Tencent Music Entertainment Group F-3ASR, filed Sep 1, 2026
Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME)
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 1, 2026
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM F-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Under
the Securities Act of 1933
Tencent Music Entertainment Group
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
| Cayman Islands | Not Applicable | |
| (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
Unit 3, Building D, Kexing Science Park, Kejizhongsan Avenue,
Hi-TechPark, Nanshan District
Shenzhen, 518057, the People’s Republic of China
+86-755-8601-3388
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)
Cogency Global Inc.
122 East 42nd Street,
18th Floor New York, NY 10168
+1 (800) 221-0102
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)
Copies to:
| Cussion Kar Shun Pang Executive Chairman Tencent Music Entertainment Group Unit 3, Building D, Kexing Science Park, Kejizhongsan Avenue, Hi-TechPark, Nanshan District Shenzhen, 518057, the People’s Republic of China +86-755-8601-3388 |
Li He, Esq. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP c/o 18th Floor, The Hong Kong Club Building 3A Chater Road, Central Hong Kong +852 2533-3300 |
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. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.C. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.C. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
† The 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.
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PROSPECTUS
Tencent Music Entertainment Group
Debt Securities
We may offer and sell debt securities from time to time. This prospectus may not be used to consummate any sales of securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement which will describe the method and terms of the offering. We will provide the specific terms of any offering and the offered securities in one or more supplements to this prospectus. Any prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus.
We may offer and sell these debt securities to or through one or more agents, underwriters, dealers or other third parties or directly to one or more purchasers on a continuous or delayed basis. The names of any underwriters will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Investing in our securities involves risks. You should carefully consider the risks described under “Risk Factors” on page 10 of this prospectus, in any accompanying prospectus supplement or in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus before making a decision to invest in our securities.
Tencent Music Entertainment Group is a Cayman Islands holding company. It does not engage in operations itself but rather conducts its operations through its PRC subsidiaries, as well as the VIEs through certain contractual arrangements entered into with the VIEs. Though the Foreign Investment Law does not explicitly classify such contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, the definition of “foreign investment” under such law is relatively broad and contains a catch-all provision so that foreign investment includes “investments made by foreign investors in China through other means defined by other laws or administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the State Council,” without further elaboration on the meaning of “other means.” Uncertainty remains on how these rules will be interpreted and implemented and whether the Group’s corporate structure could be found to violate current foreign investment rules as we adopt the contractual arrangements with the VIEs to operate certain businesses in which foreign investors are prohibited from or restricted in investing. Furthermore, if future legislations mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. If we fail to take appropriate and timely measures to comply with any of these or similar regulatory compliance requirements, the Group’s current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations, as well as the Group’s ability to consolidate the VIEs’ results in the Group’s consolidated financial statements, could be materially and adversely affected. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Group’s Corporate Structure—Uncertainties remain as to the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law of the PRC and how it may impact the viability of the Group’s current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations” in our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, or our 2025 Form 20-F.
Our corporate structure involves unique risks to investors. In 2023, 2024 and 2025, the amount of revenues generated by the VIEs accounted for 96.5%, 95.7% and 93.6%, respectively, of our total net revenues. As of December 31, 2024 and 2025, total assets of the VIEs equaled to 21.1% and 20.6% of our consolidated total assets as of the same dates, respectively. We do not have any equity interests in the VIEs who are owned by certain nominee shareholders or partners. Any of such nominee shareholders or partners could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. In the event that the shareholders or partners of the VIEs breach the terms of these contractual arrangements and voluntarily liquidate the VIEs, or the VIEs declare bankruptcy and all or part of their assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, or are otherwise disposed of without our consent, we may be unable to conduct some or all business operations or otherwise benefit from the assets held by the VIEs and their shareholders or partners of the VIEs, which could have a material adverse effect on our and the VIEs’ business, financial condition and results of operations. As a result, the contractual arrangements may be less effective than direct ownership, and we could face heightened challenges, risks and costs in enforcing these contractual arrangements because uncertainties remain as to the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules relating to the legality and enforceability of these contractual arrangements, neither have our contractual arrangements with the VIEs been tested in court. If the PRC regulators deem that our contractual arrangements with the VIEs do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we and the VIEs could be subject to material penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations or otherwise significantly change the Group’s corporate structure. We and our investors face certain uncertainty about potential future actions by the PRC regulators that could affect the legality and enforceability of the contractual arrangements with the VIEs and, consequently, significantly affect our ability to consolidate the financial results of the VIEs and the financial performance of the Group as a whole. See “Item 3. Key Information—3.D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Group’s Corporate Structure” of our 2025 Form 20-F for detailed discussion.
In addition, the Group faces various legal and operational risks and uncertainties as the Group bases in and primarily operates in China. The PRC regulators have significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based company, like us, to conduct its business, accept foreign investments or be listed on a U.S. stock exchange. For example, we face risks associated with regulatory approvals of offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the uncertainty on whether the PCAOB will continue to be able to satisfactorily inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. The PRC regulators may also exert influence on the Group’s operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. The PRC regulators have published new policies that significantly affected our industry and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future further release regulations or policies regarding our industry that could adversely affect the Group’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Any such action, once taken by the PRC regulators, could cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or in extreme cases, become worthless.
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCAA”) was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCAA states if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection for the PCAOB for two consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares or ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. In addition, trading in our securities on U.S. markets, including NYSE, may be prohibited under the HFCAA if the PCAOB determines that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor for two consecutive years. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued the HFCAA Determination Report to notify the SEC of its determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, including our auditor. On May 26, 2022, we were conclusively identified by the SEC under the HFCAA as having filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that cannot be inspected or investigated completely by the PCAOB in connection with the filing of our 2021 Form 20-F. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections in the past also deprived our investors of the benefits of such inspections. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it was able to conduct inspections and investigations completely of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in 2022. The PCAOB vacated its previous 2021 determinations accordingly. As a result, we do not believe we are at risk of having our securities subject to a trading prohibition under the HFCAA unless a new determination is made by the PCAOB. However, whether the PCAOB will continue to conduct inspections and investigations completely to its satisfaction of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong is subject to uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our, and our auditor’s, control, including uncertainties surrounding Sino-U.S. relations. The PCAOB is expected to continue to demand complete access to inspections and investigations against accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in the future. The PCAOB is required under the HFCAA to make its determination on an annual basis with regards to its ability to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms based in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. The possibility of being a “Commission-Identified Issuer” and risk of delisting could continue to adversely affect the trading price of our securities. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and we continue to use such accounting firm to conduct audit work, we would be identified as a “Commission-Identified Issuer” under the HFCAA following the filing of the annual report for the relevant fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, trading in our securities on U.S. markets would be prohibited. For the details of the risks associated with the enactment of the HFCAA, see Item 3. Key Information—3.D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Trading in our securities may be prohibited under the HFCAA and U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the NYSE, may determine to delist our securities if the PCAOB determines that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor for two consecutive years” of our 2025 Form 20-F.
As an offshore holding company, we are permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding from the proceeds of our offshore fund-raising activities to our PRC subsidiaries only through loans or capital contributions, and to the VIEs only through loans, in each case subject to the satisfaction of the applicable government registration and approval requirements. See “Item 3. Key Information — 3.D. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and regulatory control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of our financing activities to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business” of our 2025 Form 20-F. As a result, there is uncertainty with respect to our ability to provide prompt financial support to our PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs when needed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our PRC subsidiaries may use their own retained earnings (rather than Renminbi converted from foreign currency denominated capital) to provide financial support to the VIEs either through entrustment loans from our PRC subsidiaries to the VIEs or direct loans to such VIEs’ nominee shareholders, which would be contributed to the consolidated variable entity as capital injections. Such direct loans to the nominee shareholders would be eliminated in our consolidated financial statements against the VIE’s share capital. In 2025, our wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries only generated a minimal portion of our total revenues because substantially all of our businesses are subject to foreign investment restrictions under PRC law and therefore can only be conducted through the VIEs. In contrast, most of our assets are held by our offshore incorporated entities and wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries, mostly in the forms of goodwill and cash that do not generate revenues.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is September 1, 2026
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You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, in the applicable prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. You should not assume that the information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the respective dates thereof. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
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We are a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. This prospectus is part of an automatic shelf registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. By using an automatic shelf registration statement, we or any selling shareholder may, at any time and from time to time, sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. We may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus by means of a prospectus supplement or by incorporating by reference information that we file or furnish to the SEC. As allowed by the SEC rules, this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information, we refer you to the registration statement, including its exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about the provisions or contents of any agreement or other document are not necessarily complete. If the SEC’s rules and regulations require that an agreement or document be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, please see that agreement or document for a complete description of these matters.
You should carefully read this document and any applicable prospectus supplement. You should also read the documents we have referred you to under “Where You Can Find More Information About Us” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” below for information on our company, the risks we face and our financial statements. The registration statement and exhibits can be read on the SEC’s website as described under “Where You Can Find More Information About Us.”
In this prospectus, unless otherwise indicated or unless the context otherwise requires:
| • | “ADSs” refers to the American depositary shares, each representing two Class A ordinary shares; |
| • | “China” or the “PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this prospectus only, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; |
| • | “Group” refers to our company, its subsidiaries, its controlled structured entities (“Variable interest entities”, or “VIE”) and their subsidiaries (“Subsidiaries of VIEs”); |
| • | “IFRS” refers to International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board; |
| • | “ordinary shares” refer to our Class A and Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.000083 per share; |
| • | “RMB” refers to the legal currency of China; |
| • | “SCNPC” refers to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China; |
| • | “State Council” refers to the State Council of China; |
| • | “Tencent” refers to Tencent Holdings Limited, our controlling shareholder; |
| • | “US$,” “dollars” or “U.S. dollars” refers to the legal currency of the United States; and |
| • | “we,” “us,” “our company,” and “our” refer to Tencent Music Entertainment Group (or, where the context requires, its predecessor), its subsidiaries and, in the context of describing our operations and consolidated financial information, its VIEs. |
References in any prospectus supplement to “the accompanying prospectus” are to this prospectus and to “the prospectus” are to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement taken together.
We are not making an offer to sell the securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China and all of our revenues are denominated in Renminbi. This prospectus also contains translations of certain foreign currency amounts into U.S. dollars for the
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convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi in this prospectus are made at RMB6.7851 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board on June 30, 2026, except that translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi with respect to amounts for the year ended or as of December 31, 2025 are made at RMB6.9931 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board on December 31, 2025. We make no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this prospectus could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of Renminbi into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade.
Unless otherwise stated, all discrepancies in any table between the amounts identified as total amounts and the sum of the amounts listed therein are due to rounding.
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This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely to,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “should” and “will” or other similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our intent, belief or current expectations. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to, those identified under the section entitled “Item 3. Key Information—3.D. Risk Factors” in our 2025 Form 20-F. These risks and uncertainties include factors relating to:
| • | our growth strategies; |
| • | our future business development, financial condition and results of operations; |
| • | our ability to retain and engage our user base and expand our music and audio entertainment content offering; |
| • | our ability to retain and grow our paying users and drive their spending on our services; |
| • | expected changes in our revenues, content-related costs and operating margins; |
| • | our ability to retain key personnel and attract new talent; |
| • | competition landscape in China’s online music and audio entertainment industry; |
| • | general economic, political, demographic and business conditions in China and globally; and |
| • | the regulatory environment in which we operate. |
This list of important factors is not exhaustive. We would like to caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We operate in a rapidly evolving environment. New risks emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information or future developments or to release publicly any revisions to these statements in order to reflect later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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Who We Are
Music is a universal passion. Regardless of who we are, where we come from, we all have our favorite songs, albums or artists. Music connects us on a deeply personal level and brings people together through engaging, social, and enjoyable experiences. We are pioneering the way people enjoy online music, and over the years has grown into an integrated platform which offers a wide range of music-centric services, including social entertainment services, concerts and artist merchandise.
Our mission is to create endless possibilities with music and technology. Through technology-empowered product innovation, we remain committed to offering users more diverse and engaging music experiences and providing greater support to musicians and partners in the journey of music creation, production, and distribution.
We offer an all-in-one online entertainment experience for people to discover, listen, sing, watch, perform and socialize around music. To bring a more diversified experience to our users, we have expanded our platform to include long-form audio services and extended our offerings offline through live performance, artist merchandise and other forms of music consumption. By centering our ecosystem around content and high-quality IP, we create a seamless online-and-offline experiences that are visual, immersive, interactive, socially engaging and fun.
Just as we value our users, we also respect those who create content. This is why we champion copyright protection and work relentlessly to support our content partners with broad audience outreach and valuable resources and technology. Through years of efforts, we help promote a more sustainable music entertainment industry in China. Our scale, technology, commitment to copyright protection, and ability to promote original works have made us a preferred partner for musicians and content owners.
We are the largest online music entertainment platform in China in terms of MAU as of December 31, 2025.
What We Offer
The TME platform is an all-in-one music and audio entertainment destination that allows users to seamlessly engage with a broad range of music and audio content in many ways, including discovering, listening, singing, watching, performing and socializing. We adopt a dual engine content-and-platform strategy to constantly enrich content offerings on our platform, while empowering content creation and distribution and
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delivering a compelling user experience. Through our vibrant community, technologies, and visual and interactive features, we endeavor to enhance our user experience, engagement and retention.
| • | Music related services, primarily our QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and Ximalaya, enable users to discover, enjoy and share music in personalized ways. We provide a broad range of features for music discovery, including smart recommendations, music ranking charts, playlists, official music accounts and digital releases. We also offer comprehensive long-form audio content including audiobooks, podcasts and talk shows, as well as music-oriented video content including music videos, live performances and short videos. We recently completed our acquisition of Ximalaya Inc., one of the leading online audio platforms in China and have integrated it into our broader music and audio ecosystem, further expanding our digital audio offerings. In addition, we enable users to purchase digital albums, physical albums, and other artist-related merchandise through our platform. |
| • | Social entertainment services allow our users to sing, watch and socialize on our platform. We deliver online karaoke services primarily through WeSing, which enables users to sing along from our vast library of karaoke songs and share their performances either in audio or video formats with friends. We also deliver music-centric live streaming services primarily through the “Live Streaming” tab on QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music, WeSing,and Kugou Live, providing an interactive online stage for performers and users to showcase their talent and engage with a diverse audience base. We also provide membership and advertising services within our social entertainment services. |
Corporate Information
Our corporate headquarters are located at Unit 3, Building D, Kexing Science Park, Kejizhongsan Avenue, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518057, the People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86 755 8601 3388. We have appointed Cogency Global Inc., located at 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10168, as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States in connection with an offering of securities registered by the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. You can also find information on our website at ir.tencentmusic.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.
Additional information with respect to our company is included in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. See “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference” in this prospectus.
Our Holding Company Structure and the VIE Contractual Arrangements
Tencent Music Entertainment Group is a Cayman Islands holding company. It does not engage in operations itself but rather conducts its operations through its PRC subsidiaries, as well as the VIEs through certain contractual arrangements entered into with the VIEs. Though the Foreign Investment Law does not explicitly classify such contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, the definition of “foreign investment” under such law is relatively broad and contains a catch-all provision so that foreign investment includes “investments made by foreign investors in China through other means defined by other laws or administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the State Council,” without further elaboration on the meaning of “other means.” Uncertainty remains on how these rules will be interpreted and implemented and whether the Group’s corporate structure could be found to violate current foreign investment rules as we adopt the contractual arrangements with the VIEs to operate certain businesses in which foreign investors are prohibited from or restricted in investing. Furthermore, if future legislations mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. If we fail to take appropriate and timely measures to comply with any of
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these or similar regulatory compliance requirements, the Group’s current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations, as well as the Group’s ability to consolidate the VIEs’ results in the Group’s consolidated financial statements, could be materially and adversely affected. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Group’s Corporate Structure—Uncertainties remain as to the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law of the PRC and how it may impact the viability of the Group’s current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations” in our 2025 Form 20-F.
Our corporate structure involves unique risks to investors. In 2023, 2024 and 2025, the amount of revenues generated by the VIEs accounted for 96.5%, 95.7% and 93.6%, respectively, of our total net revenues. As of December 31, 2024 and 2025, total assets of the VIEs equaled to 21.1% and 20.6% of our consolidated total assets as of the same dates, respectively. We do not have an equity ownership in, direct investment in, or control of, through such ownership or investment, the VIEs. Investors who are non-PRC residents may never directly hold equity interests in the VIEs under current PRC laws and regulations. We do not have any equity interests in the VIEs which are owned by certain nominee shareholders or partners. Any of such nominee shareholders or partners could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. In the event that the shareholders or partners of the VIEs breach the terms of these contractual arrangements and voluntarily liquidate the VIEs, or the VIEs declare bankruptcy and all or part of their assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, or are otherwise disposed of without our consent, we may be unable to conduct some or all business operations or otherwise benefit from the assets held by the VIEs and their shareholders or partners of the VIEs, which could have a material adverse effect on our and the VIEs’ business, financial condition and results of operations. As a result, the contractual arrangements may be less effective than direct ownership, and we could face heightened challenges, risks and costs in enforcing these contractual arrangements because uncertainties remain as to the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules relating to the legality and enforceability of these contractual arrangements, neither have our contractual arrangements with the VIEs been tested in court. If the PRC regulators deem that our contractual arrangements with the VIEs do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we and the VIEs could be subject to material penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations or otherwise significantly change the Group’s corporate structure. We and our investors face certain uncertainty about potential future actions by the PRC regulators that could affect the legality and enforceability of the contractual arrangements with the VIEs and, consequently, significantly affect our ability to consolidate the financial results of the VIEs and the financial performance of the Group as a whole. Our securities may decline in value or become worthless if we are unable to effectively enforce our contractual control rights over the assets and operations of the VIEs that conduct a significant portion of the Group’s business in China. See “Item 3. Key Information— 3.D. Risk Factors — Risks Related to the Group’s Corporate Structure” of our 2025 Form 20-F for detailed discussion.
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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our principal subsidiaries and the VIEs as of the date of this prospectus:
Note:
| (1) | Shareholders of Guangzhou Kugou and their respective shareholdings and relationship with our company are as follows: (i) Shenzhen Tencent Ruijian Investment Co., Ltd. (99.6096%), an entity controlled by Tencent; (ii) Qianhai Daizheng (0.3319%); and (iii) Shenzhen Litong Industry Investment Fund Co., Ltd. (0.0586%), an entity controlled by Tencent. Guangzhou Kugou operates Kugou Music and Kugou Live. |
| (2) | Shareholders of Beijing Kuwo and their respective shareholdings and relationship with our company are as follows: (i) Linzhi Lichuang Information Technology Co., Ltd. (61.64%), an entity controlled by Tencent; and (ii) Qianhai Daizheng (38.36%). Beijing Kuwo operates Kuwo Music. |
| (3) | Shareholders of Beijing Gongse and their respective shareholdings are Mr. Qihu Yang (20%), Mr. Dejun Gu (20%), Ms. Xing Chen (20%), Ms. Yueting Luo (20%) and Mr. Yunheng Liang (20%). |
| (4) | Partners of Beijing Shangqin are Beijing Gongse (0.0005%) (the general partner), Mr. Qihu Yang (19.9999%), Mr. Dejun Gu (19.9999%), Ms. Xing Chen (19.9999%), Ms. Yueting Luo (19.9999%) and Mr. Yunheng Liang (19.9999%). |
| (5) | Partners of Beijing Yuzhong are Beijing Gongse (0.0005%) (the general partner), Mr. Qihu Yang (19.9999%), Mr. Dejun Gu (19.9999%), Ms. Xing Chen (19.9999%), Ms. Yueting Luo (19.9999%) and Mr. Yunheng Liang (19.9999 %). |
| (6) | Shareholders of Beijing Zhizheng are Beijing Shangqin (50%) and Beijing Yuzhong (50%). |
| (7) | Tencent Music Shenzhen operates QQ Music and WeSing. |
Transfer of Funds and Other Assets
Under relevant PRC laws and regulations, we are permitted to remit funds to the VIEs through loans rather than capital contributions. The VIEs fund their operations primarily using cash generated from operating and financing activities.
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As of December 31, 2025, Tencent Music Entertainment Group had made cumulative capital contributions of RMB1,243 million (US$178 million) to our PRC subsidiaries through an intermediate holding company and were accounted as long-term investments of Tencent Music Entertainment Group. These funds have been used by our PRC subsidiaries for their operations. As of December 31, 2025, the loan balance owed by the VIEs from the WOFEs was RMB4,930 million (US$705 million). Our PRC subsidiaries maintained certain personnel for content production, sales and marketing, research and development, and general and administrative functions to support the operations of the VIEs. In 2023, 2024 and 2025, the VIEs transferred RMB16,610 million, RMB18,820 million and RMB20,252 million (US$2,896 million) respectively, to our PRC subsidiaries as payment of services fees (the “Service Charges”). In 2023, 2024 and 2025, the intercompany fund transfers from the WOFEs to the VIEs amounted to RMB49 million, RMB149 million and RMB1,400 million (US$200 million) respectively for treasury management purpose.
Restrictions on Foreign Exchange and the Ability to Transfer Cash between Entities, Across Borders and to U.S. Investors
Tencent Music Entertainment Group’s ability to pay dividends, if any, to its shareholders and ADS holders and to service any debt it may incur will depend upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries. Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries are subject to certain restrictions with respect to paying dividends or otherwise transferring any of their net assets offshore to Tencent Music Entertainment Group. In particular, under the current effective PRC laws and regulations, dividends may be paid only out of distributable profits. Distributable profits are the net profit as determined under PRC GAAP, less any recovery of accumulated losses and appropriations to statutory and other reserves required to be made. Each of our PRC subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, after making up previous years’ accumulated losses, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such a fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. As a result, it is possible that our PRC subsidiaries may not have sufficient distributable profits to pay dividends to us.
Furthermore, if certain procedural requirements are satisfied, the payment of current account items, including profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the SAFE or its local branches. However, where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses, such as the repayment of loans and notes denominated in foreign currencies, approval from or registration with competent government authorities or its authorized banks is required. The PRC regulatory authorities may take measures from time to time to restrict access to foreign currencies for current account or capital account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands including servicing our offshore debt obligations, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our offshore intermediary holding companies or ultimate parent company. Further, we cannot assure you that new regulations or policies will not be promulgated in the future, which may further restrict the remittance of RMB into or out of the PRC. We cannot assure you, in light of the restrictions in place, or any amendment to be made from time to time, that our current or future PRC subsidiaries will be able to satisfy their respective payment obligations that are denominated in foreign currencies, including the remittance of dividends outside of the PRC. If any of our subsidiaries incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends to Tencent Music Entertainment Group. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries are required to make appropriations to certain statutory reserve funds, which are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of a solvent liquidation of the companies.
Recent Regulatory Developments
Regulations on Taxation
On December 25, 2024, the SCNPC promulgated the Value-added Tax Law of the PRC, which became effective on January 1, 2026 and replaced the Provisional Regulations on Value-added Tax of the PRC. The Value-added Tax Law provides that taxpayers that sell goods, provide processing, repair and replacement
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services, tangible movables leasing services, or import goods are subject to a tax rate of 13%, unless otherwise stipulated in the law; taxpayers that sell services or intangible assets are subject to a tax rate of 6%, unless otherwise stipulated in the law. The Implementing Regulations of the Value-added Tax Law of the PRC, promulgated on December 25, 2025 and effective from January 1, 2026, further clarify the scope of taxpayers, taxable activities and other implementation requirements.
Implication of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCAA”) was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCAA states if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection for the PCAOB for two consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares or ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. In addition, trading in our securities on U.S. markets, including NYSE, may be prohibited under the HFCAA if the PCAOB determines that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor for two consecutive years. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued the HFCAA Determination Report to notify the SEC of its determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, including our auditor. On May 26, 2022, we were conclusively identified by the SEC under the HFCAA as having filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that cannot be inspected or investigated completely by the PCAOB in connection with the filing of our 2021 Form 20-F. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections in the past also deprived our investors of the benefits of such inspections. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it was able to conduct inspections and investigations completely of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in 2022. The PCAOB vacated its previous 2021 determinations accordingly. As a result, we do not believe we are at risk of having our securities subject to a trading prohibition under the HFCAA unless a new determination is made by the PCAOB. However, whether the PCAOB will continue to conduct inspections and investigations completely to its satisfaction of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong is subject to uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our, and our auditor’s, control, including uncertainties surrounding Sino-U.S. relations. The PCAOB is expected to continue to demand complete access to inspections and investigations against accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in the future. The PCAOB is required under the HFCAA to make its determination on an annual basis with regards to its ability to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms based in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. The possibility of being a “Commission-Identified Issuer” and risk of delisting could continue to adversely affect the trading price of our securities. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and we continue to use such accounting firm to conduct audit work, we would be identified as a “Commission-Identified Issuer” under the HFCAA following the filing of the annual report for the relevant fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, trading in our securities on U.S. markets would be prohibited. For the details of the risks associated with the enactment of the HFCAA, see “Item 3. Key Information—3.D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Trading in our securities may be prohibited under the HFCAA and U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the NYSE, may determine to delist our securities if the PCAOB determines that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor for two consecutive years” in our 2025 Form 20-F.
