior to the date hereof between or among the Company and any Holder or any instrument that any Holder received prior to the date hereof from the Company and all such agreements and instruments shall continue in full force and effect or (iii) limit any obligations of the Company under any of the other Transaction Documents. 11.6 Construction. The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rule of strict construction will be applied against any party. Unless the context otherwise requires: (a) “or” is disjunctive but not exclusive; (b) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular; (c) the words “hereof,” “herein,” “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in this Agreement refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement, and section and subsection references are to this Agreement unless otherwise specified; (d) the term “including” is not limiting and means “including without limitation”; (e) whenever the context requires, any pronouns used herein shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms; (f) references to agreements and other documents shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments and other modifications or supplements thereto; and (g) references to statutes shall include all regulations promulgated thereunder and references to statutes or regulations shall be construed as including all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending or replacing the statute or regulation. Where any Ordinary Shares are held by the Depository Trust Company or any person who operates a clearing system or issues depositary receipts (or their nominees) and/or a nominee, custodian or trustee for any person, that person shall (unless the context requires otherwise) be treated for the purposes of this Agreement as the holder of those shares and references to shares being “held by” a person, to a person “holding” shares or to a person who “holds” any such shares, or equivalent formulations, shall be construed accordingly. The headings, subheadings and captions contained in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only, and in no way define, limit or describe the scope of this Agreement or the intent of any provision hereof. 11.7 Execution. This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party; provided that a facsimile signature or signature delivered by e-mail in a “.pdf” format data file, including any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com, www.echosign.adobe.com, etc., shall be considered due execution and shall be binding upon the signatory thereto with the same force and effect as if the signature were an original signature. 11.8 Successors. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors. This Agreement is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any Person, other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and the Persons referred to in Section 6 and Section 7 hereof. 11.9 Obligations of the Holders. The obligations of each Holder under this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents are several and not joint with the obligations of any other Holder, and no Holder shall be responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other Holder under this Agreement or any other Transaction Document. Nothing contained herein or in any other Transaction Document, and no action taken by any Holder pursuant hereto or thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Holders as, and the Company acknowledges that the Holders do not so constitute, a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of group or entity, or create a presumption that the Holders are in any way acting in concert or as a group or entity with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents or any matters, and the Company acknowledges that the Holders are not acting in concert or as a group, and the Company shall not assert any such claim, with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any of the other the Transaction Documents. Each Holder shall be entitled to independently protect and enforce its rights, including, without limitation, the rights arising out of this Agreement or out of any other Transaction Documents, and it shall not be necessary for any other Holder to be joined as an additional party in any proceeding for such purpose. It is expressly understood and agreed that each provision contained in this Agreement and in each other Transaction Document is between the Company and each Holder, solely, and not between the Company and the Holders collectively and not between and among Holders. 11.7 Term. This Agreement shall terminate upon the earlier of (a) the tenth anniversary of the date of this Agreement or (b) with respect to any Holder, on the date that such Holder no longer holds any Registrable Securities. The provisions of Sections 4, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 hereof shall survive any termination.
13 [Signature Pages Follow]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above. [Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement] COMPANY PRENETICS GLOBAL LIMITED By: /s/ Danny Yeung Sheng Wu Name: Danny Yeung Title: Director
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above. [Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement] Holder: Signed by LO YUK MING DENNIS _/s/ Lo Yuk Ming Dennis______________________________ Address for Notices: Flat 8B, Highview, 1A Cox’s Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong Email: dennis.lo@me.com
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above. [Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement] Holder: Signed by AC-Tech Investment Limited By:_/s/ Chan Kwan Chee______________________________ Name: Chan Kwan Chee Title: Director Registered Address: Portcullis (Cayman) Ltd, The Grand Pavilion Commercial Centre, Oleander Way, 802 West Bay Road, P.O. Box 32052, Grand Cayman KY1-1208, Cayman Islands Address for Notices: 21C, Emperor Height, 5 Cox’s Road, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong Email allenkc.cuhk@gmail.com