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Investing in our debt securities involves risk. Before you decide to buy our debt securities, you should carefully consider the risks described in our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, which is incorporated herein by reference, as well as the risks that are described in the applicable prospectus supplement and in other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Please see “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference” for information on where you can find the documents we have filed with or furnished to the SEC and which are incorporated into this prospectus by reference.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
The following is a summary of certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities and the indenture, but they are not complete and are subject to, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture, which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, including the definitions of specified terms used in the indenture, and to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the “Trust Indenture Act.” The particular terms of the debt securities offered by any prospectus supplement and the extent these general provisions may apply to the debt securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of the debt securities will include those set forth in the indenture, any related documents and those made a part of the indenture by the Trust Indenture Act. You should read the summary below, the applicable prospectus supplement and the provisions of the indenture and any related documents before investing in our debt securities.
The prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that we may offer will contain the specific terms of the debt securities. These terms may include the following:
| • | the title and any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities; |
| • | whether the debt securities will be secured or unsecured; |
| • | whether the debt securities are senior or subordinated debt securities and, if subordinated, the terms of such subordination; |
| • | the percentage or percentages of principal amount at which such debt securities will be issued; |
| • | the interest rate(s) or the method for determining the interest rate(s); |
| • | the dates on which interest will accrue or the method for determining dates on which interest will accrue and dates on which interest will be payable; |
| • | the record dates for the determination of holders to whom interest is payable or the method for determining such dates; |
| • | the dates on which the debt securities may be issued, the maturity date and other dates of payment of principal; |
| • | redemption or early repayment provisions; |
| • | authorized denominations if other than denominations of $2,000 and multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof; |
| • | the form of the debt securities; |
| • | amount of discount or premium, if any, with which such debt securities will be issued; |
| • | whether such debt securities will be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more global securities; |
| • | the identity of the depositary for global securities; |
| • | whether a temporary security is to be issued with respect to such series and whether any interest payable prior to the issuance of definitive securities of the series will be credited to the account of the persons entitled thereto; |
| • | the terms upon which beneficial interests in a temporary global security may be exchanged in whole or in part for beneficial interests in a definitive global security or for individual definitive securities; |
| • | any covenants applicable to the particular debt securities being issued; |
| • | any defaults and events of default applicable to the particular debt securities being issued; |
| • | any provisions for the defeasance of the particular debt securities being issued in whole or in part; |
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| • | any addition or change in the provisions related to satisfaction and discharge; |
| • | any restriction or condition on the transferability of the debt securities; |
| • | the currency, currencies or currency units in which the purchase price for, the principal of and any premium and any interest on, such debt securities will be payable; |
| • | the time period within which, the manner in which and the terms and conditions upon which the purchaser of the debt securities can select the payment currency; |
| • | the securities exchange(s) or automated quotation system(s) on which the securities will be listed or admitted to trading, as applicable, if any; |
| • | our obligation or right to redeem, purchase or repay debt securities under a sinking fund, amortization or analogous provision; |
| • | provisions relating to the modification of the indenture both with and without the consent of holders of debt securities issued under the indenture; |
| • | place or places where we may pay principal, premium, if any, and interest and where holders may present the debt securities for registration of transfer, exchange or conversion; |
| • | place or places where notices and demands relating to the debt securities and the indentures may be made; |
| • | if other than the principal amount of the debt securities, the portion of the principal amount of the debt securities that is payable upon declaration of acceleration of maturity; |
| • | any index or formula used to determine the amount of payments of principal of, premium (if any) or interest on the debt securities and the method of determining these amounts; |
| • | any provisions relating to compensation and reimbursement of the trustee; |
| • | provisions, if any, granting special rights to holders of the debt securities upon the occurrence of specified events; and |
| • | additional terms not inconsistent with the provisions of the indenture, except as permitted by the terms of the indenture. |
General
We may sell the debt securities, including original issue discount securities, at par or at greater than de minimis discount below their stated principal amount. Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement, we may issue additional debt securities of a particular series without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of such series outstanding at the time of issuance. Any such additional debt securities, together with all other outstanding debt securities of that series, will constitute a single series of debt securities under the indenture. Such additional debt securities will have the same terms and conditions as the applicable series of debt securities in all respects (or in all respects except for the issue date, the issue price or the first payment of interest), and will vote together as one class on all matters with respect to such series of debt securities. We shall not issue any additional debt securities with the same CUSIP, ISIN or other identifying number as outstanding debt securities of any series issued hereunder unless the additional debt securities are fungible with such outstanding debt securities of such series for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Unless we inform you otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not be listed on any securities exchange.
Form, Exchange and Transfer
The debt securities will be issued in fully registered form without interest coupons and, unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, in minimum denominations of US$2,000 and integral multiples of US$1,000 in excess thereof.
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The entity performing the role of maintaining the list of registered holders is called the “registrar.” The registrar acts as our agent for registering debt securities in the names of holders and transferring registered debt securities. You may exchange or transfer your registered debt securities at the specified office of the registrar. We may also arrange for additional registrars, and may change registrars. We may also choose to act as our own registrar.
You will not be required to pay a service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange of debt securities, but you may be required to pay any tax or other governmental charge associated with the registration of transfer or exchange. The registration of transfer or exchange of a registered debt security will only be made if you have duly endorsed the debt security or provided the registrar with a written instrument of transfer satisfactory in form to the registrar.
Payment and Paying Agents
If your debt securities are in definitive registered form, we will pay interest to you if you are listed in the registrar’s records as a direct holder at the close of business on a particular day in advance of each due date for interest, even if you no longer own the debt securities on the interest due date. That particular day is called the “record date” and will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement.
We will pay interest, principal, additional amounts and any other money due on global registered debt securities pursuant to the applicable procedures of the depositary or, if the debt securities are not in global form, at offices maintained for that purpose in New York, New York. These offices are called “paying agents.” If your debt securities are not in global form, we may choose to act as our own paying agent and pay interest by mailing checks or by wire transfer. We may also arrange for additional payment agents, and may change these agents, including our use of the trustee’s corporate trust office. We may also choose to act as our own paying agent.
Regardless of who acts as paying agent, all money that we pay as principal, premium or interest to a paying agent, or then held by us in trust, that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after the amount is due to direct holders will be repaid to us, or if then held by us, discharged from trust. After that two-year period, direct holders may look only to us for payment and not to the trustee, any paying agent or anyone else.
Street name and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how they will receive payments.
Payment of Additional Amounts
All payments of principal, premium and interest made by us in respect of the debt securities of each series will be made without withholding or deduction for, or on account of, any present or future taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature (“Taxes”) imposed or levied by or within the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the PRC or any jurisdiction where we or our paying agent are otherwise considered by a taxing authority to be a resident for tax purposes (in each case, including any political subdivision or any authority therein or thereof having power to tax) (the “Relevant Jurisdiction”), unless such withholding or deduction of such Taxes is required by law. If we are required to make such withholding or deduction, we will pay such additional amounts (“Additional Amounts”) as will result in receipt by each holder of any debt securities of such amounts as would have been received by such holder had no such withholding or deduction of such Taxes been required, except that no such Additional Amounts shall be payable:
(i) in respect of any such Taxes that would not have been imposed, deducted or withheld but for the existence of any connection (whether present or former) between the holder or beneficial owner of a debt security and the Relevant Jurisdiction other than merely holding such debt security or receiving principal, premium (if any) or interest in respect thereof (including such holder or beneficial owner being or having been a national, domiciliary or resident of such Relevant Jurisdiction or treated as a resident thereof or being or having been physically present or engaged in a trade or business therein or having or having had a permanent establishment therein);
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(ii) in respect of any debt security presented for payment (where presentation is required) more than 30 days after the relevant date, except to the extent that the holder thereof would have been entitled to such Additional Amounts on presenting the same for payment on the last day of such 30-day period. For this purpose, the “relevant date” in relation to any debt security means the later of (a) the due date for such payment or (b) the date such payment was made or duly provided for;
(iii) in respect of any Taxes that would not have been imposed, deducted or withheld but for a failure of the holder or beneficial owner of a debt security to comply with a timely request by us addressed to the holder to provide information concerning such holder’s or beneficial owner’s nationality, residence, identity or connection with any Relevant Jurisdiction, if and to the extent that due and timely compliance with such request is required under the tax laws of such jurisdiction in order to reduce or eliminate any withholding or deduction as to which Additional Amounts would have otherwise been payable to such holder;
(iv) in respect of any Taxes imposed as a result of a debt security being presented for payment (where presentation is required) in the Relevant Jurisdiction, unless such debt security could not have been presented for payment elsewhere;
(v) in respect of any estate, inheritance, gift, sale, transfer, personal property or similar Taxes;
(vi) to any holder of a debt security that is a fiduciary, partnership or person other than the sole beneficial owner of any payment to the extent that such payment would be required to be included in the income under the laws of a Relevant Jurisdiction, for tax purposes, of a beneficiary or settlor with respect to the fiduciary, or a member of that partnership or a beneficial owner who would not have been entitled to such Additional Amounts had that beneficiary, settlor, partner or beneficial owner been the holder thereof;
(vii) with respect to any withholding or deduction that is imposed in connection with Sections 1471-1474 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and current or future U.S. Treasury regulations thereunder (“FATCA”), any agreement with the Internal Revenue Service implementing or relating to FATCA, any intergovernmental agreement between the United States and any other jurisdiction implementing or relating to FATCA;
(viii) any such Taxes payable otherwise than by deduction or withholding from payments under or with respect to any debt security; or
(ix) any combination of Taxes referred to in the preceding items (i) through (viii) above.
In the event that any withholding or deduction for or on account of any Taxes is required and Additional Amounts are payable with respect thereto, at least 10 business days prior to each date of payment of principal of, premium (if any) or interest on the debt securities of any series, we will furnish to the trustee and the paying agent, if other than the trustee, an officers’ certificate specifying the amount required to be withheld or deducted on such payments to such holders, certifying that we shall pay such amounts required to be withheld to the appropriate governmental authority and certifying to the fact that the Additional Amounts will be payable and the amounts so payable to each holder, and that we will pay to the trustee or such paying agent the Additional Amounts required to be paid; provided that no such officers’ certificate will be required prior to any date of payment of principal of, premium (if any) or interest on such debt securities if there has been no change with respect to the matters set forth in a prior officers’ certificate. The trustee and each paying agent shall be entitled to conclusively rely on the fact that any officers’ certificate contemplated by this paragraph has not been furnished as evidence of the fact that no withholding or deduction for or on account of any Taxes is required. We covenant to indemnify the trustee and any paying agent for and to hold them harmless against any loss, liability or reasonably incurred expense without fraudulent activity, gross negligence or willful misconduct on their part arising out of or in connection with actions taken or omitted by any of them in reliance on any such officers’ certificate furnished pursuant to this paragraph or on the fact that any officers’ certificate contemplated by this paragraph has not been furnished.
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Whenever there is mentioned, in any context, the payment of principal, premium or interest in respect of any debt security, such mention shall be deemed to include the payment of Additional Amounts provided for in the indenture, to the extent that, in such context, Additional Amounts are, were or would be payable in respect thereof pursuant to the indenture.
The foregoing provisions shall apply in the same manner with respect to the jurisdiction in which any successor Person to us or its paying agent is organized or resident for tax purposes or any authority therein or thereof having the power to tax (a “Successor Jurisdiction”), substituting such Successor Jurisdiction for the Relevant Jurisdiction.
Our obligation to make payments of Additional Amounts under the terms and conditions described above will survive any termination, defeasance or discharge of the indenture.
Tax Redemption
Each series of debt securities may be redeemed at any time, at our option, in whole but not in part, upon written notice as described below, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the date fixed for redemption, along with any Additional Amounts with respect thereto if (i) as a result of any change in, or amendment to, the laws or regulations of the Relevant Jurisdiction (or, in the case of Additional Amounts payable by a successor Person to us, the applicable Successor Jurisdiction), or any change in the official application or official interpretation of, or the stating of an official position with respect to, such laws or regulations (including a holding by a court of competent jurisdiction), which change or amendment becomes effective on or after the issue date of the first tranche of the applicable series of debt securities (or, in the case of Additional Amounts payable by a successor Person to us that is not organized or tax resident in a jurisdiction that was already a Relevant Jurisdiction prior to the date of succession, the date on which such successor Person to us became a successor to us pursuant to the applicable provisions of the indenture) (a “Tax Change”), we or any such successor Person to us is, or would be, obligated to pay Additional Amounts upon the next payment of principal, premium (if any) or interest in respect of such debt securities and (ii) such obligation cannot be avoided by us or any such successor Person to us taking reasonable measures available to it, provided that changing our or such successor Person’s jurisdiction is not a reasonable measure for purposes of this section.
Prior to the giving of any notice of redemption of debt securities pursuant to the foregoing, we or any such successor Person to us shall deliver to the trustee (i) a notice of such redemption election, (ii) an opinion of external legal counsel or an opinion of an independent tax consultant to the effect that we or any such successor Person to us is, or would become, obligated to pay such Additional Amounts as the result of a Tax Change and (iii) an officers’ certificate from us or any such successor Person to us, stating that such amendment or change has occurred, and stating that such requirement cannot be avoided by us or any such successor Person to us taking reasonable measures available to it. The trustee shall be entitled to rely conclusively upon such certificate and opinion as sufficient evidence of the conditions precedent described above, in which event it shall be conclusive and binding on the relevant holders.
Notice of redemption of debt securities as provided above shall be given to the holders and the trustee not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for redemption; provided that no such notice of redemption shall be given earlier than 90 days prior to the earliest date on which we or any such successor Person to us would be required to pay Additional Amounts if a payment in respect of such debt securities was then due. Notice having been given, the debt securities of that series shall become due and payable on the date fixed for redemption and will be paid at the redemption price, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the date fixed for redemption, at the place or places of payment and in the manner specified in that series of the debt securities. From and after the redemption date, if moneys for the redemption of such debt securities shall have been made available as provided in the indenture for redemption on the redemption date, the debt securities of such series shall cease to bear interest, and the only right of the holders of such debt securities
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shall be to receive payment of the redemption price and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the date fixed for redemption.
Open Market Purchases
We or any of our Controlled Entities may, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, at any time purchase the debt securities issued under the indenture in the open market or otherwise at any price, so long as such purchase does not otherwise violate the terms of the indenture. The debt securities so purchased, while held by or on behalf of us or any of our Controlled Entities, shall not be deemed to be outstanding for the purposes of determining whether the holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding debt securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder.
Modification and Waiver
The indenture contains provisions permitting us and the trustee, without the consent of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, to execute supplemental indentures for certain enumerated purposes in the indenture, and, with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the applicable series of debt securities then outstanding under the indenture, to add, change, eliminate or modify in any way the provisions of the indenture or any supplemental indentures or to change or modify in any manner the rights of the holders of such debt securities.
We and the trustee may not, however, without the consent of each holder of the debt securities of the applicable series affected thereby:
(i) change the Stated Maturity of any debt security;
(ii) reduce the principal amount of, payments of interest on or stated time for payment of interest on any debt security;
(iii) change any obligation of ours to pay Additional Amounts with respect to any debt security;
(iv) change the currency of payment of the principal of, premium (if any) or interest on any debt security;
(v) reduce the amount of the principal of an original issue discount security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof;
(vi) impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment due on or with respect to any debt security;
(vii) reduce the percentage in principal amount of the outstanding securities of any series, the consent of whose holders is required for any supplemental indenture;
(viii) reduce the percentage of the aggregate principal amount of outstanding debt securities of that series necessary for waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the indenture or for waiver of certain defaults;
(ix) modify the provisions of the indenture with respect to modification and waiver;
(x) amend, change or modify any provision of the indenture affecting the ranking of any series of debt securities in a manner which adversely affects the holders of such debt securities; or
(xi) reduce the amount of the premium payable upon the redemption or repurchase of any series of debt securities or change the time at which any series of debt securities may be redeemed or repurchased as described above under “—Tax Redemption” or as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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The holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of any series then outstanding may on behalf of all holders of the debt securities of that series waive any existing or past Default or Event of Default and its consequences under the indenture, except a continuing Default or Event of Default (i) in the payment of principal of, premium (if any) or interest on (or Additional Amount payable in respect of), the debt securities of such series then outstanding, in which event the consent of all holders of the debt securities of such series then outstanding affected thereby is required, or (ii) in respect of a covenant or provision which under the indenture cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each debt security of such series then outstanding affected thereby. Any such waivers will be conclusive and binding on all holders of that series of debt securities, whether or not they have given consent to such waivers, and on all future holders of such debt securities, whether or not notation of such waivers is made upon such debt securities.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, without the consent of any holder of the securities, we and the trustee may amend the indenture and the relevant debt securities to, among other things:
(i) cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency contained in the indenture or in any supplemental indenture; provided, however, that such amendment does not materially and adversely affect the rights of holders;
(ii) in the case of a merger or consolidation, evidence the succession of another corporation to the Company, or successive successions, and the assumption by such successor of the covenants and obligations of the Company contained in the debt securities of one or more series and in this indenture or any supplemental indenture;
(iii) comply with the rules of any applicable depositary;
(iv) secure any series of debt securities;
(v) add to the covenants and agreements of the Company, to be observed thereafter and during the period, if any, in such supplemental indenture or indentures expressed, and to add Events of Default, in each case for the protection or benefit of the holders of all or any series of the debt securities (and if such covenants, agreements and Events of Default are to be for the benefit of fewer than all series of debt securities, stating that such covenants, agreements and Events of Default are expressly being included for the benefit of such series as shall be identified therein), or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company;
(vi) make any change in any series of debt securities that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the indenture of any holder of such debt securities in any material respect;
(vii) evidence and provide for the acceptance of an appointment under the indenture of a successor trustee; provided that the successor trustee is otherwise qualified and eligible to act as such under the terms thereof;
(viii) conform the text of the indenture or any series of the debt securities to any provision of this “Description of Debt Securities” to the extent that such provision in this prospectus was intended to be a verbatim recitation of a provision of the indenture or such series of the debt securities as evidenced by an officers’ certificate;
(ix) make any amendment to the provisions of the indenture relating to the transfer and legending of debt securities as permitted by the indenture, including, but not limited to, facilitating the issuance and administration of any series of the debt securities or, if incurred in compliance with the indenture, additional debt securities; provided, however, that (A) compliance with the indenture as so amended would not result in any series of the debt securities being transferred in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable securities law and (B) such amendment does not materially and adversely affect the rights of holders to transfer debt securities;
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(x) change or eliminate any of the provisions of the indenture; provided that any such change or elimination shall become effective only when there is no outstanding debt security of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture that is entitled to the benefit of such provision and as to which such supplemental indenture would apply;
(xi) make any amendment to the indenture necessary to qualify the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;
(xii) add guarantors or co-obligors with respect to any series of debt securities; and
(xiii) establish the form and terms of debt securities of any series as permitted under the indenture, or to provide for the issuance of additional debt securities in accordance with the limitations set forth in the indenture, or to add to the conditions, limitations or restrictions on the authorized amount, terms or purposes of issue, authentication or delivery of the debt securities of any series, as herein set forth, or other conditions, limitations or restrictions thereafter to be observed.
The consent of the holders is not necessary under the indenture to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment, supplement or waiver. It is sufficient if such consent approves the substance of the proposed amendment or supplement. A consent to any amendment, supplement or waiver under the indenture by any holder given in connection with a tender of such holder’s debt securities will not be rendered invalid by such tender. After an amendment, supplement or waiver under the indenture becomes effective, we are required to give to the holders a notice briefly describing such amendment, supplement or waiver. However, the failure to give such notice to all the holders, or any defect in the notice will not impair or affect the validity of the amendment, supplement or waiver.
Any instrument given by or on behalf of any holder of a debt security of that series in connection with any consent to any such waiver will be irrevocable once given and will be conclusive and binding on all subsequent holders of such debt security.
Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets
The indenture provides that we may not, directly or indirectly, consolidate with or merge into any other Person in a transaction or a series of transactions in which we are not the surviving entity, or convey, transfer or lease our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, any Person unless:
(i) we shall be the continuing person or, if we are not the continuing person, any Person formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged or to whom we have conveyed, transferred or leased our properties and assets substantially as an entirety is a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands or Hong Kong;
(ii) such Person expressly assumes by indentures supplemental to the indenture all of our obligations under the indenture and the debt securities issued under the indenture, including the obligation to pay Additional Amounts with respect to any Successor Jurisdiction, and will, if required by law to effectuate the assumption, execute a supplemental indenture which will be delivered to the trustee and will be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the trustee;
(iii) immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing; and
(iv) we have delivered to the trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of external legal counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and such supplemental indentures comply with the indenture and that all conditions precedent therein relating to such transaction have been complied with.
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Payments for Consent
We will not, and will not permit any of our Controlled Entities to, directly or indirectly, pay or cause to be paid any consideration to or for the benefit of any holder of debt securities of any series for or as an inducement to any consent, waiver or amendment of any of the terms or provisions of the indenture or the debt securities of such series unless such consideration is offered to be paid and is paid to all holders of the relevant series of debt securities that consent, waive or agree to amend in the time frame set forth in the solicitation documents relating to such consent, waiver or amendment.
Events of Default
Under the terms of the indenture, each of the following constitutes an Event of Default for a series of debt securities unless, as otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, it is either inapplicable to a particular series or it is specifically deleted or modified:
(i) failure to pay principal or premium in respect of any debt securities of that series by the due date for such payment;
(ii) failure to pay interest on any debt securities of that series within 30 days after the due date for such payment;
(iii) we default in the performance of or breach our obligations under the “—Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” covenant;
(iv) we default in the performance of, or breach, any covenant or agreement in the indenture or under the debt securities of that series (other than a default specified in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above) and such default or breach continues for a period of 30 consecutive days after written notice by the trustee or the holders of 25% or more in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series then outstanding;
(v) (a) there occurs with respect to any of our indebtedness or indebtedness of any of our Principal Controlled Entities, whether such indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created, (A) an event of default that has resulted in the holder thereof declaring the principal of such indebtedness to be due and payable prior to its stated maturity or (B) a failure to make a payment of principal, interest or premium when due (after giving effect to the expiration of any applicable grace period therefor, a “Payment Default”), in each case, such default continues for more than 30 days after the expiration of any grace period or extension of time for payment applicable thereto; provided that any such Event of Default shall be deemed cured and not continuing upon payment of such indebtedness, rescission of such declaration of acceleration, or waiver or with consent of the applicable lender; and (b) the outstanding principal amount of such indebtedness, together with the outstanding principal amount of any other indebtedness of such Persons under which there has been a Payment Default or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, is equal to or exceeds the greater of (x) US$100,000,000 (or the Dollar Equivalent thereof) and (y) 2.5% of our Total Equity;
(vi) one or more final judgments or orders for the payment of money are rendered against us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities and are not paid or discharged, and there is a period of 90 consecutive days following entry of the final judgment or order that causes the aggregate amount for all such final judgments or orders outstanding and not paid or discharged against all such Persons (net of any amounts that our insurance carriers have paid or agreed to pay with respect thereto under applicable policies) to exceed the greater of (x) US$100,000,000 (or the Dollar Equivalent thereof) and (y) 2.5% of our Total Equity, during which a stay of enforcement, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect;
(vii) the entry by a court having jurisdiction in the premises of (i) a decree or order for relief in respect of us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities in an involuntary case or proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law or (ii) a decree or order adjudging us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities
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bankrupt or insolvent, or approving as final and non-appealable a petition seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, or composition of or in respect of us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or appointing a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator, or other similar official of us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities or of any substantial part of their respective property, or ordering the winding up or liquidation of their respective affairs (or any similar relief granted under any foreign laws), and in any such case the continuance of any such decree or order for relief or any such other decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive calendar days;
(viii) the commencement by us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities of a voluntary case or proceeding under any applicable federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law or of any other case or proceeding to be adjudicated bankrupt or insolvent, or the consent by us or any Principal Controlled Entity to the entry of a decree or order for relief in respect of us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities in an involuntary case or proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law or the commencement of any bankruptcy or insolvency case or proceeding against us or any Principal Controlled Entity, or the filing by us or any Principal Controlled Entity of a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief with respect to us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or the consent by us or any Principal Controlled Entity to the filing of such petition or to the appointment of or taking possession by a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator, or other similar official of us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities or of any substantial part of their respective property pursuant to any such law, or the making by us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities of a general assignment for the benefit of creditors in respect of any indebtedness as a result of an inability to pay such indebtedness as it becomes due, or the admission by us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities in writing of our inability to pay our debts generally as they become due, or the taking of corporate action by us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities that resolves to commence any such action;
(ix) the debt securities of that series or the indenture is or becomes or is claimed by us to be unenforceable, invalid or ceases to be in full force and effect otherwise than is permitted by the indenture; and
(x) any other event of default described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
However, a default under clause (iv) of the preceding paragraph will not constitute an Event of Default until the trustee or the holders of 25% or more in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series then outstanding provide written notice to us of the default and we do not cure such default within the time specified in clause (iv) of the preceding paragraph after receipt of such notice.
If an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default described in clauses (vii) and (viii) above) shall occur and be continuing, either the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series then outstanding by written notice as provided in the indenture may, and the trustee, upon written instructions from holders of at least 25% aggregate in principal amount of the debt securities of that series (then outstanding and subject to receipt of pre-funding, security and/or indemnity), to its satisfaction, shall declare the unpaid principal amount of such debt securities and any accrued and unpaid interest and premium (if any) thereon (and any Additional Amount payable in respect thereof) to be due and payable immediately upon receipt of such notice.
If an Event of Default in clause (v) above shall occur, the declaration of acceleration of the debt securities shall be automatically annulled if the default triggering such Event of Default pursuant to clause (v) shall be remedied or cured by us or any of our Principal Controlled Entities or waived by the holders of the relevant indebtedness within 30 days after the declaration of acceleration with respect thereto and if (1) the annulment of the acceleration of the debt securities of that series would not conflict with any judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction and (2) all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of principal, premium (if any) or interest on the debt securities of that series that became due solely because of the acceleration of the debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived. If an Event of Default in clauses (vii) or (viii) above shall
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occur, the unpaid principal amount of all the debt securities then outstanding and any accrued and unpaid interest thereon will automatically, and without any declaration or other action by the trustee or any holder of such debt securities, become immediately due and payable. After a declaration of acceleration but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series then outstanding may, under certain circumstances, waive all past defaults and rescind and annul such acceleration if (1) rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction and (2) all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest on such debt securities that became due solely because of the acceleration of such debt securities, have been cured or waived. For information as to waiver of defaults, see “—Modification and Waiver.”
In case an Event of Default shall occur and be continuing, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of the trusts or powers vested in it by the indenture or enforce any provisions of the Indenture or the debt securities at the request, order or direction of any of the holders of debt securities, unless the requisite number of holders shall have instructed the trustee in writing and offered to the trustee pre-funding, security and/or indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which may be incurred therein or thereby. Subject to certain provisions, including those requiring pre-funding, security and/or indemnification of the trustee, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of a series then outstanding will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee. No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or the debt securities, or for the appointment of a receiver or a trustee, or for any other remedy thereunder, unless (i) such holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series, (ii) the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series then outstanding have made written request to the trustee to institute such proceeding, (iii) such holder or holders have offered pre-funding, security and/or indemnity satisfactory to the trustee and (iv) the trustee has failed to institute such proceeding, and has not received from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series then outstanding a written direction inconsistent with such request, within 60 days after such notice, request and offer. However, such limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of a debt security for the enforcement of the right to receive payment of the principal of, premium (if any) or interest on such debt security on or after the applicable due date specified in such debt security.
Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
The indenture will provide that we may at our option and at any time elect to have all of our obligations discharged with respect to the outstanding debt securities of a series (“Legal Defeasance”) except for:
| (1) | the rights of holders of the debt securities of that series that are then outstanding to receive payments in respect of the principal of, or interest or premium on such debt securities when such payments are due from the trust referred to below; |
| (2) | our obligations with respect to the debt securities of that series concerning issuing temporary notes, registration of notes, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen notes and the maintenance of an office or agency for payment and money for security payments held in trust; |
| (3) | the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the trustee for the debt securities of that series, and our obligations in connection therewith; and |
| (4) | the Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance (as defined below) provisions of the indenture for the debt securities of that series. |
The indenture will provide that, we may, at our option and at any time, elect to have our obligations with respect to the outstanding debt securities of a series released with respect to certain covenants (including our obligations under the headings “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and “Payments for Consents”) that
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are described in the indenture (“Covenant Defeasance”) and thereafter any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or Event of Default. In the event Covenant Defeasance occurs, certain events (not including non-payment, bankruptcy, receivership, rehabilitation and insolvency events) described under the caption “—Events of Default” will no longer constitute an Event of Default.
The indenture will also provide that, in order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance:
| (1) | we must irrevocably deposit with the trustee or its agent, in trust, for the benefit of the holders of all debt securities of that series subject to Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance, cash in U.S. dollars, U.S. Government Obligation, or a combination of cash in U.S. dollars and U.S. Government Obligation, in amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized investment bank, appraisal firm or firm of independent public accountants to pay the principal of, or interest and premium on such notes that are then outstanding on the Stated Maturity or on the applicable redemption date, as the case may be, and we must specify whether such debt securities are being defeased to maturity or to a particular redemption date; |
| (2) | in the case of Legal Defeasance, we must deliver to the trustee an opinion of legal counsel confirming that (a) we have received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling or (b) since the date of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion of legal counsel will confirm that, the beneficial owners of the then outstanding debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred; |
| (3) | in the case of Covenant Defeasance, we must deliver to the trustee an opinion of legal counsel confirming that the beneficial owners of the then outstanding debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred; |
| (4) | no Default or Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series must have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit); |
| (5) | we must deliver to the trustee an officers’ certificate stating that the deposit was not made by us with the intent of preferring the holders of debt securities of that series over our other creditors with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding our creditors or others; and |
| (6) | we must deliver to the trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of legal counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent relating to the Legal Defeasance or the Covenant Defeasance have been complied with. |
Satisfaction and Discharge
The indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect with respect to debt securities of a series when:
| (1) | either: |
| (a) | all debt securities of that series that have been authenticated, except lost, stolen or destroyed debt securities that have been replaced or paid and notes for whose payment money has been deposited in trust and thereafter repaid to us, have been delivered to the registrar for cancelation; or |
| (b) | all debt securities of that series that have not been delivered to the registrar for cancelation have become due and payable by reason of the mailing of a notice of redemption or otherwise |
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| or will become due and payable within one year and we have irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the trustee or its agent as trust funds in trust solely for the benefit of the holders of the debt securities of such series, cash in U.S. dollars, U.S. Government Obligation, or a combination of cash in U.S. dollars and U.S. Government Obligation, in amounts as will be sufficient (in the case of a deposit not entirely in cash, in the opinion of an internationally recognized investment bank, appraisal firm or firm of independent public accountants), without consideration of any reinvestment of interest, to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such debt securities not delivered to the registrar for cancelation for principal, premium and accrued interest to the date of maturity or redemption; |
| (2) | no Default or Event of Default under the indenture has occurred and is continuing with respect to the debt securities of that series on the date of the deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit) and the deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any other instrument to which we are a party or by which we are bound; |
| (3) | we have paid or caused to be paid all sums payable by us under the indenture with respect to the debt securities of that series; and |
| (4) | we have delivered irrevocable instructions to the trustee under the indenture to apply the deposited money toward the payment of the debt securities of that series at maturity or the redemption date, as the case may be. |
In addition, we shall deliver an officers’ certificate and an opinion of legal counsel to the trustee stating that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been satisfied.
Concerning the Trustee
The trustee under the indenture is The Bank of New York Mellon, a banking corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York with limited liability. Pursuant to the indenture, the trustee will be designated by us as the initial paying agent and registrar for the debt securities. The corporate trust office of the trustee is currently located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, United States of America.
The indenture provides that the trustee, except during the continuance of an Event of Default, undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth therein. If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the trustee will exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by the indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.
Whenever the trustee shall have discretion or permissive power in accordance with the indenture or the law, the trustee may decline to exercise the same in the absence of approval by the requisite number of holders and shall have no obligation to exercise the same unless it has received pre-funding, been indemnified and/or provided with security to its satisfaction against all actions, proceedings, claims, actions or demands to which it may render itself liable and all costs, damages, charges, expenses and liabilities which it may incur by so doing. The trustee in its various capacities shall in no event be responsible for special, indirect, punitive or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit, goodwill or opportunity), whether or not foreseeable, even if the trustee has been advised of the possibility of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.
Subject to the terms of the indenture and the Trust Indenture Act, the trustee is permitted to engage in other transactions with the Company and its affiliates and can profit therefrom without being obliged to account for such profit; and the trustee shall not be under any obligation to monitor any conflict of interest, if any, which may arise between itself and such other parties. The trustee may have interest in, or may be providing, or may in the future provide financial services to other parties.
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Currency Indemnity
To the fullest extent permitted by law, our obligations to any holder of debt securities under the indenture or the applicable series of debt securities, as the case may be, shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency (the “Judgment Currency”) other than U.S. dollars (the “Agreement Currency”), be discharged only to the extent that on the Business Day following receipt by such holder or the trustee, as the case may be, of any amount in the Judgment Currency, such holder or the trustee, as the case may be, may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase the Agreement Currency with the Judgment Currency. If the amount of the Agreement Currency so purchased is less than the amount originally to be paid to such holder or the trustee, as the case may be, in the Agreement Currency, we agree, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding such judgment, to pay the difference and if the amount of the Agreement Currency so purchased exceeds the amount originally to be paid to such holder, such holder or the trustee, as the case may be, agrees to pay to or for our account such excess, provided that such holder shall not have any obligation to pay any such excess as long as a default by us in our obligations under the indenture or the debt securities of such series has occurred and is continuing, in which case such excess may be applied by such holder to such obligations.
Notices
Notices to holders of debt securities will be mailed to them (or the first named of joint holders) by first class mail (or, if first class mail is unavailable, by airmail) at their respective addresses in the register.
Governing Law and Consent to Jurisdiction
The indenture and the debt securities will be governed by and will be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. We have agreed that any action arising out of or based upon the indenture may be instituted in any U.S. federal or New York State court located in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York, and have irrevocably submitted to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in any such action. We have appointed Cogency Global Inc. located at 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10168, as our agent upon which process may be served in any such action.
We have agreed that, to the extent that we are or become entitled to any sovereign or other immunity, we will waive such immunity in respect of our obligations under the indenture.
Certain Definitions
Set forth below are definitions of certain of the terms used herein. Additional terms are defined elsewhere above or in the indenture.
“Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies in the City of New York, Hong Kong or Beijing are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to remain closed.
“Capital Stock” of any Person means any and all shares, interests, rights to purchase, warrants, options, participations or other equivalents of or interests in (however designated) equity of such Person, including any Preferred Shares and limited liability or partnership interests (whether general or limited), but excluding any debt securities convertible or exchangeable into such equity.
“Company” means Tencent Music Entertainment Group.
“Consolidated Affiliated Entity” of any Person means any corporation, association or other entity which is or is required to be consolidated with such Person under IFRS 10: Consolidated Financial Statements, IFRS 11: Joint Arrangements and IFRS 12: Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (including any changes, amendments or supplements thereto) or, if such Person prepares its financial statements in accordance with accounting principles other than International Financial Reporting Standards, the equivalent of IFRS 10: Consolidated Financial Statements, IFRS 11: Joint
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Arrangements and IFRS 12: Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities issued by the International Accounting Standards Board under such accounting principles. Unless otherwise specified herein, each reference to a Consolidated Affiliated Entity will refer to a Consolidated Affiliated Entity of ours.
“Controlled Entity” of any Person means a Subsidiary or a Consolidated Affiliated Entity of such Person.
“Default” means any event that is, or with the passage of time or the giving of notice or both would be, an Event of Default.
“Dollar Equivalent” means, with respect to any monetary amount in a currency other than U.S. dollars, at any time for the determination thereof, the amount of U.S. dollars obtained by converting such foreign currency involved in such computation into U.S. dollars at the base rate for the purchase of U.S. dollars with the applicable foreign currency as quoted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the date of determination.
“holder” in relation to a debt security, means the Person in whose name a debt security is registered in the security register for the registration and the registration of transfer or of exchange of the applicable series of securities.
“IFRS” means International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
“Person” means any individual, corporation, firm, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, undertaking, association, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, trust, state, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any other entity (in each case whether or not being a separate legal entity).
“PRC” means the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for purposes of this definition, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan.
“Preferred Shares,” as applied to the Capital Stock of any corporation, means Capital Stock of any class or classes (however designated) that is preferred as to the payment of dividends upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up.
“Principal Controlled Entities” at any time shall mean one of our Controlled Entities:
| (i) | as to which one or more of the following conditions is/are satisfied: |
| (a) | its total revenue or (in the case of one of our Controlled Entities which has one or more Controlled Entities) consolidated total revenue attributable to us is at least 10% of our consolidated total revenue; |
| (b) | its net profit or (in the case of one of our Controlled Entities which has one or more Controlled Entities) consolidated net profit attributable to us (in each case before taxation and exceptional items) is at least 10% of our consolidated net profit (before taxation and exceptional items); or |
| (c) | its net assets or (in the case of one of our Controlled Entities which has one or more Controlled Entities) consolidated net assets attributable to us (in each case after deducting minority interests in Subsidiaries) are at least 10% of our consolidated net assets (after deducting minority interests in Subsidiaries); |
all as calculated by reference to the then latest audited financial statements (consolidated or, as the case may be, unconsolidated) of our Controlled Entity and our then latest audited consolidated financial statements;
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provided that, in relation to paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) above:
| (1) | in the case of a corporation or other business entity becoming a Controlled Entity after the end of the financial period to which our latest consolidated audited accounts relate, the reference to our then latest consolidated audited accounts and our Controlled Entities for the purposes of the calculation above shall, until our consolidated audited accounts for the financial period in which the relevant corporation or other business entity becomes a Controlled Entity are issued, be deemed to be a reference to the then latest consolidated audited accounts of us and our Controlled Entities adjusted to consolidate the latest audited accounts (consolidated in the case of a Controlled Entity which itself has Controlled Entities) of such Controlled Entity in such accounts; |
| (2) | if at any relevant time in relation to us or any Controlled Entity which itself has Controlled Entities, no consolidated accounts are prepared and audited, total revenue, net profit or net assets of us and/or any such Controlled Entity shall be determined on the basis of pro forma consolidated accounts prepared for this purpose by or on behalf of us; |
| (3) | if at any relevant time in relation to any Controlled Entity, no accounts are audited, its net assets (consolidated, if appropriate) shall be determined on the basis of pro forma accounts (consolidated, if appropriate) of the relevant Controlled Entity prepared for this purpose by or on behalf of us; and |
| (4) | if the accounts of any Controlled Entity (not being a Controlled Entity referred to in proviso (1) above) are not consolidated with our accounts, then the determination of whether or not such Controlled Entity is a Principal Controlled Entity shall be based on a pro forma consolidation of its accounts (consolidated, if appropriate) with our consolidated accounts (determined on the basis of the foregoing); or |
(ii) to which is transferred all or substantially all of the assets of a Controlled Entity which immediately prior to the transfer was a Principal Controlled Entity; provided that, with effect from such transfer, the Controlled Entity which so transfers its assets and undertakings shall cease to be a Principal Controlled Entity (but without prejudice to paragraph (i) above) and the Controlled Entity to which the assets are so transferred shall become a Principal Controlled Entity.
An officers’ certificate delivered to the trustee certifying in good faith as to whether or not a Controlled Entity is a Principal Controlled Entity shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error and the trustee shall be entitled to rely conclusively upon such officers’ certificate (without further investigation or enquiry) and shall not be liable to any person for so accepting and relying on such officers’ certificate.
“Stated Maturity” means, when used with respect to any debt security or any installment of interest thereon, the date specified in such debt security as the fixed date on which the principal (or any portion thereof) of or premium, if any, on such debt security or such installment of interest is due and payable.
“Subsidiary” of any Person means (a) any corporation, association or other business entity (other than a partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or similar entity) of which more than 50% of the total ordinary voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof (or Persons performing similar functions) or (b) any partnership, joint venture limited liability company or similar entity of which more than 50% of the capital accounts, distribution rights, total equity and voting interests or general or limited partnership interests, as applicable, is, in the case of clauses (a) and (b), voting at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by (1) such Person, (2) such Person and one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or (3) one or more Subsidiaries of such Person. Unless otherwise specified herein, each reference to a Subsidiary will refer to a Subsidiary of the Company.
“Total Equity” as of any date, means the total equity attributable to our shareholders on a consolidated basis determined in accordance with IFRS, as shown on our consolidated balance sheet for the most recent fiscal quarter.
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“U.S. Government Obligations” means securities that are (i) direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (ii) obligations of an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such U.S. Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such U.S. Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depositary receipt; provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the U.S. Government Obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of the U.S. Government Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.
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LEGAL OWNERSHIP OF DEBT SECURITIES
In this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, when we refer to the “holders” of debt securities as being entitled to specified rights or payments, we mean only the actual legal holders of the debt securities. While you will be the holder if you hold a security registered in your name, more often than not the registered holder will actually be a broker, bank, other financial institution or, in the case of a global security, a depositary. Our obligations, as well as the obligations of the trustee, any paying agent, any registrar, any depositary and any third parties employed by us or the other entities listed above, run only to persons who are registered as holders of our debt securities, except as may be specifically provided for in a contract governing the debt securities. For example, once we make payment to the registered holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment even if that registered holder is legally required to pass the payment along to you as a street name customer but does not do so.
Street Name and Other Indirect Holders
Holding debt securities in accounts at banks or brokers is called holding in “street name.” If you hold our debt securities in street name, we will recognize only the bank or broker, or the financial institution that the bank or broker uses to hold the debt securities, as a holder. These intermediary banks, brokers, other financial institutions and depositaries pass along principal, interest, dividends and other payments, if any, on the debt securities, either because they agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required to do so. This means that if you are an indirect holder, you will need to coordinate with the institution through which you hold your interest in a security in order to determine how the provisions involving holders described in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement will actually apply to you. For example, if the debt security in which you hold a beneficial interest in street name can be repaid at the option of the holder, you cannot redeem it yourself by following the procedures described in the prospectus supplement relating to that security. Instead, you would need to cause the institution through which you hold your interest to take those actions on your behalf. Your institution may have procedures and deadlines different from or additional to those described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
If you hold our debt securities in street name or through other indirect means, you should check with the institution through which you hold your interest in a security to find out, among other things:
| • | how it handles payments and notices with respect to the debt securities; |
| • | whether it imposes fees or charges; |
| • | how it handles voting, if applicable; |
| • | how and when you should notify it to exercise any rights or options that may exist under the debt securities on your behalf; |
| • | whether and how you can instruct it to send you debt securities registered in your own name so you can be a direct holder; and |
| • | how it would pursue rights under the debt securities if there were a default or other event triggering the need for holders to act to protect their interests. |
Global Securities
A global security is a special type of indirectly held security. If we issue debt securities in the form of global securities, the ultimate beneficial owners can only be indirect holders. We do this by requiring that the global security be registered in the name of a financial institution we select and by requiring that the debt securities included in the global security not be transferred to the name of any other direct holder unless the special circumstances described below occur. The financial institution that acts as the sole direct holder of the global security is called the “depositary.” Any person wishing to own a security issued in global form must do so
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indirectly through an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary. The applicable prospectus supplement will indicate whether the debt securities will be issued only as global securities.
As an indirect holder, your rights relating to a global security will be governed by the account rules of your financial institution and of the depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We will not recognize you as a holder of the debt securities and instead will deal only with the depositary that holds the global security.
You should be aware that if our debt securities are issued only in the form of global securities:
| • | you cannot have the debt securities registered in your own name; |
| • | you cannot receive physical certificates for your interest in the debt securities; |
| • | you will be a street name holder and must look to your own bank or broker for payments on the debt securities and protection of your legal rights relating to the debt securities; |
| • | you may not be able to sell interests in the debt securities to some insurance companies and other institutions that are required by law to own their debt securities in the form of physical certificates; |
| • | the depositary’s policies will govern payments, dividends, transfers, exchange and other matters relating to your interest in the global security. We, the trustee and any agent have no responsibility for any aspect of the depositary’s actions or for its records of ownership interests in the global security. We, the trustee, any paying agent and any registrar also do not supervise the depositary in any way; and |
| • | the depositary will require that interests in a global security be purchased or sold within its system using same-day funds for settlement. |
In a few special situations described below, a global security representing our debt securities will terminate and interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing the debt securities. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold debt securities directly or in street name will be up to you. You must consult your bank or broker to find out how to have your interests in the debt securities transferred to your name if you wish to become a direct holder.
Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the special situations for termination of a global security representing our debt securities are:
| • | the depositary has notified us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for such global security or the depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, at a time when such depositary is required to be so registered in order to act as depositary, and in each case we do not or cannot appoint a successor depositary within 90 days; or |
| • | upon request by holders, in case that an event of default with respect to the debt securities of the applicable series has occurred and is continuing. |
The applicable prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of debt securities covered by that prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary (and not us, the trustee, any paying agent or any registrar) is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.
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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We were incorporated in the Cayman Islands in order to enjoy the following benefits:
| • | political and economic stability; |
| • | an effective judicial system; |
| • | a favorable tax system; |
| • | the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions; and |
| • | the availability of professional and support services. |
However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include, but are not limited to, the following:
| • | the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States and these securities laws provide significantly less protection to investors; and |
| • | Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States. |
Our constitutional documents do not contain provisions requiring that disputes, including those arising under the securities laws of the United States, between us, our officers, directors and shareholders, be arbitrated.
Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China, and substantially all of our assets are located in China. A majority of our directors and executive officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for an investor to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
We have appointed Cogency Global Inc. as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States in connection with an offering of securities registered by the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our counsel as to Cayman Islands law, and Han Kun Law Offices, our counsel as to PRC law, have advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands and China, respectively, would:
| • | recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States; or |
| • | entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. |
Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP has advised us that there is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits in the circumstances described below. Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP further advised us that a judgment obtained in the United States will be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment (1) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction; (2) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the
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judgment has been given; (3) is final; (4) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty; and (5) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands. The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands may stay proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere. Neither the United States nor the PRC has a treaty with the Cayman Islands providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts of the United States or the PRC, respectively, in civil and commercial matters.
Han Kun Law Offices has further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States.
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We may sell the securities described in this prospectus from time to time in one or more of the following ways:
| • | to or through underwriters or dealers; |
| • | through agents; |
| • | directly to one or more purchasers; or |
| • | through a combination of any of these methods of sale. |
The prospectus supplement with respect to the offered securities will describe the terms of the offering, including the following:
| • | the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents; |
| • | any public offering price; |
| • | the proceeds from such sale; |
| • | any underwriting discounts or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation; |
| • | any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us; |
| • | any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and |
| • | any securities exchanges on which the securities may be listed. |
We may distribute the securities from time to time in one or more of the following ways:
| • | at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed; |
| • | at prices relating to prevailing market prices at the time of sale; |
| • | at varying prices determined at the time of sale; or |
| • | at negotiated prices. |
By Underwriters or Dealers
If we use underwriters for the sale of securities, they will acquire securities for their own account. The underwriters may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Unless we otherwise state in the applicable prospectus supplement, various conditions will apply to the underwriters’ obligation to purchase securities, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities contemplated in an offering if they purchase any of such securities. Any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. The underwriter or underwriters of a particular underwritten offering of securities, or, if an underwriting syndicate is used, the managing underwriter or underwriters, will be set forth on the cover of the applicable prospectus supplement.
If we use dealers in the sale, unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will sell securities to the dealers as principals. The dealers may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices that the dealers may determine at the time of resale.
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By Agents
We may designate agents who agree to use their reasonable efforts to solicit purchases for the period of their appointment or to sell securities on a continuing basis. Any agent involved will be named, and any commissions payable by us to such agent will be set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Direct Sales
We may also sell securities directly without using agents, underwriters, or dealers.
General Information
We may enter into agreements with underwriters, dealers and agents that entitle them to indemnification against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with respect to payments which the underwriters, dealers or agents may be required to make. Underwriters, dealers and agents may be customers of, may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us or our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business.
Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be underwriters as defined in the Securities Act, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and any profit on the resale of the securities by them may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Any underwriters, dealers or agents used in the offer or sale of securities will be identified and their compensation described in an applicable prospectus supplement.
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We are being represented by Davis Polk & Wardwell with respect to legal matters of United States federal securities and New York State law, by Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP with respect to legal matters of Cayman Islands law and by Han Kun Law Offices with respect to legal matters of PRC law. The validity of the debt securities will be passed upon for us by Davis Polk & Wardwell. Davis Polk & Wardwell may rely upon Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP with respect to matters governed by Cayman Islands law and Han Kun Law Offices with respect to matters governed by PRC law.
The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and in accordance with the Exchange Act, we file annual reports and other information with the SEC. Information we file with the SEC can be obtained over the internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we have filed with the SEC. This prospectus omits some information contained in the registration statement in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. You should review the information and exhibits in the registration statement for further information on us and the securities we are offering. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with them. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. 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, or between information incorporated by reference into this prospectus from different documents, you should rely on the information contained in the document that was filed later.
We incorporate by reference the documents listed below:
| • | our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, filed on April 17, 2026 (File No. 001-38751/26869368); |
| • | any future annual reports on Form 20-F filed with the SEC after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities offered by this prospectus; |
| • | our current report on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC on September 1, 2026 (File No. 001-38751); and |
| • | any future reports on Form 6-K that we furnish to the SEC after the date of this prospectus that are identified in such reports as being incorporated by reference in this prospectus. |
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:
Tencent Music Entertainment Group
Unit 3, Building D, Kexing Science Park, Kejizhongsan Avenue
Hi-TechPark, Nanshan District
Shenzhen, 518057, the People’s Republic of China
+86-755-8601-3388
Attention: Investor Relations
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
| Item 8. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers |
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our articles of association provide for indemnification of officers and directors against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such directors and officers, other than by reason of such director or officer’s own dishonesty, willful default or fraud as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, in or about the conduct of our business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director of officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning us or our affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.
The form of underwriting agreement to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement will also provide for indemnification of us and our officers and directors.
Pursuant to the indemnification agreements between us and our directors and officers, the form of which was filed as Exhibit 10.1 to our registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-227656), we agreed to indemnify our directors and officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being a director or officer.
| ITEM 9. | Exhibits |
The exhibits to this registration statement are listed in the Index to Exhibits below.
| ITEM 10. | Undertakings. |
| (a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement; |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and |
| (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 item do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs
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is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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 (a)(4) and other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act 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 SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this registration statement. |
| (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. |
| (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 |
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| undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
| (b) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes 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 that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (c) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act, as amended, and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
| * | To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a document to be incorporated by reference into this registration statement. |
| † | Filed with this registration statement. |
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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 fling on Form F-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on September 1, 2026.
| Tencent Music Entertainment Group | ||||
| By: | /s/ Cussion Kar Shun Pang | |||
| Name: | Cussion Kar Shun Pang | |||
| Title: | Executive Chairman | |||
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POWER OF ATTORNEY
Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Mr. Cussion Kar Shun Pang, Mr. Zhu Liang and Ms. Min Hu, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement and any and all related registration statements pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or its substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities set forth below on September 1, 2026.
| Signature |
Title | |
| /s/ Cussion Kar Shun Pang Cussion Kar Shun Pang |
Executive Chairman | |
| /s/ Zhu Liang Zhu Liang |
Director, Chief Executive Officer | |
| /s/ Min Hu Min Hu |
Director, Chief Financial Officer | |
| /s/ James Gordon Mitchell James Gordon Mitchell |
Director | |
| /s/ Brent Richard Irvin Brent Richard Irvin |
Director | |
| /s/ Wai Yip Tsang Wai Yip Tsang |
Director | |
| /s/ Edith Manling Ngan Edith Manling Ngan |
Independent Director | |
| /s/ Adrian Yau Kee Mak Adrian Yau Kee Mak |
Independent Director | |
| /s/ Jeanette Kim Yum Chan Jeanette Kim Yum Chan |
Independent Director | |
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SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REGISTRANT
Under the Securities Act, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of Tencent Music Entertainment Group, has signed this registration statement in New York on September 1, 2026.
| Authorized U.S. Representative | ||
| By: | /s/ Colleen A. De Vries | |
| Name: | Colleen A. De Vries | |
| Title: | Senior Vice President | |
7
Exhibit 4.1
INDENTURE
Dated as of
September , 2026
Between
TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
as Company
and
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
as Trustee
DEBT SECURITIES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||||||
| ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS |
1 | |||||
| Section 1.01 |
Definitions | 1 | ||||
| Section 1.02 |
Rules of Construction | 10 | ||||
| ARTICLE II FORMS OF SECURITIES |
11 | |||||
| Section 2.01 |
Form Generally | 11 | ||||
| Section 2.02 |
Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication | 11 | ||||
| ARTICLE III THE DEBT SECURITIES |
12 | |||||
| Section 3.01 |
Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series | 12 | ||||
| Section 3.02 |
Denominations | 14 | ||||
| Section 3.03 |
Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating | 14 | ||||
| Section 3.04 |
Temporary Securities | 17 | ||||
| Section 3.05 |
Registrar | 17 | ||||
| Section 3.06 |
Transfer and Exchange | 18 | ||||
| Section 3.07 |
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities | 21 | ||||
| Section 3.08 |
Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved | 22 | ||||
| Section 3.09 |
Cancellation | 23 | ||||
| Section 3.10 |
Computation of Interest | 23 | ||||
| Section 3.11 |
Currency of Payments in Respect of Securities | 23 | ||||
| Section 3.12 |
CUSIP Numbers | 25 | ||||
| ARTICLE IV REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES |
25 | |||||
| Section 4.01 |
Applicability of Right of Redemption | 25 | ||||
| Section 4.02 |
Selection of Securities to be Redeemed | 25 | ||||
| Section 4.03 |
Notice of Redemption | 26 | ||||
| Section 4.04 |
Deposit of Redemption Price | 26 | ||||
| Section 4.05 |
Securities Payable on Redemption Date | 27 | ||||
| Section 4.06 |
Securities Redeemed in Part | 27 | ||||
| Section 4.07 |
Tax Redemption | 27 | ||||
| ARTICLE V SINKING FUNDS |
28 | |||||
| Section 5.01 |
Applicability of Sinking Fund | 28 | ||||
| Section 5.02 |
Mandatory Sinking Fund Obligation | 29 | ||||
| Section 5.03 |
Optional Redemption at Sinking Fund Redemption Price | 29 | ||||
| Section 5.04 |
Application of Sinking Fund Payment | 30 | ||||
| ARTICLE VI PARTICULAR COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY |
31 | |||||
| Section 6.01 |
Payments of Principal, Premium and Interest | 31 | ||||
| Section 6.02 |
Maintenance of Office or Agency; Paying Agent | 31 | ||||
| Section 6.03 |
To Hold Payment in Trust | 31 | ||||
| Section 6.04 |
Merger, Consolidation and Sale of Assets | 34 | ||||
i
| Section 6.05 |
Additional Amounts | 35 | ||||
| Section 6.06 |
Payment for Consent | 37 | ||||
| Section 6.07 |
Compliance Certificate | 37 | ||||
| Section 6.08 |
Conditional Waiver by Holders of Securities | 37 | ||||
| Section 6.09 |
Statement by Officers as to Default | 38 | ||||
| Section 6.10 |
Sanctions | 38 | ||||
| ARTICLE VII REMEDIES OF TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS |
38 | |||||
| Section 7.01 |
Events of Default | 38 | ||||
| Section 7.02 |
Acceleration; Rescission and Annulment | 40 | ||||
| Section 7.03 |
Other Remedies | 42 | ||||
| Section 7.04 |
Trustee as Attorney-in-Fact | 42 | ||||
| Section 7.05 |
Priorities | 42 | ||||
| Section 7.06 |
Control by Securityholders; Waiver of Past Defaults | 43 | ||||
| Section 7.07 |
Limitation on Suits | 44 | ||||
| Section 7.08 |
Undertaking for Costs | 44 | ||||
| Section 7.09 |
Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver | 45 | ||||
| ARTICLE VIII CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS |
45 | |||||
| Section 8.01 |
Evidence of Action of Securityholders | 45 | ||||
| Section 8.02 |
Proof of Execution or Holding of Securities | 45 | ||||
| Section 8.03 |
Persons Deemed Owners | 46 | ||||
| Section 8.04 |
Effect of Consents | 47 | ||||
| ARTICLE IX SECURITYHOLDERS’ MEETINGS |
47 | |||||
| Section 9.01 |
Purposes of Meetings | 47 | ||||
| Section 9.02 |
Call of Meetings by Trustee | 47 | ||||
| Section 9.03 |
Call of Meetings by Company or Securityholders | 47 | ||||
| Section 9.04 |
Qualifications for Voting | 48 | ||||
| Section 9.05 |
Regulation of Meetings | 48 | ||||
| Section 9.06 |
Voting | 48 | ||||
| Section 9.07 |
No Delay of Rights by Meeting | 49 | ||||
| ARTICLE X REPORTS BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS |
49 | |||||
| Section 10.01 |
Reports by Trustee | 49 | ||||
| Section 10.02 |
Reports by the Company | 49 | ||||
| Section 10.03 |
Securityholders’ Lists | 50 | ||||
| ARTICLE XI CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE |
50 | |||||
| Section 11.01 |
Rights of Trustees; Compensation and Indemnity | 50 | ||||
| Section 11.02 |
Duties of Trustee | 53 | ||||
| Section 11.03 |
Notice of Defaults | 54 | ||||
| Section 11.04 |
Eligibility; Disqualification | 55 | ||||
| Section 11.05 |
Resignation and Notice; Removal | 55 | ||||
| Section 11.06 |
Successor Trustee by Appointment | 56 | ||||
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| Section 11.07 |
Successor Trustee by Merger | 57 | ||||
| Section 11.08 |
Right to Rely on Officers’ Certificate | 58 | ||||
| Section 11.09 |
Communications by Securityholders with Other Securityholders | 58 | ||||
| ARTICLE XII SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE |
58 | |||||
| Section 12.01 |
Applicability of Article | 58 | ||||
| Section 12.02 |
Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture | 58 | ||||
| Section 12.03 |
Defeasance upon Deposit of Moneys or U.S. Government Obligations | 59 | ||||
| Section 12.04 |
Repayment to Company | 62 | ||||
| Section 12.05 |
Indemnity for U.S. Government Obligations | 62 | ||||
| Section 12.06 |
Deposits to Be Held in Escrow | 62 | ||||
| Section 12.07 |
Application of Trust Money | 62 | ||||
| Section 12.08 |
Deposits of Non-U.S. Currencies | 63 | ||||
| ARTICLE XIII IMMUNITY OF CERTAIN PERSONS |
63 | |||||
| Section 13.01 |
No Personal Liability | 63 | ||||
| ARTICLE XIV SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES |
63 | |||||
| Section 14.01 |
Without Consent of Securityholders | 63 | ||||
| Section 14.02 |
With Consent of Securityholders; Limitations | 65 | ||||
| Section 14.03 |
Trustee Protected | 67 | ||||
| Section 14.04 |
Effect of Execution of Supplemental Indenture | 67 | ||||
| Section 14.05 |
Notation on or Exchange of Securities | 67 | ||||
| Section 14.06 |
Conformity with TIA | 67 | ||||
| ARTICLE XV SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES |
67 | |||||
| Section 15.01 |
Agreement to Subordinate | 67 | ||||
| Section 15.02 |
Distribution on Dissolution, Liquidation and Reorganization; Subrogation of Securities | 68 | ||||
| Section 15.03 |
No Payment on Securities in Event of Default on Senior Indebtedness | 69 | ||||
| Section 15.04 |
Payments on Securities Permitted | 69 | ||||
| Section 15.05 |
Authorization of Securityholders to Trustee to Effect Subordination | 69 | ||||
| Section 15.06 |
Notices to Trustee | 70 | ||||
| Section 15.07 |
Trustee as Holder of Senior Indebtedness | 70 | ||||
| Section 15.08 |
Modifications of Terms of Senior Indebtedness | 70 | ||||
| Section 15.09 |
Reliance on Judicial Order or Certificate of Liquidating Agent | 71 | ||||
| Section 15.10 |
Satisfaction and Discharge; Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance | 71 | ||||
| Section 15.11 |
Trustee Not Fiduciary for Holders of Senior Indebtedness | 71 | ||||
| ARTICLE XVI MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS |
71 | |||||
| Section 16.01 |
Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent | 71 | ||||
| Section 16.02 |
Trust Indenture Act Controls | 72 | ||||
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| Section 16.03 |
Notices to the Company and Trustee | 72 | ||||
| Section 16.04 |
Notices to Securityholders; Waiver | 74 | ||||
| Section 16.05 |
Legal Holiday | 74 | ||||
| Section 16.06 |
Judgment Currency | 74 | ||||
| Section 16.07 |
Effects of Headings and Table of Contents | 75 | ||||
| Section 16.08 |
Successors and Assigns | 75 | ||||
| Section 16.09 |
Severability | 75 | ||||
| Section 16.10 |
Benefits of Indenture | 75 | ||||
| Section 16.11 |
Counterparts | 75 | ||||
| Section 16.12 |
Governing Law; Waiver of Trial by Jury | 75 | ||||
| Section 16.13 |
Submission to Jurisdiction | 75 | ||||
| Section 16.14 |
Waiver of Immunity | 76 | ||||
| Section 16.15 |
Force Majeure | 76 |
EXHIBITS
| EXHIBIT A |
Form of Security | |
| EXHIBIT B |
Form of Compliance Certificate |
iv
INDENTURE dated as of September , 2026, between Tencent Music Entertainment Group, an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), and The Bank of New York Mellon, a banking corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York with limited liability, as trustee (the “Trustee”).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance of debentures, notes, bonds or other evidences of indebtedness (the “Securities”) in an unlimited aggregate principal amount to be issued from time to time in one or more series as provided in this Indenture; and
WHEREAS, all things necessary to make this Indenture a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.
NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH:
That, in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders (as defined below) thereof for the equal and proportionate benefit of all of the present and future Holders of the Securities, each party agrees and covenants as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01 Definitions.
(a) Unless otherwise defined in this Indenture or the context otherwise requires, all terms used herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Trust Indenture Act.
(b) Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms defined in this Section 1.01(b) shall for all purposes of this Indenture have the meanings hereinafter set forth, the following definitions to be equally applicable to both the singular and the plural forms of any of the terms herein defined:
“Additional Amounts” has the meaning provided in Section 6.05(a).
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under direct or indirect common control with, such Person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” when used with respect to any Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled” have meanings correlative to the foregoing.
“Agents” means the Paying Agent and the Registrar and shall include any successor Paying Agent and Registrar.
“Bankruptcy Code” means Title 11 of the United States Code.
“Board of Directors” means the board of directors elected or appointed by the shareholders of the Company to manage its business or any committee of such board duly authorized to take the action purported to be taken by such committee.
“Board Resolution” means any resolution of the Board of Directors taking an action which it is authorized to take and adopted at a meeting duly called and held at which a quorum of disinterested members (if so required) was present and acting throughout or adopted by written resolution executed by every member of the Board of Directors.
“Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies in the City of New York, Hong Kong or Beijing are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to remain closed.
“Capital Stock” of any Person means any and all shares, interests, rights to purchase, warrants, options, participations or other equivalents of or interests in (however designated) equity of such Person, including any Preferred Shares and limited liability or partnership interests (whether general or limited), but excluding any debt securities convertible or exchangeable into such equity.
“Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Company” means the Person named as the “Company” in the recitals, until a successor Person shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Company” shall mean such successor Person.
“Company Order” means a written request or order signed in the name of the Company by (i) two Officers or (ii) one Officer and either a Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, a Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company.
“Consolidated Affiliated Entity” of any Person means any corporation, association or other entity which is or is required to be consolidated with such Person under IFRS 10: Consolidated Financial Statements, IFRS 11: Joint Arrangements and IFRS 12: Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (including, in each case, any changes, amendments or supplements thereto) or, if such Person prepares its financial statements in accordance with accounting principles other than International Financial Reporting Standards, the equivalent of IFRS 10: Consolidated Financial Statements, IFRS 11: Joint Arrangements and IFRS 12: Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities issued by the International Accounting Standards Board under such accounting principles. Unless otherwise specified herein, each reference to a Consolidated Affiliated Entity will refer to a Consolidated Affiliated Entity of the Company.
“Controlled Entity” of any Person means a Subsidiary or a Consolidated Affiliated Entity of such Person.
“Corporate Trust Office,” or other similar term, means the principal office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be administered, which office at the date hereof is located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286, United States of America; Attention: Global Corporate Trust – Tencent Music Entertainment Group, and shall include a reference to the Specified Corporate Trust Office, or such other address as the Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Company, or the principal corporate trust officer of any successor Trustee (or such other address as such successor Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Company).
“Covenant Defeasance” has the meaning provided in Section 12.03(c).
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“CUSIP” means the identification number provided by the Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures.
“Currency” means U.S. Dollars or Foreign Currency.
“Currency Determination Agent” has the meaning provided in Section 3.11(d).
“Default” has the meaning provided in Section 11.03.
“Defaulted Interest” has the meaning provided in Section 3.08(b).
“Depositary” means, with respect to the Securities of any series issuable in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, the Person designated as Depositary by the Company pursuant to Section 3.01 until a successor Depositary shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Depositary” shall mean or include each Person who is then a Depositary hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such Person, “Depositary” as used with respect to the Securities of any such series shall mean the Depositary with respect to the Securities of that series.
“Designated Currency” has the meaning provided in Section 3.11(a).
“Discharged” has the meaning provided in Section 12.03(b).
“Dollar Equivalent” means, with respect to any monetary amount in a currency other than U.S. Dollars, at any time for the determination thereof, the amount of U.S. Dollars obtained by converting such foreign currency involved in such computation into U.S. Dollars at the base rate for the purchase of U.S. Dollars with the applicable foreign currency as quoted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the date of determination.
“Electronic Means” shall mean the following communications methods: e-mail, secure electronic transmission containing applicable authorization codes, passwords and/or authentication keys issued by the Trustee and the Agents, or another method or system specified by the Trustee and the Agents as available for use in connection with its services hereunder.
“Event of Default” has the meaning provided in Section 7.01.
“Exchange Act” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Exchange Rate” has the meaning provided in Section 3.11(d).
“External Legal Counsel” means an external legal firm of nationally recognized standing that is reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.
“FATCA” has the meaning provided in Section 6.05(a)(viii).
“Floating Rate Security” means a Security that provides for the payment of interest at a variable rate determined periodically by reference to an interest rate index specified pursuant to Section 3.01.
3
“Foreign Currency” means a currency issued by the government of any country other than the United States or a composite currency, the value of which is determined by reference to the values of the currencies of any group of countries.
“Global Security” means any Security that evidences all or part of a series of Securities, issued in fully-registered certificated form to the Depositary for such series in accordance with Section 3.03 and bearing the legend prescribed in Section 3.03(f).
“Holder,” “Holder of Securities,” or “Securityholder” mean the Person in whose name Securities are registered in the Register.
“IFRS” means International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
“Indebtedness” means any and all obligations of a Person for money borrowed which, in accordance with IFRS, would be reflected on the balance sheet of such Person as a liability on the date as of which Indebtedness is to be determined.
“Indenture” means this instrument and all indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof and shall include the terms of particular series of Securities established as contemplated by Section 3.01.
“Independent Tax Consultant” means an independent accounting firm or consultant of nationally recognized standing.
“Interest Payment Date” means, with respect to any Security, the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Security.
“ISIN” means the International Securities Identification Number.
“Issue Date” means, with respect to any Security, the date on which such Security is originally issued under this Indenture.
“Judgment Currency” has the meaning provided in Section 16.06.
“Legal Defeasance” has the meaning provided in Section 12.03(b).
“Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment” has the meaning provided in Section 5.01(b).
“Maturity” means, with respect to any Security, the date on which the principal of such Security shall become due and payable as therein and herein provided, whether by declaration, call for redemption or otherwise.
“Members” has the meaning provided in Section 3.03(h).
“Officer” means the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, any Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the Company or, in the event that the Company is a partnership or a limited liability company that has no such officers, a person duly authorized under applicable law by the general partner, managers, members or a similar body to act on behalf of the Company.
4
“Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed by two Officers of the Company, one of whom is the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer, the treasurer or the principal accounting officer, or by an Officer and either an Assistant Treasurer or an Assistant Secretary of the Company.
“Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion in writing reasonably acceptable to the Trustee signed by legal counsel, who may be counsel to the Company or who may be other counsel, that meets the applicable requirements provided for in Section 16.01.
“Optional Sinking Fund Payment” has the meaning provided in Section 5.01(b).
“Original Issue Discount Security” means any Security that is issued with “original issue discount” within the meaning of Section 1273(a) of the Code and the regulations thereunder and any other Security designated by the Company as issued with original issue discount for United States federal income tax purposes.
“Outstanding” means, when used with respect to Securities, as of the date of determination, all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, except:
(i) Securities theretofore cancelled by the Registrar or delivered to the Registrar for cancellation;
(ii) Securities or portions thereof for which payment or redemption money in the necessary amount has been theretofore deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent (other than the Company) in trust or set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent) for the Holders of such Securities or Securities as to which the Company’s obligations have been Discharged; provided, however, that if such Securities or portions thereof are to be redeemed, notice of such redemption has been duly given pursuant to this Indenture or provision therefor satisfactory to the Trustee has been made; and
(iii) Securities that have been paid pursuant to Section 3.07(b) or in exchange for or in lieu of which other Securities have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to this Indenture, other than any such Securities in respect of which there shall have been presented to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee proof satisfactory to it that such Securities are held by a protected purchaser in whose hands such Securities are valid obligations of the Company; provided, however, that in determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of Securities of a series Outstanding have performed any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action) hereunder, Securities owned by the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities of such series or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding unless the Company, such Affiliate or such other obligor owns all of such Securities, except that, in determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying upon any such action, only Securities of such series for which the Trustee has received written notice to be so owned shall be so disregarded. Securities so owned that have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding if the pledgee establishes its pledgee’s right to act with respect to such Securities and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor. The Company shall furnish to the Trustee promptly an Officers’ Certificate listing and identifying all such Securities, if any, known by the Company to be owned or held by or for the account of any of the above described Persons; and, subject to the provisions of Section 11.01, the Trustee shall be entitled to accept such Officers’ Certificate as conclusive evidence of the facts therein set forth and of the fact that all such Securities not listed therein are Outstanding for the purpose of any such determination and will not be responsible or liable to any person so relying on such Officers’ Certificate. In determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of Outstanding Securities of a series have performed any action hereunder, the principal amount of an Original Issue Discount Security that shall be deemed to be Outstanding for such purpose shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 7.02 and the principal amount of a Security denominated in a Foreign Currency that shall be deemed to be Outstanding for such purpose shall be the amount calculated pursuant to Section 3.11(b).
5
“Paying Agent” means any Person authorized by the Company to pay the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Securities on behalf of the Company. The Company may act as Paying Agent with respect to Securities of any series issued hereunder.
“Payment Default” has the meaning provided in Section 7.01(e).
“Person” means any individual, corporation, firm, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, undertaking, association, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, trust, state, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any other entity (in each case whether or not being a separate legal entity).
“Place of Payment” has the meaning provided in Section 3.01(h).
“PRC” means the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for purposes of this definition, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan.
“Predecessor Security” means, with respect to any Security, every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Security, and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 3.07 in lieu of a lost, destroyed or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the lost, destroyed or stolen Security.
“Preferred Shares,” as applied to the Capital Stock of any corporation, means Capital Stock of any class or classes (however designated) that is preferred as to the payment of dividends upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up.
“Principal Controlled Entities” at any time shall mean one of the Controlled Entities of the Company:
(i) as to which one or more of the following conditions is/are satisfied:
(A) its total revenue or (in the case of one of the Controlled Entities of the Company which has one or more Controlled Entities) consolidated total revenue attributable to the Company is at least 10% of the consolidated total revenue of the Company;
(B) its net profit or (in the case of one of the Controlled Entities of the Company which has one or more Controlled Entities) consolidated net profit attributable to the Company (in each case before taxation and exceptional items) is at least 10% of the consolidated net profit of the Company (before taxation and exceptional items); or
6
(C) its net assets or (in the case of one of the Controlled Entities of the Company which has one or more Controlled Entities) consolidated net assets attributable to the Company (in each case after deducting minority interests in Subsidiaries) are at least 10% of the consolidated net assets of the Company (after deducting minority interests in Subsidiaries);
all as calculated by reference to the then latest audited financial statements (consolidated or, as the case may be, unconsolidated) of the Controlled Entity of the Company and the then latest audited consolidated financial statements of the Company; provided that, in relation to clauses (A), (B) and (C) above:
(1) in the case of a corporation or other business entity becoming a Controlled Entity after the end of the financial period to which the latest consolidated audited accounts of the Company relate, the reference to the then latest consolidated audited accounts of the Company and its Controlled Entities for the purposes of the calculation above shall, until the consolidated audited accounts of the Company for the financial period in which the relevant corporation or other business entity becomes a Controlled Entity are issued, be deemed to be a reference to the then latest consolidated audited accounts of the Company and its Controlled Entities adjusted to consolidate the latest audited accounts (consolidated in the case of a Controlled Entity which itself has Controlled Entities) of such Controlled Entity in such accounts;
(2) if at any relevant time in relation to the Company or any Controlled Entity which itself has Controlled Entities, no consolidated accounts are prepared and audited, total revenue, net profit or net assets of the Company and/or any such Controlled Entity shall be determined on the basis of pro forma consolidated accounts prepared for this purpose by or on behalf of the Company;
(3) if at any relevant time in relation to any Controlled Entity, no accounts are audited, its net assets (consolidated, if appropriate) shall be determined on the basis of pro forma accounts (consolidated, if appropriate) of the relevant Controlled Entity prepared for this purpose by or on behalf of the Company; and
(4) if the accounts of any Controlled Entity (not being a Controlled Entity referred to in proviso (1) above) are not consolidated with the accounts of the Company, then the determination of whether or not such Controlled Entity is a Principal Controlled Entity shall be based on a pro forma consolidation of its accounts (consolidated, if appropriate) with the consolidated accounts of the Company (determined on the basis of the foregoing); or
(ii) to which is transferred all or substantially all of the assets of a Controlled Entity which immediately prior to the transfer was a Principal Controlled Entity; provided that, with effect from such transfer, the Controlled Entity which so transfers its assets and undertakings shall cease to be a Principal Controlled Entity (but without prejudice to paragraph (i) above) and the Controlled Entity to which the assets are so transferred shall become a Principal Controlled Entity.
7
An Officers’ Certificate delivered to the Trustee certifying in good faith as to whether or not a Controlled Entity is a Principal Controlled Entity shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error and the Trustee shall be entitled to rely conclusively upon such Officers’ Certificate (without further investigation or enquiry) and shall not be liable to any person for so accepting and relying on such Officers’ Certificate.
“Prospectus” means the prospectus, dated , 2026, relating to the offering of Securities.
“Record Date” means, with respect to any interest payable on any Security on any Interest Payment Date, the close of business on such date specified in such Security for the payment of interest pursuant to Section 3.01.
“Redemption Date” means, when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, in whole or in part, the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture and the terms of such Security, which, in the case of a Floating Rate Security, unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01, shall be an Interest Payment Date only.
“Redemption Price” means, when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, in whole or in part, the price at which it is to be redeemed pursuant to the terms of the Security and this Indenture.
“Register” has the meaning provided in Section 3.05(a).
“Registrar” has the meaning provided in Section 3.05(a).
“Relevant Jurisdiction” has the meaning provided in Section 6.05(a).
“Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Trustee, any managing director, vice president, trust associate, relationship manager, transaction manager, client service manager, any trust officer or any other officer located at the Specified Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee who customarily performs functions similar to those performed by any persons who at the time shall be such officers, respectively, or to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of such person’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject and in each such case, who shall have direct responsibility for the day to day administration of this Indenture.
“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, as constituted from time to time.
“Security” or “Securities” means any security or securities, as the case may be, duly authenticated by the Trustee and delivered under this Indenture.
“Security Custodian” means the custodian with respect to any Global Security appointed by the Depositary, or any successor Person thereto, and shall initially be the Paying Agent.
8
“Senior Indebtedness” means the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on (i) Indebtedness of the Company, whether outstanding on the date hereof or thereafter created, incurred, assumed or guaranteed, for money borrowed other than (A) any Indebtedness of the Company which when incurred, and without respect to any election under Section 1111(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, was without recourse to the Company, (B) any Indebtedness of the Company to any of its Subsidiaries, (C) Indebtedness to any employee of the Company, (D) any liability for taxes, (E) Trade Payables and (F) any Indebtedness of the Company which is expressly subordinate in right of payment to any other Indebtedness of the Company, and (ii) renewals, extensions, modifications and refundings of any such Indebtedness. For purposes of the foregoing and the definition of “Senior Indebtedness,” the phrase “subordinated in right of payment” means debt subordination only and not lien subordination, and accordingly, (x) unsecured indebtedness shall not be deemed to be subordinated in right of payment to secured indebtedness merely by virtue of the fact that it is unsecured, and (y) junior liens, second liens and other contractual arrangements that provide for priorities among Holders of the same or different issues of indebtedness with respect to any collateral or the proceeds of collateral shall not constitute subordination in right of payment. This definition may be modified or superseded by a supplemental indenture.
“Special Record Date” has the meaning provided in Section 3.08(b)(i).
“Specified Corporate Trust Office” means The Bank of New York Mellon, Hong Kong Branch located at Level 26, Three Pacific Place, 1 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong; Attention: Corporate Trust – Tencent Music Entertainment Group; Email: honctrmta@bny.com.
“Stated Maturity” means, when used with respect to any Security or any installment of interest thereon, the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal (or any portion thereof) of or premium, if any, on such Security or such installment of interest is due and payable.
“Subsidiary” of any Person means (i) any corporation, association or other business entity (other than a partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or similar entity) of which more than 50% of the total ordinary voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof (or Persons performing similar functions) or (ii) any partnership, joint venture limited liability company or similar entity of which more than 50% of the capital accounts, distribution rights, total equity and voting interests or general or limited partnership interests, as applicable, is, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii), voting at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by (A) such Person, (B) such Person and one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or (C) one or more Subsidiaries of such Person. Unless otherwise specified herein, each reference to a Subsidiary will refer to a Subsidiary of the Company.
“Successor Company” has the meaning provided in Section 3.06(i).
“Successor Jurisdiction” has the meaning provided in Section 6.05(d).
“Tax Change” has the meaning provided in Section 4.07(a).
“Taxes” has the meaning provided in Section 6.05(a).
9
“Total Equity” as of any date, means the total equity attributable to the Company’s shareholders on a consolidated basis determined in accordance with IFRS, as shown on the consolidated balance sheet of the Company for the most recent fiscal quarter.
“Trade Payables” means accounts payable or any other Indebtedness or monetary obligations to trade creditors created or assumed by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in the ordinary course of business (including guarantees thereof or instruments evidencing such liabilities).
“Trust Indenture Act” or “TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
“Trustee” means the Person named as the “Trustee” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor Trustee shall have become such with respect to one or more series of Securities pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Trustee” shall mean or include each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such Person, “Trustee” as used with respect to the Securities of any series shall mean the Trustee with respect to Securities of that series.
“U.S. Dollars” or “US$” means such currency of the United States as at the time of payment shall be legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.
“U.S. Government Obligations” means securities that are (i) direct obligations of the United States for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (ii) obligations of an agency or instrumentality of the United States the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such U.S. Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such U.S. Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depositary receipt; provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the U.S. Government Obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of the U.S. Government Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.
“United States” shall mean the United States of America (including the States and the District of Columbia), its territories and its possessions and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.
“Voting Stock” of a Person means all classes of Capital Stock of such Person then outstanding and normally entitled to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees, as applicable, of such Person.
Section 1.02 Rules of Construction. For all purposes of this Indenture, except as otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) the words “herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision;
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(b) references to “Article” or “Section” or other subdivision herein are references to an Article, Section or other subdivision of the Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires; and
(c) references to any agreement, instrument, statute or regulation defined or referred to herein or in any instrument establishing the terms of any Securities (or executed in connection therewith) are references to such agreement, instrument, statute or regulation as from time to time amended, modified, supplemented or replaced, including (in the case of agreements or instruments) by waiver or consent and by succession of comparable successor agreements, instruments, statutes or regulations.
ARTICLE II
FORMS OF SECURITIES
Section 2.01 Form Generally.
(a) The Securities of each series shall be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto or as shall be established pursuant to a Company Order, Officers’ Certificate or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, in each case with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as are required or permitted by this Indenture, and may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements placed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, or as may be required to comply with any law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any securities exchange on which any series of the Securities may be listed or of any automated quotation system on which any such series may be quoted, or to conform to usage, all as determined by the officers executing such Securities as conclusively evidenced by their execution of such Securities.
(b) The terms and provisions of the Securities shall constitute, and are hereby expressly made, a part of this Indenture, and, to the extent applicable, the Company and the Trustee, by their execution and delivery of this Indenture expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby.
Section 2.02 Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication.
(a) Only such of the Securities as shall bear thereon a certificate substantially in the form of the Trustee’s certificate of authentication hereinafter recited, executed by the Trustee by manual or electronic signature, shall be valid or become obligatory for any purpose or entitle the Holder thereof to any right or benefit under this Indenture.
(b) Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.
(c) The form of the Trustee’s certificate of authentication to be borne by the Securities shall be substantially as follows:
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
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| Date of authentication: | THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON,
as Trustee | |||||
| By: |
| |||||
| Name: | ||||||
| Title: | ||||||
ARTICLE III
THE DEBT SECURITIES
Section 3.01 Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series. The aggregate principal amount of Securities which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series. There shall be set forth in a Company Order, Officers’ Certificate or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, prior to the issuance of Securities of any series:
(a) the title of the Securities of the series (which shall distinguish the Securities of such series from the Securities of all other series, except to the extent that additional Securities of an existing series are being issued);
(b) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the series that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of such series pursuant to Section 3.04, Section 3.06, Section 3.07, Section 4.06, or Section 14.05) and the percentage or percentages of principal amount at which the Securities of the series will be issued;
(c) the dates on which or periods during which the Securities of the series may be issued, and the dates on, or the range of dates within, which the principal of and premium, if any, on the Securities of such series are or may be payable or the method by which such date or dates shall be determined or extended;
(d) the rate or rates at which the Securities of the series shall bear interest, if any, or the method by which such rate or rates shall be determined, the date or dates from which such interest shall accrue, or the method by which such date or dates shall be determined, the Interest Payment Dates on which any such interest shall be payable, and the Record Dates for the determination of Holders to whom interest is payable on such Interest Payment Dates or the method by which such date or dates shall be determined, the right, if any, to extend or defer interest payments and the duration of such extension or deferral;
(e) if other than U.S. Dollars, the Foreign Currency in which Securities of the series shall be denominated or in which payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities of the series shall be payable and any other terms applicable thereto;
(f) if the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on, Securities of the series are to be payable, at the election of the Company or a Holder thereof, in a Currency other than that in which the Securities are denominated or stated to be payable without such election, the period or periods within which, and the terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made and the time and the manner of determining the Exchange Rate (in addition to or in lieu of the provision set forth in Section 3.11) between the Currency in which the Securities are denominated or payable without such election and the Currency in which the Securities are to be paid if such election is made;
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(g) the place or places, if any, in addition to or instead of the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee where the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on Securities of the series shall be payable, and where Securities of any series may be presented for registration of transfer, exchange or conversion, and the place or places where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such series may be made (each such place, the “Place of Payment”);
(h) the price or prices at which, the period or periods within which or the date or dates on which, and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company, if the Company is to have that option;
(i) the obligation or right, if any, of the Company to redeem, purchase or repay Securities of the series pursuant to any sinking fund, amortization or analogous provisions or at the option of a Holder thereof and the price or prices at which, the period or periods within which or the date or dates on which, the Currency or Currencies in which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the series shall be redeemed, purchased or repaid, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
(j) if other than denominations of US$200,000 and multiples of US$1,000 in excess thereof, the denominations in which Securities of the series shall be issuable;
(k) if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of the Securities of the series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 7.02;
(l) whether the Securities of the series are to be issued as Original Issue Discount Securities and the amount of discount or premium, if any, with which such Securities may be issued;
(m) provisions, if any, for the defeasance of Securities of the series in whole or in part and any addition or change in the provisions related to satisfaction and discharge;
(n) whether the Securities of the series are to be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and, in such case, (i) the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities, (ii) the form of legend in addition to or in lieu of that in Section 3.03(f) which shall be borne by such Global Security and (iii) the terms and conditions, if any, upon which interests in such Global Security or Securities may be exchanged in whole or in part for the individual Securities represented thereby;
(o) the date as of which any Global Security of the series shall be dated if other than the original issuance of the first Security of the series to be issued;
(p) the form of the Securities of the series;
(q) whether the Securities of the series are subject to subordination and the terms of such subordination;
(r) whether the Securities of the series shall be secured;
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(s) the securities exchange(s) or automated quotation system(s) on which the Securities of the series will be listed or admitted to trading, as applicable, if any;
(t) any restriction or condition on the transferability of the Securities of the series;
(u) any addition or change in the provisions related to compensation and reimbursement of the Trustee which applies to the Securities of the series;
(v) any addition or change in the provisions related to supplemental indentures set forth in Section 14.01, Section 14.02 and Section 14.04 which applies to the Securities of the series;
(w) provisions, if any, granting special rights to Holders upon the occurrence of specified events;
(x) any addition to or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the series and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 7.02 and any addition or change in the provisions set forth in Article VII which applies to Securities of the series;
(y) any addition to or change in the covenants set forth in Article VI which applies to the Securities of the series; and
(z) any other terms of the Securities of the series (which may modify or delete any provision of this Indenture insofar as it applies to such series), including any terms which may be required by or advisable under the laws of the United States or regulations thereunder or advisable (as determined by the Company) in connection with the marketing of Securities of the series.
All Securities of any one series shall be substantially identical, except as to denomination and except as may otherwise be provided herein or set forth in a Company Order, Officers’ Certificate or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto; provided that, if additional Securities of an Outstanding series are issued, such additional Securities shall not have the same CUSIP, ISIN or other identifying number as outstanding Securities of any series unless such additional Securities are fungible with the Outstanding Securities of such series for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Section 3.02 Denominations. In the absence of any specification pursuant to Section 3.01 with respect to Securities of any series, the Securities of such series shall be issuable only as Securities in denominations of US$200,000 and multiples of US$1,000 in excess thereof, and shall be payable only in U.S. Dollars.
Section 3.03 Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating.
(a) The Securities shall be executed in the name and on behalf of the Company by an Officer. Such signatures may be the manual or facsimile signatures of the present or any future such Officer. If the Person whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Security is authenticated and delivered, the Security shall nevertheless be valid.
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(b) At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities of any series executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities and, if required pursuant to Section 3.01, a supplemental indenture, Company Order or Officers’ Certificate setting forth the terms of the Securities of a series. The Trustee shall thereupon authenticate and deliver such Securities without any further action by the Company. The Company Order shall specify the principal amount of Securities to be authenticated and the date on which the original issue of Securities is to be authenticated.
(c) In authenticating the first Securities of any series and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall receive, and (subject to Section 11.02) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Officers’ Certificate, prepared in accordance with Section 16.01 stating that the conditions precedent, if any, provided for in the Indenture have been complied with, and an Opinion of Counsel, prepared in accordance with Section 16.01 and substantially in the form set forth below:
(i) that the form or forms of such Securities have been established in accordance with Article II and Section 3.01 and in conformity with the other provisions of this Indenture;
(ii) that the terms of such Securities have been established in accordance with Section 3.01 and in conformity with the other provisions of this Indenture;
(iii) that such Securities, when authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and issued by the Company in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights and to general equity principles; and
(iv) that all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in the Indenture in respect of the authentication and delivery by the Company of such Securities have been complied with.
Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, if all Securities of a series are not to be originally issued at one time, it shall not be necessary to deliver the Officers’ Certificate or Opinion of Counsel otherwise required pursuant to such preceding paragraph at or prior to the authentication of each Security of such series if such Officers’ Certificate or Opinion of Counsel is delivered at or prior to the authentication upon original issuance of the first Security of such series to be issued; provided that nothing in this clause (c) is intended to derogate Trustee’s rights to receive an Officers’ Certificate and Opinion of Counsel under Section 16.01.
(d) The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver the Securities under this Section 3.03 if the issue of the Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise.
(e) Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.
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(f) If the Company shall establish pursuant to Section 3.01 that the Securities of a series are to be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, then the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver one or more Global Securities that (i) shall represent an aggregate amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series to be represented by such Global Securities, (ii) shall be registered, if in registered form, in the name of the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities or the nominee of such Depositary, (iii) shall be delivered by the Trustee to such Depositary or pursuant to such Depositary’s instruction and (iv) shall bear a legend substantially to the following effect:
UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR THE INDIVIDUAL SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY, THIS GLOBAL SECURITY MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.
The aggregate principal amount of each Global Security may from time to time be increased or decreased by adjustments made on the records of the Security Custodian, as provided in this Indenture.
(g) Each Depositary designated pursuant to Section 3.01 for a Global Security in registered form must, at the time of its designation and at all times while it serves as such Depositary, be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and any other applicable statute or regulation.
(h) Members of, or participants in, the Depositary (“Members”) shall have no rights under this Indenture with respect to any Global Security held on their behalf by the Depositary or by the Security Custodian under such Global Security, and the Depositary may be treated by the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent and the Registrar and any of their agents as the absolute owner of such Global Security for all purposes whatsoever. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent or the Registrar or any of their agents from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by the Depositary or impair, as between the Depositary and its Members, the operation of customary practices of the Depositary governing the exercise of the rights of an owner of a beneficial interest in any Global Security. The Holder of a Global Security may grant proxies and otherwise authorize any Person, including Members and Persons that may hold interests through Members, to take any action that a Holder is entitled to take under this Indenture or the Securities.
(i) No Security shall be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose unless there appears on such Security a certificate of authentication substantially in one of the forms provided for herein duly executed by the Trustee by manual or electronic signature of an authorized signatory of the Trustee, and such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.
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Section 3.04 Temporary Securities.
(a) Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any series, the Company may execute and, upon receipt of a Company Order, the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities that are printed, lithographed, typewritten, mimeographed or otherwise reproduced, in any authorized denomination, substantially of the tenor of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, in registered form and with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers executing such temporary Securities may determine, as conclusively evidenced by their execution of such temporary Securities. Any such temporary Security may be in global form, representing all or a portion of the Outstanding Securities of such series. Every such temporary Security shall be executed by the Company and shall be authenticated and delivered by the Trustee upon the same conditions and in substantially the same manner, and with the same effect, as the definitive Security or Securities in lieu of which it is issued.
(b) If temporary Securities of any series are issued, the Company shall cause definitive Securities of such series to be prepared without unreasonable delay. After the preparation of definitive Securities of such series, the temporary Securities of such series shall be exchangeable for definitive Securities of such series upon surrender of such temporary Securities at the office or agency maintained by the Company in a Place of Payment for such purposes provided in Section 6.02, without charge to the Holder. Upon surrender for cancellation of any one or more temporary Securities of any series, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a like principal amount of definitive Securities of the same series of authorized denominations and of like tenor. Until so exchanged, the temporary Securities of any series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such series.
(c) Upon any exchange of a portion of a temporary Global Security for a definitive Global Security or for the individual Securities represented thereby pursuant to this Section 3.04 or Section 3.06, the temporary Global Security shall be endorsed by the Trustee to reflect the reduction of the principal amount evidenced thereby, whereupon the principal amount of such temporary Global Security shall be reduced for all purposes by the amount so exchanged and endorsed.
Section 3.05 Registrar.
(a) The Company shall keep, at an office or agency to be maintained by it in a Place of Payment where Securities may be presented for registration or presented and surrendered for registration of transfer or of exchange, and where Securities of any series that are convertible or exchangeable may be surrendered for conversion or exchange, as applicable (the “Registrar”), a security register for the registration and the registration of transfer or of exchange of the Securities (the registers maintained in such office and in any other office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment being herein sometimes collectively referred to as the “Register”), as in this Indenture provided, which Register shall during normal office hours be open for inspection by the Trustee. Such Register shall be in written form or in any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable time. The Company may have one or more co-Registrars; the term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar.
(b) The Company shall enter into an appropriate agency agreement with any Registrar or co-Registrar not a party to this Indenture. The agreement shall implement the provisions of this Indenture that relate to such agent. The Company shall notify the Trustee of the name and address of each such agent. If the Company fails to maintain a Registrar for any series, the Trustee may act as such. The Company or any Affiliate thereof may act as Registrar, co-Registrar or transfer agent.
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(c) The Company hereby initially appoints The Bank of New York Mellon located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, United States of America as Registrar in connection with the Securities and this Indenture. So long as The Bank of New York Mellon serves as Registrar, it will be entitled as Registrar to the same rights of compensation, reimbursement and indemnification under Section 11.01 and Section 11.02 as the Trustee. No Person shall at any time be appointed as or act as Registrar unless such Person is at such time empowered under applicable law to act as such Registrar.
Section 3.06 Transfer and Exchange.
(a) Transfer.
(i) Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Security of any series at the Registrar, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee, one or more new Securities of the same series for like aggregate principal amount of any authorized denomination or denominations. The transfer of any Security shall not be valid as against the Company or the Trustee unless registered at the Registrar at the request of the Holder, or at the request of his, her or its attorney duly authorized in writing.
(ii) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, unless and until it is exchanged in whole or in part for the individual Securities represented thereby, a Global Security representing all or a portion of the Securities of a series may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary for such series to a nominee of such Depositary or by a nominee of such Depositary to such Depositary or another nominee of such Depositary or by such Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary for such series or a nominee of such successor Depositary.
(b) Exchange.
(i) At the option of the Holder, Securities of any series (other than a Global Security, except as set forth below) may be exchanged for other Securities of the same series for like aggregate principal amount of any authorized denomination or denominations, upon surrender of the Securities to be exchanged at the Registrar.
(ii) Whenever any Securities are so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, the Securities that the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive.
(c) Exchange of Global Securities for Individual Securities. Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in Global Securities shall not be entitled to receive individual Securities.
(i) Individual Securities shall be issued to all owners of beneficial interests in a Global Security in exchange for such interests if at any time the Depositary for the Securities of a series notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for the Securities of such series or if at any time the Depositary for the Securities of such series shall no longer be eligible under Section 3.03(g) and, in each case, a successor Depositary is not appointed by the Company within 90 days of such notice.
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In connection with the exchange of an entire Global Security for individual Securities pursuant to this subsection (c), such Global Security shall be deemed to be surrendered to the Paying Agent for cancellation, and the Company shall execute, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of individual Securities of such series, shall authenticate and deliver to each beneficial owner identified by the Depositary in exchange for its beneficial interest in such Global Security, an equal aggregate principal amount of individual Securities of authorized denominations.
(ii) The owner of a beneficial interest in a Global Security shall be entitled to receive an individual Security in exchange for such interest if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing. Upon receipt by the Security Custodian and Registrar of written instructions from the Holder of a Global Security directing the Security Custodian and Registrar to (x) issue one or more individual Securities in the amounts specified to the owner of a beneficial interest in such Global Security and (y) debit or cause to be debited an equivalent amount of beneficial interest in such Global Security, subject to the rules and regulations of the Depositary:
(A) the Security Custodian and Registrar shall notify the Company and the Trustee of such instructions, identifying the owner and amount of such beneficial interest in such Global Security;
(B) the Company shall promptly execute and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of individual Securities of such series, shall authenticate and deliver to such beneficial owner individual Securities in an equivalent amount to such beneficial interest in such Global Security; and
(C) the Security Custodian and Registrar shall decrease such Global Security by such amount in accordance with the foregoing. In the event that the individual Securities are not issued to each such beneficial owner promptly after the Registrar has received a request from the Holder of a Global Security to issue such individual Securities, the Company expressly acknowledges, with respect to the right of any Holder to pursue a remedy pursuant to Section 7.07, the right of any beneficial Holder of Securities to pursue such remedy with respect to the portion of the Global Security that represents such beneficial Holder’s Securities as if such individual Securities had been issued.
(iii) If specified by the Company pursuant to Section 3.01 with respect to a series of Securities, the Depositary for such series of Securities may surrender a Global Security for such series of Securities in exchange in whole or in part for individual Securities of such series on such terms as are acceptable to the Company and such Depositary. Thereupon, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver at the expense of the Company, without service charge,
(A) to each Person specified by such Depositary a new individual Security or Securities of the same series, of any authorized denomination as requested by such Person in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for such Person’s beneficial interest in the Global Security; and
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(B) to such Depositary a new Global Security in a denomination equal to the difference, if any, between the principal amount of the surrendered Global Security and the aggregate principal amount of individual Securities delivered to Holders thereof.
(iv) In any exchange provided for in clauses (i) through (iii), the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver individual Securities in registered form in authorized denominations.
(v) Upon the exchange in full of a Global Security for individual Securities, such Global Security shall be cancelled by the Registrar. Individual Securities issued in exchange for a Global Security pursuant to this Section shall be registered in such names and in such authorized denominations as the Depositary for such Global Security, pursuant to instructions from its direct or indirect participants or otherwise, shall instruct the Registrar. The Company shall deliver such Securities to the Persons in whose names such Securities are so registered.
(d) All Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities shall be valid obligations of the Company evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Securities surrendered for such registration of transfer or exchange.
(e) Every Security presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, or for payment shall (if so required by the Company, the Trustee or the Registrar) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company, the Trustee and the Registrar, duly executed by the Holder thereof or by his, her or its attorney duly authorized in writing.
(f) No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities. The Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, other than those expressly provided in this Indenture to be made at the Company’s own expense or without expense or charge to the Holders.
(g) The Company shall not be required to (i) register, transfer or exchange Securities of any series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 calendar days before the day of the transmission of a notice of redemption of Securities of such series selected for redemption under Section 4.03 and ending at the close of business on the day of such transmission, or (ii) register, transfer or exchange any Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Security being redeemed in part.
(h) Prior to the due presentation for registration of transfer or exchange of any Security, the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar, any co-Registrar or any of their agents may deem and treat the Person in whose name a Security is registered as the absolute owner of such Security (whether or not such Security shall be overdue and notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing thereon) for all purposes whatsoever, and none of the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar, any co-Registrar or any of their agents shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
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(i) In case a successor Company (“Successor Company”) has executed an indenture supplemental hereto with the Trustee pursuant to Article XIV, any of the Securities authenticated or delivered pursuant to such transaction may, from time to time, at the request of the Successor Company, be exchanged for other Securities executed in the name of the Successor Company with such changes in phraseology and form as may be appropriate, but otherwise identical to the Securities surrendered for such exchange and of like principal amount; and the Trustee, upon Company Order of the Successor Company, shall authenticate and deliver Securities as specified in such Company Order for the purpose of such exchange. If Securities shall at any time be authenticated and delivered in any new name of a Successor Company pursuant to this Section 3.06 in exchange or substitution for or upon registration of transfer of any Securities, such Successor Company, at the option of the Holders but without expense to them, shall provide for the exchange of all Securities at the time Outstanding for Securities authenticated and delivered in such new name.
(j) Each Holder of a Security agrees to indemnify the Company and the Trustee against any liability that may result from the transfer, exchange or assignment of such Holder’s Security in violation of any provision of this Indenture and/or applicable United States federal or state securities laws.
(k) The Trustee and the Agents shall have no obligation or duty to monitor, determine or inquire as to compliance with any restrictions on transfer imposed under this Indenture or under applicable law with respect to any transfer of any interest in any Security other than to require delivery of such certificates and other documentation or evidence as are expressly required by, and to do so if and when expressly required by the terms of, this Indenture, and to examine the same to determine substantial compliance as to form with the express requirements hereof.
(l) Neither the Trustee nor the Agents shall have any responsibility for any actions taken or not taken by the Depositary.
Section 3.07 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.
(a) If (i) any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office or (ii) the Company and the Trustee receive evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security, and there is delivered to the Company and the Trustee security and/or indemnity satisfactory to them to save each of them and any Paying Agent harmless, and neither the Company nor the Trustee receives notice that such Security has been acquired by a protected purchaser, then the Company shall execute and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in exchange for or in lieu of any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same series and of like tenor, form, terms and principal amount, bearing a number not contemporaneously Outstanding, and neither gain nor loss in interest shall result from such exchange or substitution.
(b) In case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay the amount due on such Security in accordance with its terms.
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(c) Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section 3.07, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in respect thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) in connection therewith.
(d) Every new Security of any series issued pursuant to this Section shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that series duly issued hereunder.
(e) The provisions of this Section 3.07 are exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities.
Section 3.08 Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved.
(a) Interest on any Security which is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Record Date for such interest notwithstanding the cancellation of such Security upon any transfer or exchange subsequent to the Record Date. Payment of interest on Securities shall be made at the Corporate Trust Office (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01) or, if the Company acts as its own paying agent, at the option of the Company, by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Register or, in accordance with arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee, by wire transfer to an account designated by the Holder.
(b) Any interest on any Security that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on the relevant Record Date by virtue of his, her or its having been such a Holder, and such Defaulted Interest may be paid by the Company, at its election in each case, as provided in clause (i) or (ii) below:
(i) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest (a “Special Record Date”), which shall be fixed in the following manner. The Company shall notify the Trustee and the Paying Agent (at least 20 calendar days prior to any proposed payment date in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each such Security and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Paying Agent for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall be not more than 15 calendar days and not less than 10 calendar days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 10 calendar days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall notify the Company of such Special Record Date and the Company shall provide notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor to be mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to the Holders of such Securities at their addresses as they appear in the Register, not less than 10 calendar days prior to such Special Record Date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on such Special Record Date and shall no longer be payable pursuant to the following clause (ii).
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(ii) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on Securities in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed or of any automated quotation system on which any such Securities may be quoted, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange or quotation system, as applicable.
(c) Subject to the foregoing provisions in this Section 3.08, each Security delivered under this Indenture in exchange or substitution for, or upon registration of transfer of, any other Security shall carry all the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, which were carried by such other Security.
Section 3.09 Cancellation. Unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series, all Securities surrendered for payment, redemption, registration of transfer or exchange or credit against any sinking fund or otherwise shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Paying Agent, be delivered to the Paying Agent for cancellation and shall be promptly cancelled by it and, if surrendered to the Paying Agent, shall be promptly cancelled by it. The Company may at any time deliver to the Paying Agent for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated and delivered hereunder that the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever, and all Securities so delivered shall be promptly cancelled by the Paying Agent. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities cancelled as provided in this Section, except as expressly permitted by this Indenture. The Paying Agent shall dispose of all cancelled Securities held by it in accordance with its then customary procedures, unless otherwise directed by a Company Order, and deliver a certificate of such disposal to the Company upon its request therefor. The acquisition of any Securities by the Company shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the Indebtedness represented thereby unless and until such Securities are surrendered to the Paying Agent for cancellation.
Section 3.10 Computation of Interest. Except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series, interest on the Securities of each series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
Section 3.11 Currency of Payments in Respect of Securities.
(a) The Company may provide pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series that (i) the obligation, if any, of the Company to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, the Securities of any series in a Foreign Currency or U.S. Dollars (the “Designated Currency”) as may be specified pursuant to Section 3.01 is of the essence and agrees that, to the fullest extent possible under applicable law, judgments in respect of such Securities shall be given in the Designated Currency; (ii) the obligation of the Company to make payments in the Designated Currency of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such Securities shall, notwithstanding any payment in any other Currency (whether pursuant to a judgment or otherwise), be discharged only to the extent of the amount in the Designated Currency that the Holder receiving such payment may, in accordance with normal banking procedures, purchase with the sum paid in such other Currency (after any premium and cost of exchange) on the business day in the country of issue of the Designated Currency or in the international banking community (in the case of a composite currency) immediately following the day on which such Holder receives such payment; (iii) if the amount in the Designated Currency that may be so purchased for any reason falls short of the amount originally due, the Company shall pay such additional amounts as may be necessary to compensate for such shortfall; and (iv) any obligation of the Company not discharged by such payment shall be due as a separate and independent obligation and, until discharged as provided herein, shall continue in full force and effect. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series, payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, Securities of such series shall be made in U.S. Dollars.
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(b) If the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Security is payable in a Foreign Currency and such Currency is not available to the Company for making payment thereof due to the imposition of exchange controls or other circumstances beyond the control of the Company, the Company shall be entitled to satisfy its obligations to Holders of the Securities by making such payment in U.S. Dollars in an amount equivalent of the amount payable in such other Currency at the Exchange Rate as determined pursuant to clause (d) below. Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary herein, any payment made under such circumstances in U.S. Dollars where the required payment is in a Currency other than U.S. Dollars shall not constitute an Event of Default under this Indenture.
(c) For purposes of any provision of the Indenture where the Holders of Outstanding Securities may perform an action that requires that a specified percentage of the Outstanding Securities of all series perform such action and for purposes of any decision or determination by the Trustee of amounts due and unpaid for the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, the Securities of all series in respect of which moneys are to be disbursed ratably, the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, the Outstanding Securities denominated in a Foreign Currency shall be the amount in U.S. Dollars based upon the Exchange Rate as determined pursuant to clause (d) below (or as specified pursuant to Section 3.01, if applicable) for Securities of such series, as of the date for determining whether the Holders entitled to perform such action have performed it or as of the date of such decision or determination by the Trustee, as the case may be.
(d) Any decision or determination to be made regarding the Exchange Rate shall be made by the Company or an agent appointed by the Company (the Company, in such capacity, or such agent, the “Currency Determination Agent”); provided that such agent shall accept such appointment in writing and the terms of such appointment shall, in the opinion of the Company at the time of such appointment, require such agent to make such determination by a method consistent with the method provided pursuant to Section 3.01 for the making of such decision or determination. Unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01, “Exchange Rate” shall mean, for any Currency, the noon buying rate in New York City for cable transfers for such Currency as the applicable Exchange Rate, as such rate is reported or otherwise made available by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the date of such payment, or, if such rate is not then available, on the basis of the most recently available rate. All decisions and determinations of such agent regarding the Exchange Rate shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive for all purposes and irrevocably binding upon the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent and all Holders of the Securities.
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Section 3.12 CUSIP Numbers. The Company in issuing any Securities may use CUSIP, ISIN or other similar numbers, if then generally in use, and thereafter with respect to such series, the Trustee and the Agents may use such numbers in any notice of redemption or exchange, as a convenience to Holders, with respect to such series; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee and the Agents of any change in the CUSIP, ISIN or other similar numbers.
ARTICLE IV
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
Section 4.01 Applicability of Right of Redemption. Redemption of Securities (other than pursuant to a sinking fund, amortization or analogous provision) permitted by the terms of any series of Securities shall be made (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series) in accordance with this Article; provided, however, that if any such terms of a series of Securities shall conflict with any provision of this Article, the terms of such series shall govern.
Section 4.02 Selection of Securities to be Redeemed.
(a) If the Company shall at any time elect to redeem all or any portion of the Securities of a series then Outstanding, it shall at least 15 calendar days (or such shorter period acceptable to the Trustee) prior to the date the notice of redemption is to be mailed, notify the Trustee of such Redemption Date and of the principal amount of Securities to be redeemed. If less than all of the Securities of a series are to be redeemed, the Securities for redemption will be selected as follows: (i) if the Securities are listed on a securities exchange then in compliance with the rules of such securities exchange and/or if the Securities are held through the clearing systems then in compliance with the rules and procedures of the clearing systems, or (ii) if the Securities are not listed on a securities exchange or held through the clearing systems, then by lot or such other method as the trustee shall deem to be fair and appropriate in its sole and absolute discretion or as otherwise required by applicable law; provided that the unredeemed portion of the principal amount of any Security shall be in an authorized denomination (which shall not be less than the minimum authorized denomination) for such Security. In any case where more than one Security of such series is registered in the same name, the Trustee may treat the aggregate principal amount so registered as if it were represented by one Security of such series. The Trustee shall, as soon as practicable in the event Securities are held in certificated form, notify the Company in writing of the Securities and portions of Securities so selected.
(b) For all purposes of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires, all provisions relating to the redemption of Securities shall relate, in the case of any Security redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the principal amount of such Security that has been or is to be redeemed. If the Company shall so direct, Securities registered in the name of the Company, any Affiliate or any Subsidiary thereof shall not be included in the Securities selected for redemption.
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Section 4.03 Notice of Redemption.
(a) Notice of redemption shall be given by the Company not less than 30 nor more than 60 calendar days prior to the Redemption Date, to the Holders of Securities of any series to be redeemed in whole or in part and the Trustee pursuant to this Article, in the manner provided in Section 16.04; provided that the Trustee be provided with the draft notice at least 15 days prior to sending such notice of redemption. Any notice given in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the Holder receives such notice. Failure to give such notice, or any defect in such notice to the Holder of any Security of a series designated for redemption, in whole or in part, shall not affect the sufficiency of any notice of redemption with respect to the Holder of any other Security of such series.
(b) All notices of redemption shall identify the Securities to be redeemed (including CUSIP, ISIN or other similar numbers, if available) and shall state:
(i) such election by the Company to redeem Securities of such series pursuant to provisions contained in this Indenture or the terms of the Securities of such series in a Company Order, Officers’ Certificate or a supplemental indenture establishing such series, if such be the case;
(ii) the Redemption Date;
(iii) the Redemption Price;
(iv) if less than all Outstanding Securities of any series are to be redeemed, the identification (and, in the case of partial redemption, the principal amounts) of the Securities of such series to be redeemed;
(v) that on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price shall become due and payable upon each such Security to be redeemed, and that, if applicable, interest thereon shall cease to accrue on and after said date;
(vi) the Place or Places of Payment where such Securities are to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price; and
(vii) if applicable, that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case.
Section 4.04 Deposit of Redemption Price. On or prior to 11:00 a.m., New York City time, one Business Day prior to the Redemption Date for any Securities, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 6.03) an amount of money in the Currency in which such Securities are denominated (except as provided pursuant to Section 3.01) sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of such Securities or any portions thereof that are to be redeemed on that date.
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Section 4.05 Securities Payable on Redemption Date. If notice of redemption has been given as above provided, any Securities so to be redeemed shall, on the Redemption Date, become due and payable at the Redemption Price and from and after such date (unless the Company shall Default in the payment of the Redemption Price) such Securities shall cease to bear interest, and, except as provided in Section 12.07, such Securities shall cease from and after the Redemption Date to be entitled to any benefit or security under the Indenture, and the Holders thereof shall have no right in respect of such Securities except the right to receive the Redemption Price thereof and unpaid interest to the Redemption Date. Upon surrender of any such Security for redemption in accordance with said notice, such Security shall be paid by the Paying Agent with the moneys deposited in accordance with Section 4.04 above at the Redemption Price (unless the Company shall Default in the payment of the Redemption Price); provided, however, that (unless otherwise provided pursuant to Section 3.01) installments of interest that have a Stated Maturity on or prior to the Redemption Date for such Securities shall be payable according to the terms of such Securities and the provisions of Section 3.08.
If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon surrender thereof for redemption, the principal thereof shall, until paid or duly provided for, bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate prescribed therefor in the Security.
Section 4.06 Securities Redeemed in Part. Any Security that is to be redeemed only in part shall be surrendered at the Corporate Trust Office or such other office or agency of the Company as is specified pursuant to Section 3.01 with, if the Company, the Registrar or the Trustee so requires, due endorsement by, or a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company, the Registrar and the Trustee duly executed by the Holder thereof or his, her or its attorney duly authorized in writing, and the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security, without service charge, a new Security or Securities of the same series, of like tenor and form, of any authorized denomination as requested by such Holder in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security so surrendered; provided that if a Global Security is so surrendered, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Depositary for such Global Security, without service charge, a new Global Security in a denomination equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Global Security so surrendered. In the case of a Security providing appropriate space for such notation, at the option of the Holder thereof, the Registrar, in lieu of delivering a new Security or Securities as aforesaid, may make a notation on such Security of the payment of the redeemed portion thereof.
Section 4.07 Tax Redemption.
(a) Each series of Securities may be redeemed at any time, at the option of the Company, in whole but not in part, upon written notice as described below, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the Redemption Date, if (i) as a result of any change in, or amendment to, the laws or regulations of the Relevant Jurisdiction (or, in the case of Additional Amounts payable by a successor Person to the Company, the applicable Successor Jurisdiction), or any change in the official application or official interpretation of, or the stating of an official position with respect to, such laws or regulations (including a holding by a court of competent jurisdiction), which change or amendment becomes effective on or after the Issue Date of the first tranche of the applicable series of debt securities (or, in the case of Additional Amounts payable by a successor Person to the Company that is not organized or tax resident in a jurisdiction that was already a Relevant Jurisdiction prior to the date of such succession, the date on which such successor Person to the Company became a successor to the Company pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture) (a “Tax Change”), the Company or any such successor Person to the Company is, or would be, obligated to pay Additional Amounts upon the next payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest in respect of such Securities and (ii) such obligation cannot be avoided by the Company or any such successor Person to the Company taking reasonable measures available to it, provided that changing the jurisdiction of the Company or such successor Person to Company is not a reasonable measure for purposes of this Section 4.07(a).
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(b) Prior to the giving of any notice of redemption of the Securities pursuant to Section 4.07(a), the Company or any such successor Person to the Company shall deliver to the Trustee (i) a notice of such redemption election, (ii) an opinion of External Legal Counsel or an opinion of an Independent Tax Consultant to the effect that the Company or any such successor Person to the Company is, or would become, obligated to pay such Additional Amounts as the result of a Tax Change and (iii) an Officers’ Certificate from the Company or any such successor Person to the Company, stating that such amendment or change has occurred and stating that such requirement cannot be avoided by the Company or any such successor Person to the Company taking reasonable measures available to it. The Trustee shall be entitled to accept and rely conclusively upon such Officers’ Certificate and opinion as sufficient evidence of the conditions precedent described in Section 4.07(a), in which event it shall be conclusive and binding on the relevant Holders.
(c) Any redemption of Securities pursuant to Section 4.07 shall be made (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of any series) in accordance with this Article; provided that no such notice of redemption shall be given earlier than 90 days prior to the earliest date on which the Company or any such successor Person to the Company would be required to pay Additional Amounts if a payment in respect of such Securities was then due.
ARTICLE V
SINKING FUNDS
Section 5.01 Applicability of Sinking Fund.
(a) Redemption of Securities permitted or required pursuant to a sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a series by the terms of such series of Securities shall be made in accordance with such terms of such series of Securities and this Article, except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of such series; provided, however, that if any such terms of a series of Securities shall conflict with any provision of this Article, the terms of such series shall govern.
(b) The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a “Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment,” and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as an “Optional Sinking Fund Payment.” If provided for by the terms of Securities of any series, the cash amount of any Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 5.02.
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Section 5.02 Mandatory Sinking Fund Obligation. The Company may, at its option, satisfy any Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment obligation, in whole or in part, with respect to a particular series of Securities by (a) delivering to the Paying Agent Securities of such series in transferable form theretofore purchased or otherwise acquired by the Company or redeemed at the election of the Company pursuant to Section 4.03 or (b) receiving credit for Securities of such series (not previously so credited) acquired by the Company and theretofore delivered to the Paying Agent. The Paying Agent shall credit such Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment obligation with an amount equal to the Redemption Price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment shall be reduced accordingly. On or before the forty-fifth day next preceding each sinking fund payment date for any series, the Company will deliver to the Paying Agent a written statement signed by an Officer (a) specifying the portion of the Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion to be satisfied by credit of Securities of such series, (b) stating that none of the Securities of such series has theretofore been so credited, (c) stating that no defaults in the payment of interest or Events of Default with respect to such series have occurred (which have not been waived or cured) and are continuing and (d) stating whether or not the Company intends to exercise its right to make an Optional Sinking Fund Payment with respect to such series and, if so, specifying the amount of such Optional Sinking Fund Payment which the Company intends to pay on or before the next succeeding sinking fund payment date. Any Securities of such series to be credited and required to be delivered to the Paying Agent in order for the Company to be entitled to credit therefor as aforesaid which have not theretofore been delivered to the Paying Agent shall be delivered for cancellation to the Trustee with such written statement (or at such other time as may be agreed between the Trustee and the Company in writing). Such written statement shall be irrevocable and upon its receipt by the Trustee the Company shall become unconditionally obligated to make all the cash payments or payments therein referred to, if any, on or before the next succeeding sinking fund payment date. Failure of the Company, on or before any such forty-fifth day, to deliver such written statement and Securities specified in this paragraph, if any, shall not constitute a default but shall constitute, on and as of such date, the irrevocable election of the Company (i) that the Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment for such series due on the next succeeding sinking fund payment date shall be paid entirely in cash without the option to deliver or credit Securities of such series in respect thereof and (ii) that the Company will make no Optional Sinking Fund Payment with respect to such series as provided in this Section 5.02.
Section 5.03 Optional Redemption at Sinking Fund Redemption Price. In addition to the sinking fund requirements of Section 5.02, to the extent, if any, provided for by the terms of a particular series of Securities, the Company may, at its option, make an Optional Sinking Fund Payment with respect to such Securities. Unless otherwise provided by such terms, (a) to the extent that the right of the Company to make such Optional Sinking Fund Payment is not exercised in any year, it shall not be cumulative or carried forward to any subsequent year, and (b) such optional payment shall operate to reduce the amount of any Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment obligation as to Securities of the same series. If the Company intends to exercise its right to make such optional payment in any year, it shall deliver to the Trustee and the Paying Agent not less than 45 calendar days prior to the relevant sinking fund payment date a certificate signed by an Officer, stating that the Company shall exercise such optional right, and specifying the amount which the Company shall pay on or before the next succeeding sinking fund payment date. Such certificate shall also state that no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
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Section 5.04 Application of Sinking Fund Payment.
(a) If the sinking fund payment or payments made in funds pursuant to either Section 5.02 or Section 5.03 with respect to a particular series of Securities plus any unused balance of any preceding sinking fund payments made in funds with respect to such series shall exceed US$50,000 (or a lesser sum if the Company shall so request, or such equivalent sum for Securities denominated other than in U.S. Dollars), it shall be applied by the Paying Agent on the sinking fund payment date next following the date of such payment; provided that, if the date of such payment shall be a sinking fund payment date, such payment shall be applied on such sinking fund payment date to the redemption of Securities of such series at the Redemption Price specified pursuant to Section 4.03(b). If such amount shall be US$50,000 or less and the Company makes no such request, then it shall be carried over until a sum in excess of US$50,000 is available. The Securities of such series shall be selected, in the manner provided in Section 4.02, for redemption on such sinking fund payment date, a sufficient principal amount of Securities of such series to absorb said funds, as nearly as may be, and shall, at the expense and in the name of the Company, thereupon cause notice of redemption, prepared by the Company, of the Securities to be given in substantially the manner provided in Section 4.03(a) for the redemption of Securities in part at the option of the Company, except that the notice of redemption shall also state that the Securities are being redeemed for the sinking fund. Any sinking fund moneys not so applied by the Paying Agent to the redemption of Securities of such series shall be added to the next sinking fund payment received in funds by the Paying Agent and, together with such payment, shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of this Section 5.04. Any and all sinking fund moneys held by the Paying Agent on the last sinking fund payment date with respect to Securities of such series, and not held for the payment or redemption of particular Securities of such series, shall be applied by the Paying Agent to the payment of the principal of the Securities of such series at Maturity.
(b) On or prior to each sinking fund payment date, the Company shall pay to the Paying Agent a sum equal to all interest accrued to, but not including, the Redemption Date on Securities to be redeemed on such sinking fund payment date pursuant to this Section 5.04.
(c) The Paying Agent shall not be required to redeem or cause to be redeemed any Securities of a series with sinking fund moneys or give any notice of redemption of Securities of such series by operation of the sinking fund during the continuance of a Default in payment of interest on any Securities of such series or of any Event of Default except that if the notice of redemption of any Securities of such series shall theretofore have been mailed in accordance with the provisions hereof, the Paying Agent shall redeem or cause to be redeemed such Securities if funds sufficient for that purpose shall be deposited with the Paying Agent in accordance with the terms of this Article. Except as above provided, any moneys in the sinking fund at the time any such Default or Event of Default shall occur and any moneys thereafter paid into the sinking fund shall, during the continuance of such Default or Event of Default, be held as security for the payment of all the Securities of such series; provided, however, that in case such Default or Event of Default shall have been cured or waived as provided herein, such moneys shall thereafter be applied on the next sinking fund payment date on which such moneys are required to be applied pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5.04. For the avoidance of doubt, the Paying Agent will not be obliged to take any action under this Indenture in the absence of written instructions from the Company or, if applicable, the Trustee.
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ARTICLE VI
PARTICULAR COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
The Company hereby covenants and agrees as follows:
Section 6.01 Payments of Principal, Premium and Interest. The Company, for the benefit of each series of Securities, shall duly and punctually pay or cause to be paid the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, each series of Securities, at the dates and place and in the manner provided in the Securities and in this Indenture.
Section 6.02 Maintenance of Office or Agency; Paying Agent.
(a) The Company shall maintain in each Place of Payment for any series of Securities, if any, an office or agency where Securities may be presented or surrendered for payment, where Securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities and this Indenture may be served. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Specified Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. The Company hereby initially appoints The Bank of New York Mellon as Paying Agent to receive all presentations, surrenders, notices and demands. So long as The Bank of New York Mellon serves as Paying Agent, it will be entitled as Paying Agent to the same rights of compensation, reimbursement and indemnification under Section 11.01 and Section 11.02 as if it were Trustee.
(b) The Company may also from time to time designate different or additional offices or agencies where the Securities of any series may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes (in or outside of such Place of Payment), and may from time to time rescind any such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligations described in the preceding paragraph. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such additional designation or rescission of designation and of any change in the location of any such different or additional office or agency. The Company shall enter into an appropriate agency agreement with any Agent not a party to this Indenture. The agreement shall implement the provisions of this Indenture that relate to such Agent. The Company shall notify the Trustee of the name and address of each such Agent. The Company or any Affiliate thereof may act as any Agent.
Section 6.03 To Hold Payment in Trust.
(a) If the Company or an Affiliate thereof shall at any time act as Paying Agent with respect to any series of Securities, then, on or before the date on which the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Securities of that series by their terms or as a result of the calling thereof for redemption shall become payable, the Company or such Affiliate shall segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities or the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay such principal, premium, if any, or interest which shall have so become payable until such sums shall be paid to such Holders or otherwise disposed of as herein provided, and shall notify the Trustee of its action or failure to act in that regard.
Upon any proceeding under the Bankruptcy Code or any applicable state bankruptcy laws with respect to the Company or any Affiliate thereof, if the Company or such Affiliate is then acting as Paying Agent, the Trustee shall promptly replace the Company or such Affiliate as Paying Agent.
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(b) If the Company shall appoint, and at the time have, a Paying Agent for the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any series of Securities, then prior to 11:00 a.m., New York City time, one Business Day prior to the date on which the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Securities of that series shall become payable as above provided (“Payment Date”), whether by their terms or as a result of the calling thereof for redemption, the Company shall deposit with such Paying Agent a sum sufficient to pay such principal, premium, if any, or interest, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities or the Trustee, and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee), the Company or any other obligor of such Securities shall promptly notify the Trustee of its payment or failure to make such payment. The Company shall procure that, before 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the second Business Day before each Payment Date, the bank effecting payment for it confirms authenticated SWIFT message to the Paying Agent the payment instructions relating to such payment.
(c) If the Paying Agent shall be a Person other than the Trustee, the Company shall cause such Paying Agent to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such Paying Agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section 6.03, that such Paying Agent shall:
(i) comply with the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act applicable to it as Paying Agent;
(ii) hold all moneys held by it for the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities of that series in trust for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities until such sums shall be paid to such Holders or otherwise disposed of as herein provided;
(iii) give to the Trustee notice of any Default by the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities of that series in the making of any payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities of that series; and
(iv) at any time during the continuance of any such Default, upon the written request of the Trustee, pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such Paying Agent.
(d) Anything in this Section 6.03 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining a release, satisfaction or discharge of this Indenture or for any other reason, pay or cause to be paid to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or by any Paying Agent other than the Trustee as required by this Section 6.03, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same trusts as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such Paying Agent and, upon such payment by a Paying Agent to the Trustee, such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys.
(e) Any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Company, in trust for the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Security of any series and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal, premium, if any, or interest has become due and payable shall be paid to the Company upon Company Order along with any interest that has accumulated thereon as a result of such money being invested at the direction of the Company (or, if then held by the Company, shall be discharged from such trust), and the Holder of such Security shall thereafter, as an unsecured general creditor, look only to the Company for payment of such amounts without interest thereon, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Company as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease.
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(f) Each party shall, within ten business days of a written request by another party, supply to that other party such forms, documentation and other information relating to it, its operations, or the Securities of any series as that other party reasonably requests for the purposes of that other party’s compliance with Applicable Law and shall notify the relevant other party reasonably promptly in the event that it becomes aware that any of the forms, documentation or other information provided by such party is (or becomes) inaccurate in any material respect; provided, however, that no party shall be required to provide any forms, documentation or other information pursuant to this Section 6.05(f) to the extent that: (i) any such form, documentation or other information (or the information required to be provided on such form or documentation) is not reasonably available to such party and cannot be obtained by such party using reasonable efforts; or (ii) doing so would or might in the reasonable opinion of such party constitute a breach of any: (a) Applicable Law; (b) fiduciary duty; or (c) duty of confidentiality. For purposes of this Section 6.05(f), “Applicable Law” shall be deemed to include (i) any rule or practice of any Authority by which any party is bound or with which it is accustomed to comply; (ii) any agreement between any Authorities; and (iii) any agreement between any Authority and any party that is customarily entered into by institutions of a similar nature.
The Company shall notify the Agents and the Trustee in the event that it determines that any payment to be made by the Agents and the Trustee under the Securities of any series is a payment which could be subject to FATCA Withholding if such payment were made to a recipient that is generally unable to receive payments free from FATCA Withholding, and the extent to which the relevant payment is so treated, provided, however, that the Company’s obligation under this Section 6.05(f) shall apply only to the extent that such payments are so treated by virtue of characteristics of the Company, the Securities, or both.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, the Agents and the Trustee shall be entitled to make a deduction or withholding from any payment which it makes under the Securities of any series for or on account of any Tax, if and only to the extent so required by Applicable Law, in which event the Agents and the Trustee shall make such payment after such deduction or withholding has been made and shall account to the relevant Authority within the time allowed for the amount so deducted or withheld or, at its option, shall reasonably promptly after making such payment return to the Company the amount so deducted or withheld, in which case, the Company shall so account to the relevant Authority for such amount. For the avoidance of doubt, FATCA Withholding is a deduction or withholding which is deemed to be required by Applicable Law for the purposes of this Section 6.05(f).
For the purposes of this Section 6.05(f), capitalized terms shall have the following meanings:
“Applicable Law” means any law or regulation.
“Authority” means any competent regulatory, prosecuting, Tax or governmental authority in any jurisdiction.
“Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
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“FATCA Withholding” means any withholding or deduction required pursuant to an agreement described in section 1471(b) of the Code, or otherwise imposed pursuant to sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, any regulations or agreements thereunder, any official interpretations thereof, or any law implementing an intergovernmental approach thereto.
“Tax” means any present or future taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature imposed, levied, collected, withheld or assessed by or on behalf of any Authority having power to tax.
Section 6.04 Merger, Consolidation and Sale of Assets. Except as otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 3.01 with respect to any series of Securities:
(a) The Company shall not, directly or indirectly, consolidate with or merge into any other Person in a transaction or a series of transactions in which the Company is not the surviving entity, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, any Person, unless
(i) the Company shall be the continuing person or, if the Company is not the continuing person, any Person formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Company is merged or to whom the Company has conveyed, transferred or leased its properties and assets substantially as an entirety is a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands or Hong Kong;
(ii) such Person expressly assumes by an indenture supplemental to this Indenture all the obligations of the Company under this Indenture and the Securities, including the obligation to pay Additional Amounts with respect to any jurisdiction in which it is organized or resident for tax purposes, and shall, if required by law to effectuate the assumption, execute a supplemental indenture which will be delivered to the trustee and will be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the trustee;
(iii) immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing; and
(iv) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an opinion of External Legal Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and such supplemental indenture comply with this Indenture and that all conditions precedent therein relating to such transaction have been complied with.
(b) Upon any consolidation with or merger into any other entity, or any sale other than for cash, or any conveyance or lease, of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in accordance with this Section 6.04, the successor entity formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Company is merged or to which the Company is sold or to which such conveyance, transfer or lease is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor entity had been named as the Company herein, and thereafter, except in the case of a lease, the predecessor Company shall be relieved of all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities, and from time to time such entity may exercise each and every right and power of the Company under this Indenture, in the name of the Company, or in its own name; and any act or proceeding by any provision of this Indenture required or permitted to be done by the Board of Directors or any officer of the Company may be done with like force and effect by the like board of directors or officer of any entity that shall at the time be the successor of the Company hereunder. In the event of any such sale or conveyance, but not any such lease, the Company (or any successor entity which shall theretofore have become such in the manner described in this Section 6.04) shall be discharged from all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities and may thereupon be dissolved and liquidated.
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Section 6.05 Additional Amounts.
(a) All payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest made by the Company in respect of any Security shall be made without withholding or deduction for, or on account of, any present or future taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature (collectively, “Taxes”) imposed or levied by or within the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the PRC or any jurisdiction where the Company or the Paying Agent is otherwise considered by a taxing authority to be a resident for tax purposes (in each case, including any political subdivision or any authority therein or thereof having power to tax) (the “Relevant Jurisdiction”), unless such withholding or deduction of such Taxes is required by law. If the Company is required to make such withholding or deduction, the Company shall pay such additional amounts (“Additional Amounts”) as will result in receipt by each Holder of Securities of such amounts as would have been received by such Holder had no such withholding or deduction of such Taxes been required, except that no such Additional Amounts shall be payable:
(i) in respect of any such Taxes that would not have been imposed, deducted or withheld but for the existence of any connection (whether present or former) between the Holder or beneficial owner of a Security and the Relevant Jurisdiction other than merely holding such Security or receiving principal, premium, if any, or interest in respect thereof (including such Holder or beneficial owner being or having been a national, domiciliary or resident of such Relevant Jurisdiction or treated as a resident thereof or being or having been physically present or engaged in a trade or business therein or having or having had a permanent establishment therein);
(ii) in respect of any Security presented for payment (where presentation is required) more than 30 days after the relevant date, except to the extent that the Holder thereof would have been entitled to such Additional Amounts on presenting the same for payment on the last day of such 30-day period. For this purpose, the “relevant date” in relation to any Security means the later of (a) the due date for such payment or (b) the date such payment was made or duly provided for;
(iii) in respect of any Taxes that would not have been imposed, deducted or withheld but for a failure of the Holder or beneficial owner of a Security to comply with a timely request by the Company addressed to the Holder to provide information concerning such Holder’s or beneficial owner’s nationality, residence, identity or connection with any Relevant Jurisdiction, if and to the extent that due and timely compliance with such request is required under the tax laws of such jurisdiction in order to reduce or eliminate any withholding or deduction as to which Additional Amounts would have otherwise been payable to such Holder;
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(iv) in respect of any Taxes imposed as a result of a Security being presented for payment (where presentation is required) in the Relevant Jurisdiction, unless such Security could not have been presented for payment elsewhere;
(v) in respect of any estate, inheritance, gift, sale, transfer, personal property or similar Taxes;
(vi) to any Holder of a Security that is a fiduciary, partnership or person other than the sole beneficial owner of any payment to the extent that such payment would be required to be included in the income under the laws of a Relevant Jurisdiction, for tax purposes, of a beneficiary or settlor with respect to the fiduciary, or a member of that partnership or a beneficial owner who would not have been entitled to such Additional Amounts had that beneficiary, settlor, partner or beneficial owner been the Holder thereof;
(vii) with respect to any withholding or deduction that is imposed in connection with Sections 1471-1474 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and current or future U.S. Treasury regulations thereunder (“FATCA”), any agreement with the Internal Revenue Service implementing or relating to FATCA, any intergovernmental agreement between the United States and any other jurisdiction implementing or relating to FATCA, , or any law, regulation or other official guidance enacted or issued in any jurisdiction implementing FATCA or any intergovernmental agreement with respect thereto, or any other agreement pursuant to the implementation of FATCA;
(viii) any such Taxes payable otherwise than by deduction or withholding from payments under or with respect to any Security; or
(ix) any combination of Taxes referred to in the preceding clauses (i) through (viii) above.
(b) In the event that any withholding or deduction for or on account of any Taxes is required and Additional Amounts are payable with respect thereto, at least 10 Business Days prior to each date of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee and the Paying Agent, if other than the Trustee, an Officers’ Certificate specifying the amount required to be withheld or deducted on such payments to such Holders, certifying that the Company shall pay such amounts required to be withheld to the appropriate governmental authority and certifying to the fact that the Additional Amounts will be payable and the amounts so payable to each Holder, and that the Company will pay to the Trustee or such Paying Agent the Additional Amounts required to be paid; provided that no such Officers’ Certificate will be required prior to any date of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on such Securities if there has been no change with respect to the matters set forth in a prior Officers’ Certificate. The Trustee and each Paying Agent shall be entitled to rely on the fact that any Officers’ Certificate contemplated by this Section 6.05(b) has not been furnished as evidence of the fact that no withholding or deduction for or on account of any Taxes is required. The Company covenants to indemnify the Trustee and any Paying Agent for and to hold them harmless against any loss, liability or reasonably incurred expense without fraudulent activity, gross negligence or willful misconduct on their part arising out of or in connection with actions taken or omitted by any of them in reliance on any such Officers’ Certificate furnished pursuant to this Section 6.05(b) or on the fact that any Officers’ Certificate contemplated by this Section 6.05(b) has not been furnished.
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(c) Whenever in this Indenture there is mentioned, in any context, the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest in respect of any Security, such mention shall be deemed to include the payment of Additional Amounts provided for in this Indenture, to the extent that, in such context, Additional Amounts are, were or would be payable in respect thereof pursuant to this Indenture.
(d) Section 6.05(a), Section 6.05(b) and Section 6.05(c) shall apply in the same manner with respect to the jurisdiction in which any successor Person to the Company or its paying agent is organized or resident for tax purposes or any authority therein or thereof having the power to tax (a “Successor Jurisdiction”), substituting such Successor Jurisdiction for the Relevant Jurisdiction.
(e) The obligation of the Company to make payments of Additional Amounts under this Section 6.05 shall survive any termination, defeasance or discharge of this Indenture.
Section 6.06 Payment for Consent. The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Controlled Entities to, directly or indirectly, pay or cause to be paid any consideration to or for the benefit of any Holder for or as an inducement to any consent, waiver or amendment of any of the terms or provisions of this Indenture or any series of the Securities unless such consideration is offered to be paid and is paid to all Holders of such series of Securities as may be affected thereby that consent, waive or agree to amend in the time frame set forth in the solicitation documents relating to consent, waiver or amendment.
Section 6.07 Compliance Certificate. The Company shall furnish to the Trustee (a) annually, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, and (b) within 14 days of a written request from the Trustee, a certificate in or substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B from the principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or treasurer as to his or her knowledge of the Company’s compliance with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture (which compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice provided under this Indenture), specifying if any Default has occurred and, in the event that any Default has occurred, specifying each such Default and the nature and status thereof of which such person may have knowledge.
Section 6.08 Conditional Waiver by Holders of Securities. Anything in this Indenture to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company may fail or omit in any particular instance to comply with a covenant or condition set forth herein with respect to any series of Securities if the Company shall have obtained and filed with the Trustee, prior to the time of such failure or omission, evidence (as provided in Article VIII) of the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series affected by such waiver and at the time Outstanding, either waiving such compliance in such instance or generally waiving compliance with such covenant or condition, but no such waiver shall extend to or affect such covenant or condition except to the extent so expressly waived, or impair any right consequent thereon and, until such waiver shall have become effective, the obligations of the Company and the duties of the Trustee in respect of any such covenant or condition shall remain in full force and effect.
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Section 6.09 Statement by Officers as to Default. The Company shall deliver to the Responsible Officer of the Trustee as soon as possible and in any event within 30 calendar days after the Company becomes aware of the occurrence of any Event of Default or an event which, with the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute an Event of Default, an Officers’ Certificate setting forth the details of such Event of Default or Default and the action which the Company proposes to take with respect thereto.
Section 6.10 Sanctions. The Company covenants and represents that neither it nor any of its controlled affiliates, subsidiaries, directors or officers are the target or subject of any sanctions enforced by the US Government (including Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union or HM Treasury (collectively “Sanctions”). The Company covenants and represents that neither it nor any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, directors or officers will use any payments made pursuant to this Indenture, (i) to fund or facilitate any prohibited activities of or business with any person who, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any prohibited activities of or business with any country or territory that is the target or subject of Sanctions, or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any person.
For the purposes of this Section 6.10, controlled affiliates means any company or other entity of which the Issuer owns or controls, whether individually or in the aggregate, directly or indirectly, 50 per cent. or more of the issued share capital of such company or other entity.
ARTICLE VII
REMEDIES OF TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS
Section 7.01 Events of Default. Except where otherwise indicated by the context or where the term is otherwise defined for a specific purpose, the term “Event of Default” as used in this Indenture with respect to Securities of any series shall mean one of the following described events unless it is either inapplicable to a particular series or it is specifically deleted or modified in the manner contemplated in Section 3.01:
(a) the Company fails to pay principal or premium, if any, in respect of a Security of such series by the due date for such payment;
(b) the Company fails to pay interest on a Security of such series within 30 days after the due date for such payment;
(c) the Company defaults in the performance of or breaches its obligations under Section 6.04;
(d) the Company, subject to the provisions of Section 6.08, defaults in the performance of, or breaches, any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or under the Securities of such series (other than a default specified in clause (a), (b) or (c) above) and such default or breach continues for a period of 30 consecutive days after written notice by the Trustee or the Holders of 25% or more in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding;
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(e) (i) there occurs with respect to any indebtedness of the Company or any of its Principal Controlled Entities, whether such indebtedness exists as of the date hereof or shall hereafter be created, (A) an event of default that has resulted in the holder thereof declaring the principal of such indebtedness to be due and payable prior to its stated maturity or (B) a failure to make a payment of principal, interest or premium when due (after giving effect to the expiration of any applicable grace period therefor, a “Payment Default”) and, in each case, such default continues for more than 30 days after the expiration of any grace period or extension of time for payment applicable thereto; provided that any such Event of Default shall be deemed cured and not continuing upon payment of such indebtedness, rescission of such declaration of acceleration, or waiver or with consent of the applicable lender; and (ii) the outstanding principal amount of such indebtedness, together with the outstanding principal amount of any other indebtedness of such Persons under which there has been a Payment Default or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, is equal to or exceeds the greater of (x) US$100,000,000 (or the Dollar Equivalent thereof) and (y) 2.5% of the Total Equity of the Company;
(f) one or more final judgments or orders for the payment of money are rendered against the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company and are not paid or discharged, and there is a period of 90 consecutive days following entry of the final judgment or order that causes the aggregate amount for all such final judgments or orders outstanding and not paid or discharged against all such Persons (net of any amounts that the Company’s insurance carriers have paid or agreed to pay with respect thereto under applicable policies) to exceed the greater of (x) US$100,000,000 (or the Dollar Equivalent thereof) and (y) 2.5% of the Total Equity of the Company, during which a stay of enforcement, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect;
(g) the entry by a court having jurisdiction in the premises of (i) a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company in an involuntary case or proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law or (ii) a decree or order adjudging the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company bankrupt or insolvent, or approving as final and non appealable a petition seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, or composition of or in respect of the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or appointing a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator, or other similar official of the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company or of any substantial part of its or their respective property, or ordering the winding up or liquidation of their respective affairs (or any similar relief granted under any foreign laws), and in any such case the continuance of any such decree or order for relief or any such other decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive calendar days;
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(h) the commencement by the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company of a voluntary case or proceeding under any applicable federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law or of any other case or proceeding to be adjudicated bankrupt or insolvent, or the consent by the Company or any Principal Controlled Entity to the entry of a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company in an involuntary case or proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law or the commencement of any bankruptcy or insolvency case or proceeding against the Company or any Principal Controlled Entity, or the filing by the Company or any Principal Controlled Entity of a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief with respect to the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or the consent by the Company or any Principal Controlled Entity to the filing of such petition or to the appointment of or taking possession by a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator, or other similar official of the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company or of any substantial part of its or their respective property pursuant to any such law, or the making by the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company of a general assignment for the benefit of creditors in respect of any indebtedness as a result of an inability to pay such indebtedness as it becomes due, or the admission by the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company in writing of the inability of the Company to pay its debts generally as they become due, or the taking of corporate action by the Company or any of the Principal Controlled Entities of the Company that resolves to commence any such action;
(i) the Securities of such series or the Indenture is or becomes or is claimed by the Company to be unenforceable, invalid or ceases to be in full force and effect otherwise than is permitted by the Indenture; or
(j) the occurrence of any other Event of Default with respect to Securities of such series as provided in Section 3.01;
provided, however, that a Default under Section 7.01(d) above will not constitute an Event of Default until the Trustee or the Holders of 25% or more in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding provide written notice to the Company of the Default and the Company does not cure such Default within the time specified in Section 7.01(d) above after receipt of such notice. In the case of such notice given to the Company by the Holders, the Company will provide a copy of such notice to the Trustee.
Section 7.02 Acceleration; Rescission and Annulment.
(a) Except as otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 3.01 with respect to any series of Securities, if any one or more of the above-described Events of Default (other than an Event of Default specified in Section 7.01(g) or Section 7.01(h)) shall happen with respect to Securities of any series at the time Outstanding, then, and in each and every such case, during the continuance of any such Event of Default, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding by written notice as provided in the Indenture may, and the Trustee, upon written instructions from holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding and subject to receipt of pre-funding, security and/or indemnity, to its satisfaction, shall, declare the principal (or, if the Securities of that series are Original Issue Discount Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) of and all accrued but unpaid interest and premium (if any) on all the Securities of such series then Outstanding to be due and payable immediately by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal amount (or specified amount) shall become immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in Section 7.01(g) or Section 7.01(h) occurs and is continuing, then in every such case, the principal amount of all of the Securities of that series then Outstanding shall automatically, and without any declaration or any other action on the part of the Trustee or any Holder, become due and payable immediately. Upon payment of such amounts in the Currency in which such Securities are denominated (subject to Section 3.11 and except as otherwise provided pursuant to Section 3.01), all obligations of the Company in respect of the payment of principal of and interest on the Securities of such series shall terminate.
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(b) In the event of a declaration of acceleration with respect to the Securities of any series because of an Event of Default specified in Section 7.01(e) above shall occur, the declaration of acceleration with respect to the Securities of such series shall be automatically annulled if the Default triggering such Event of Default pursuant to Section 7.01(e) above shall be remedied or cured by the Company or any of its Principal Controlled Entities or waived by the holders of the relevant indebtedness within 30 days after the declaration of acceleration with respect thereto and if:
(i) the annulment of the acceleration with respect to the Securities of such series would not conflict with any judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction; and
(ii) all Events of Default with respect to the Securities of such series, other than the non-payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities of such series that became due solely because of such acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 7.06.
(c) At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to the Securities of any series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter provided in this Article, the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series at the time Outstanding may, subject to Section 7.06 and Section 14.02, waive all past Defaults and rescind and annul such acceleration if:
(i) the rescission of the acceleration with respect to the Securities of such series would not conflict with any judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction; and
(ii) all Events of Default with respect to the Securities of such series, other than the non-payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities of such series that became due solely because of such acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 7.06.
(d) No rescission as provided in this Section 7.02 shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
(e) For all purposes under this Indenture, if a portion of the principal of any Original Issue Discount Securities shall have been accelerated and declared due and payable pursuant to the provisions hereof, then, from and after such declaration, unless such declaration has been rescinded and annulled, the principal amount of such Original Issue Discount Securities shall be deemed, for all purposes hereunder, to be such portion of the principal thereof as shall be due and payable as a result of such acceleration, and payment of such portion of the principal thereof as shall be due and payable as a result of such acceleration, together with interest, if any, thereon and all other amounts owing thereunder, shall constitute payment in full of such Original Issue Discount Securities.
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Section 7.03 Other Remedies. If the Company shall fail for a period of 30 calendar days to pay any installment of interest on the Securities of any series or shall fail to pay the principal of and premium, if any, on any of the Securities of such series when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at Maturity, or by call for redemption (other than pursuant to the sinking fund), by declaration as authorized by this Indenture, or otherwise, or shall fail for a period of 30 calendar days to make any required sinking fund payment as to a series of Securities, then, upon demand of the Trustee, the Company shall pay to the Paying Agent, for the benefit of the Holders of Securities of such series then Outstanding, the whole amount which then shall have become due and payable on all the Securities of such series, with interest on the overdue principal and premium, if any, and (so far as the same may be legally enforceable) on the overdue installments of interest at the rate borne by the Securities of such series, and all amounts owing the Trustee and any predecessor trustee hereunder under Section 11.01(a).
In case the Company shall fail forthwith to pay such amounts upon such demand, the Trustee may, or upon written instructions from holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding and subject to receipt of pre-funding, security and/or indemnity, to its satisfaction, shall, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, be entitled and empowered to institute any action or proceeding at law or in equity for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute any such action or proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce any such judgment or final decree against the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities of such series, and collect the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities of such series, wherever situated, in the manner provided by law. Every recovery of judgment in any such action or other proceeding, subject to the payment to the Trustee of all amounts owing the Trustee and any predecessor trustee hereunder under Section 11.01(a), shall be for the ratable benefit of the Holders of such series of Securities which shall be the subject of such action or proceeding. All rights of action upon or under any of the Securities or this Indenture may be enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities and without the production of any thereof at any trial or any proceeding relative thereto.
Section 7.04 Trustee as Attorney-in-Fact. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize or empower the Trustee to consent to or accept or adopt, on behalf of any Holder of Securities, any plan of reorganization or readjustment affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof, or to authorize or empower the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder of any Securities in any such proceeding.
Section 7.05 Priorities. Any moneys or properties collected by the Trustee, or, after an Event of Default, any moneys or other property distributable in respect of the Company’s obligations under this Indenture, in either case with respect to a series of Securities under this Article VII shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee for the distribution of such moneys or properties and, in the case of the distribution of such moneys or properties on account of the Securities of any series, upon presentation of the Securities of such series, and stamping thereon the payment, if only partially paid, and upon surrender thereof, if fully paid:
First: To the payment of all fees, costs and expenses (including indemnity payments) due to the Trustee, the Agents and any predecessor trustee, and agent under Section 11.01(a) and the properly incurred expenses and disbursements of its agents, delegates, attorneys and counsel.
Second: In case the principal of the Outstanding Securities of such series shall not have become due and be unpaid, to the payment of interest on the Securities of such series, in the chronological order of the Stated Maturity of the installments of such interest, with interest (to the extent that such interest has been collected by the Trustee) upon the overdue installments of interest at the rate borne by such Securities, such payments to be made ratably to the Persons entitled thereto.
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Third: In case the principal of the Outstanding Securities of such series shall have become due, by declaration or otherwise, to the payment of the whole amount then owing and unpaid upon the Securities of such series for principal and premium, if any, and interest, with interest on the overdue principal and premium, if any, and (to the extent that such interest has been paid to the Paying Agent) upon overdue installments of interest at the rate borne by the Securities of such series, and in case such moneys shall be insufficient to pay in full the whole amounts so due and unpaid upon the Securities of such series, then to the payment of such principal and premium, if any, and interest without preference or priority of principal and premium, if any, over interest, or of interest over principal and premium, if any, or of any installment of interest over any other installment of interest, or of any Security of such series over any other Security of such series, ratably to the aggregate of such principal and premium, if any, and accrued and unpaid interest.
Fourth: Any surplus then remaining shall be paid to the Company, its successors or assigns, or to whomsoever may be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be so entitled.
Section 7.06 Control by Securityholders; Waiver of Past Defaults. Subject to certain provisions, including those requiring pre-funding, security and/or indemnification of the Trustee, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a series then Outstanding shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series; provided, however, that, subject to the provisions of Section 11.02, the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee being advised by counsel determines that the action so directed may not lawfully be taken or would involve the Trustee in personal liability. The Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of such series of Securities at the time Outstanding may on behalf of all Holders of the Securities of such series waive any existing or past Default or Event of Default and its consequences hereunder, except a continuing Default or Event of Default (i) in the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on (or Additional Amount payable in respect of), the Securities of such series then Outstanding, in which event the consent of all Holders of the Securities of such series then Outstanding affected thereby is required, or (ii) in respect of a covenant or provision which under Section 14.02 cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each Security of such series then Outstanding affected thereby. Any instrument given by or on behalf of any Holder of a Security of that series in connection with any consent to any such waiver will be irrevocable once given and will be conclusive and binding on all subsequent Holders of such Security. Upon any such waiver, the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities of such series shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; provided that no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. Whenever any Default or Event of Default hereunder shall have been waived as permitted by this Section 7.06, said Default or Event of Default shall for all purposes of the Securities of such series and this Indenture be deemed to have been cured and to be not continuing. In case an Event of Default shall occur and be continuing, the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the trusts or powers vested in it by the Indenture or enforce any provisions of the Indenture or the Securities of any series at the request, order or direction of any of the Holders of any Security, unless the requisite number of Holders shall have instructed the Trustee in writing and offered to the trustee pre-funding, security and/or indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which may be incurred therein or thereby.
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Section 7.07 Limitation on Suits. No Holder of any Security of any series shall have any right to institute any action, suit or proceeding at law or in equity for the execution of any trust hereunder or for the appointment of a receiver or for any other remedy hereunder, in each case with respect to an Event of Default with respect to such series of Securities, unless (i) such Holder previously shall have given to the Trustee written notice of one or more of the Events of Default herein specified with respect to such series of Securities, (ii) the Holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding shall have requested the Trustee in writing to take action in respect of the matter complained of, (iii) there shall have been offered to the Trustee pre-funding, security and/or indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred therein or thereby, and (iv) the Trustee, for 60 calendar days after receipt of such notification, request and offer of pre-funding, security and/or indemnity, shall have failed to institute any such action, suit or proceeding and have not received from the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding a written direction inconsistent with such request; and such notification, request and offer of pre-funding, security and/or indemnity are hereby declared in every such case to be conditions precedent to any such action, suit or proceeding by any Holder of any Security of such series; it being understood and intended that no one or more of the Holders of Securities of such series shall have any right in any manner whatsoever by his, her, its or their action to enforce any right hereunder, except in the manner herein provided, and that every action, suit or proceeding at law or in equity shall be instituted, had and maintained in the manner herein provided and for the equal benefit of all Holders of the Outstanding Securities of such series; provided, however, that nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities of such series shall affect or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, the Securities of such series to the respective Holders of such Securities at the respective due dates in such Securities stated, or affect or impair the right, which is also absolute and unconditional, of such Holders to institute suit to enforce the payment thereof. No one or more of such holders of the Securities of any series shall have any right in any manner whatsoever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of the Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other of such holders or to enforce any right under the Indenture, except in the manner therein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all of such holders
Section 7.08 Undertaking for Costs. All parties to this Indenture and each Holder of any Security, by such Holder’s acceptance thereof, shall be deemed to have agreed that any court may in its discretion require, in any action, suit or proceeding for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any action, suit or proceeding against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such action, suit or proceeding of an undertaking to pay the costs of such action, suit or proceeding, and that such court may in its discretion assess costs, including attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such action, suit or proceeding, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; provided, however, that the provisions of this Section 7.08 shall not apply to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by the Trustee, to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by any one or more Holders of Securities holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the Securities of any series Outstanding, or to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by any Holder of Securities of any series for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or the interest on, any of the Securities of such series, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Securities.
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Section 7.09 Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver. No remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders of Securities of any series is intended to be exclusive of any other remedy or remedies, and each and every remedy shall be cumulative and shall be in addition to every other remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or by statute. No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of the Securities of any series to exercise any right or power accruing upon any Default or Event of Default shall impair any such right or power or shall be construed to be a waiver of any such Default or Event of Default or an acquiescence therein; and every power and remedy given by this Article VII to the Trustee and to the Holders of Securities of any series, respectively, may be exercised from time to time and as often as may be deemed expedient by the Trustee or by the Holders of Securities of such series, as the case may be. In case the Trustee or any Holder of Securities of any series shall have proceeded to enforce any right under this Indenture and the proceedings for the enforcement thereof shall have been discontinued or abandoned because of waiver or for any other reason, or shall have been adjudicated adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder of Securities, then and in every such case, subject to any determinations in such proceedings, the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities of such series shall severally and respectively be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, and thereafter all rights, remedies and powers of the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities of such series shall continue as though no such proceedings had been taken, except as to any matters so waived or adjudicated.
ARTICLE VIII
CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
Section 8.01 Evidence of Action of Securityholders. Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the Holders of a specified percentage or a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities or of any series of Securities may take any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action), the fact that at the time of taking any such action the Holders of such specified percentage or majority have joined therein may be evidenced by (a) any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by Securityholders in person, by an agent or by a proxy appointed in writing, including through an electronic system for tabulating consents operated by the Depositary for such series or otherwise (such action becoming effective, except as herein otherwise expressly provided, when such instruments or evidence of electronic consents are delivered to the Trustee and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Company), or (b) by the record of the Holders of Securities voting in favor thereof at any meeting of Securityholders duly called and held in accordance with the provisions of Article IX, or (c) by a combination of such instrument or instruments and any such record of such a meeting of Securityholders.
Section 8.02 Proof of Execution or Holding of Securities. Proof of the execution of any instrument by a Securityholder or his, her or its agent or proxy and proof of the holding by any Person of any of the Securities shall be sufficient if made in the following manner:
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(a) The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument may be proved (i) by the certificate of any notary public or other officer in any jurisdiction who, by the laws thereof, has power to take acknowledgments or proof of deeds to be recorded within such jurisdiction, that the Person who signed such instrument did acknowledge before such notary public or other officer the execution thereof, or (ii) by the affidavit of a witness of such execution sworn to before any such notary or other officer. Where such execution is by a Person acting in other than his or her individual capacity, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute sufficient proof of his or her authority.
(b) The ownership of Securities of any series shall be proved by the Register of such Securities or by a certificate of the Registrar for such series.
(c) The record of any Holders’ meeting shall be proved in the manner provided in Section 9.06.
(d) The Trustee may require such additional proof of any matter referred to in this Section 8.02 as it shall deem appropriate or necessary, so long as the request is a reasonable one.
(e) If the Company shall solicit from the Holders of Securities of any series any action, the Company may, at its option, fix in advance a record date for the determination of Holders of Securities entitled to take such action, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. Any such record date shall be fixed at the Company’s discretion; provided that such record date shall not be more than 30 calendar days prior to the first solicitation of any consent or waiver or more than 30 calendar days prior to the date of the most recent list of Holders furnished to the Trustee prior to such solicitation pursuant to Section 312 of the TIA. If such a record date is fixed, such action may be sought or given before or after the record date, but only the Holders of Securities of record at the close of business on such record date shall be deemed to be Holders of Securities for the purpose of determining whether Holders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities of such series have authorized or agreed or consented to such action, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities of such series shall be computed as of such record date.
Section 8.03 Persons Deemed Owners.
(a) The Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name any Security is registered in the Register as the owner of such Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of and premium, if any, and (subject to Section 3.08) interest, if any, on, such Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not such Security be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary. All payments made to any Holder, or upon his, her or its order, shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sum or sums paid, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for moneys payable upon such Security.
(b) None of the Company, the Trustee or the Agents shall have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in a Global Security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.
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Section 8.04 Effect of Consents. After an amendment, supplement, waiver or other action becomes effective as to any series of Securities, a consent to it by a Holder of such series of Securities is a continuing consent conclusive and binding upon such Holder and every subsequent Holder of the same Securities or portion thereof, and of any Security issued upon the transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in place thereof, even if notation of the consent is not made on any such Security. An amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective in accordance with its terms and thereafter binds every Holder.
ARTICLE IX
SECURITYHOLDERS’ MEETINGS
Section 9.01 Purposes of Meetings. A meeting of Securityholders of any or all series may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to the provisions of this Article IX for any of the following purposes:
(a) to give any notice to the Company or to the Trustee, or to give any directions to the Trustee, or to consent to the waiving of any Default or Event of Default hereunder and its consequences, or to take any other action authorized to be taken by Securityholders pursuant to any of the provisions of Article VIII;
(b) to remove the Trustee and nominate a successor trustee pursuant to the provisions of Article XI;
(c) to consent to the execution of an Indenture or of indentures supplemental hereto pursuant to the provisions of Section 14.02; or
(d) to take any other action authorized to be taken by or on behalf of the Holders of any specified aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any one or more or all series, as the case may be, under any other provision of this Indenture or under applicable law.
Section 9.02 Call of Meetings by Trustee. The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of all Securityholders of all series that may be affected by the action proposed to be taken, to take any action specified in Section 9.01, to be held at such time and at such place as the Trustee shall determine. Notice of every meeting of the Securityholders of a series, setting forth the time and the place of such meeting and in general terms the action proposed to be taken at such meeting, shall be mailed to Holders of Securities of such series at their addresses as they shall appear on the Register. Such notice shall be mailed not less than 20 nor more than 90 calendar days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
Section 9.03 Call of Meetings by Company or Securityholders. In case at any time the Company or the Holders of at least 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a series (or of all series, as the case may be) then Outstanding that may be affected by the action proposed to be taken shall have requested the Trustee to call a meeting of Securityholders of such series (or of all series), by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have mailed the notice of such meeting within 20 days after receipt of such request, then the Company or such Securityholders may determine the time and the place for such meeting and may call such meeting to take any action authorized in Section 9.01, by mailing notice thereof as provided in Section 9.02.
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Section 9.04 Qualifications for Voting. To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Securityholders, a Person shall (a) be a Holder of one or more Securities affected by the action proposed to be taken at the meeting or (b) be a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy by a Holder of one or more such Securities. The only Persons who shall be entitled to be present or to speak at any meeting of Securityholders shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel and any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and its counsel.
Section 9.05 Regulation of Meetings.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Securityholders, in regard to proof of the holding of Securities and of the appointment of proxies, and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall deem fit.
(b) The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing, appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company or by Securityholders as provided in Section 9.03, in which case the Company or the Securityholders calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chair. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by majority vote of the meeting.
(c) At any meeting of Securityholders of a series, each Securityholder of such series of such Securityholder’s proxy shall be entitled to one vote for each US$1,000 principal amount of Securities of such series Outstanding held or represented by him or her; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Security challenged as not Outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not Outstanding. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote other than by virtue of Securities of such series held by him or her or instruments in writing as aforesaid duly designating him or her as the Person to vote on behalf of other Securityholders. At any meeting of the Securityholders duly called pursuant to the provisions of Section 9.02 or Section 9.03, the presence of Persons holding or representing Securities in an aggregate principal amount sufficient to take action upon the business for the transaction of which such meeting was called shall be necessary to constitute a quorum, and any such meeting may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of those present, whether or not constituting a quorum, and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.
Section 9.06 Voting. The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of Securityholders of a series shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of the Holders of Securities of such series or of their representatives by proxy and the principal amounts of the Securities of such series held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint two inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in duplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record in duplicate of the proceedings of each meeting of Securityholders shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more Persons having knowledge of the facts setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was mailed as provided in Section 9.02. The record shall show the principal amounts of the Securities voting in favor of or against any resolution. The record shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one of the duplicates shall be delivered to the Company and the other to the Trustee.
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Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.
Section 9.07 No Delay of Rights by Meeting. Nothing contained in this Article IX shall be deemed or construed to authorize or permit, by reason of any call of a meeting of Securityholders of any series or any rights expressly or impliedly conferred hereunder to make such call, any hindrance or delay in the exercise of any right or rights conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Securityholders of such series under any of the provisions of this Indenture or of the Securities of such series.
ARTICLE X
REPORTS BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE AND
SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS
Section 10.01 Reports by Trustee.
(a) Any Trustee’s report required under Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act shall be transmitted on or before April 1 in each year following the date hereof, so long as any Securities are Outstanding hereunder, and shall be dated as of a date convenient to the Trustee no more than 60 nor less than 45 days prior thereto.
(b) The Trustee shall, at the time of the transmission to the Holders of Securities of any report pursuant to the provisions of this Section 10.01, file a copy of such report with each securities exchange upon which the Securities are listed or each automated quotation system on which the Securities are quoted, if any, and also with the SEC in respect of a Security listed and registered on a national securities exchange or automated quotation system, if any. The Company agrees to notify the Trustee when, as and if the Securities become listed or delisted on any securities exchange or admitted to trading on any automated quotation system and of any delisting thereof.
The Company shall reimburse the Trustee for all expenses incurred in the preparation and transmission of any report pursuant to the provisions of this Section 10.01 and of Section 10.02.
Section 10.02 Reports by the Company. The Company shall file with the Trustee and the SEC, and transmit to Holders, such information, documents and other reports, and such summaries thereof, in English language, as may be required pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act at the times and in the manner provided in the Trust Indenture Act; provided that, any such information, documents or reports required to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act shall be filed with the Trustee, in English Language within 30 calendar days after the same is filed with the SEC; provided further that the filing of the reports specified in Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act by an entity that is the direct or indirect parent of the Company shall satisfy the requirements of this Section 10.02 so long as such entity is an obligor or guarantor on the Securities; provided further that the reports of such entity shall not be required to include condensed consolidating financial information for the Company in a footnote to the financial statements of such entity.
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Delivery of such reports, information and documents to the Trustee is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of such shall not constitute actual or constructive notice or knowledge of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officers’ Certificates). It is expressly understood that materials transmitted electronically by the Company to the Trustee or filed pursuant to the SEC’s EDGAR system (or any successor electronic filing system) shall be deemed transmitted to Holders for purposes of this Section 10.02. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Indenture or any other applicable document, the Trustee shall have no responsibility to determine whether and when such materials are publicly available and/or accessible electronically.
Section 10.03 Securityholders’ Lists. The Company covenants and agrees that it shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee:
(a) semi-annually, within 15 calendar days after each Record Date, but in any event not less frequently than semi-annually, a list in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and addresses of the Holders of Securities to which such Record Date applies, as of such Record Date, and
(b) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within 30 calendar days after receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 calendar days prior to the time such list is furnished;
provided, however, that so long as the Trustee shall be the Registrar, such lists shall not be required to be furnished.
ARTICLE XI
CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
Section 11.01 Rights of Trustees; Compensation and Indemnity. The Trustee accepts the trusts created by this Indenture upon the terms and conditions hereof, including the following, to all of which the parties hereto and the Holders from time to time of the Securities agree:
(a) The Trustee shall be entitled to such compensation as the Company and the Trustee shall from time to time agree in writing for all services rendered by it hereunder (including in any agent capacity in which it acts). The compensation of the Trustee shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee promptly upon its request for all out-of-pocket expenses, disbursements and advances properly incurred or made by the Trustee (including, without limitation, the properly incurred expenses and disbursements of its agents, delegates, attorneys and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance caused by its own gross negligence, fraudulent activity or willful misconduct.
The Company also agrees to indemnify each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee and their respective officers, employees, agents and directors hereunder for, and to hold it harmless against, any and all loss, liability, damage, claim, cost or expense incurred (including fees, costs, and expenses of counsel) without its own gross negligence, fraudulent activity or willful misconduct, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder and the performance of its duties (including in any agent capacity in which it acts), as well as the costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder, except those caused by its own gross negligence, fraudulent activity or willful misconduct.
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As security for the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Section 11.01(a), the Trustee shall have a lien upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust by the Trustee to pay principal of and interest on any Securities. Notwithstanding any provisions of this Indenture to the contrary, the obligations of the Company to compensate and indemnify the Trustee under this Section 11.01(a) shall survive the resignation or removal of the Trustee, any satisfaction and discharge under Article XII, the payment of any Securities and the termination of this Indenture for any reason. In addition to and without prejudice to its other rights hereunder, when the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in clause (g) or (h) of Section 7.01 occurs, the expenses and compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under the Bankruptcy Code or any applicable state bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws or analogous foreign law for the relief of debtors.
(b) The Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereof and perform any duty hereunder either directly or by its agents, delegates and attorneys and shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder.
(c) The Trustee shall not be responsible in any manner whatsoever for the correctness of the recitals herein or in the Securities (except its certificates of authentication thereon) contained, all of which are made solely by the Company; and the Trustee shall not be responsible or accountable in any manner whatsoever for or with respect to the validity or execution or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities (except its certificates of authentication thereon) and that the statements made by it in a Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 supplied to the Company are true and accurate, subject to the qualifications set forth therein. The Trustee shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of any Securities, or the proceeds of any Securities.
(d) The Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection, and, subject to Section 11.02, the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by the Trustee hereunder in reliance thereon.
(e) The Trustee, subject to Section 11.02, may rely upon the certificate of the Secretary or one of the Assistant Secretaries of the Company as to the adoption of any Board Resolution or resolution of the shareholders of the Company, and any request, direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by, and whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee may rely upon, an Officers’ Certificate of the Company (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed).
(f) Subject to Section 11.04, the Trustee or any agent of the Trustee, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and, subject to Sections 310(b) and 311 of the TIA, may otherwise deal with the Company with the same rights it would have had if it were not the Trustee or such agent.
(g) Money held by the Trustee in trust hereunder need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on or investment of any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed in writing with the Company.
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(h) Any action taken by the Trustee pursuant to any provision hereof at the request or with the consent of any Person who at the time is the Holder of any Security shall be conclusive and binding in respect of such Security upon all future Holders thereof or of any Security or Securities which may be issued for or in lieu thereof in whole or in part, whether or not such Security shall have noted thereon the fact that such request or consent had been made or given.
(i) The Trustee shall be entitled to conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, debenture or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
(j) The Trustee shall not be under any obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request, order or direction of any of the Holders of the Securities, pursuant to any provision of this Indenture, unless a requisite number of the Holders of the Securities shall have instructed the Trustee in writing and offered to the Trustee pre-funding, security and/or indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which may be incurred by it therein or thereby.
(k) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and believed by it to be authorized or within its discretion or within the rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture.
(l) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge or be charged with notice of any Default or Event of Default with respect to any Securities unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has received written notice thereof or unless the Holders of not less than 25% of the Outstanding Securities notify the Trustee thereof by a written notice to the Trustee that is received by the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office and such notice references such Securities and this Indenture.
(m) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of Indebtedness or other paper or document; provided, however, that the Trustee, may, but shall not be required to, make further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit at the expense of the Company and shall incur no liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation.
(n) The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, The Bank of New York Mellon in each of its capacities hereunder (including, as of the date of this Indenture, the Paying Agent and the Registrar), and to each agent, custodian and other person employed to act hereunder.
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(o) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, indirect, punitive, or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit, goodwill or opportunity), whether or not foreseeable, even if the Trustee has been advised of the possibility of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action. The provisions of this Section 11.01(o) shall survive the termination or discharge of this Indenture, repayment of the Securities and the resignation or removal of the Trustee.
(p) The Trustee may request that the Company deliver an Officers’ Certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture, which Officers’ Certificate may be signed by any person authorized to sign an Officers’ Certificate, including any person specified as so authorized in any such certificate previously delivered and not superseded.
(q) The permissive right of the Trustee to take or refrain from taking action hereunder shall not be construed as a duty.
(r) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture to the contrary, the Trustee may refrain from taking any action in any jurisdiction if taking such action in that jurisdiction would, in the opinion of the Trustee (in its sole and absolute discretion and/or which may be based on written legal advice received from qualified legal counsel in the relevant jurisdiction satisfactory to the trustee), be contrary to any law of that jurisdiction or, to the extent applicable, the State of New York. Furthermore, the Trustee may refrain from taking such action if, in the opinion of the Trustee (in its sole and absolute discretion and/or which may be based on written legal advice received from qualified legal counsel in the relevant jurisdiction satisfactory to the trustee), it would otherwise render the Trustee liable to any person in that jurisdiction or the State of New York, or the Trustee would not have the legal capacity to take such action in that jurisdiction by virtue of applicable law in that jurisdiction or the State of New York or by virtue of a written order of any court or other competent authority in that jurisdiction that the Trustee does not have such legal capacity.
(s) In considering the interests of Holders of any Securities of any series while title to the relevant Securities is registered in the name of a nominee of DTC, the Trustee and the Agents may (but will not be obliged to) rely conclusively upon any information made available to it by DTC as to the identity (either individually or by category) of its participants with entitlements to the Securities and may (but will not be obliged to) consider such interests as if such accountholders were the holders of the Securities.
Section 11.02 Duties of Trustee.
(a) If one or more of the Events of Default specified in Section 7.01 with respect to the Securities of any series shall have happened, then, during the continuance thereof, the Trustee shall, with respect to such Securities, exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and shall use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.
(b) Unless and until an Event of Default specified in Section 7.01 with respect to the Securities of any series shall have happened which at the time is continuing,
(i) the Trustee undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties with respect to the Securities of that series as are specifically set out in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee, whose duties and obligations shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture; and
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(ii) the Trustee shall be entitled to conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Trustee, upon certificates and opinions furnished to it pursuant to the express provisions of this Indenture; provided that, in the case of any such certificates or opinions which, by the provisions of this Indenture, are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts, statements, opinions or conclusions stated therein).
(c) None of the provisions of this Indenture shall be construed as relieving the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that, anything in this Indenture contained to the contrary notwithstanding,
(i) the Trustee shall not be liable to any Holder of Securities or to any other Person for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
(ii) the Trustee shall not be liable to any Holder of Securities or to any other Person with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith, in accordance with the direction of Securityholders given, including as provided in Section 7.06, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to it or exercising any trust or power conferred upon it by this Indenture;
(iii) none of the provisions of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise to incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers; and
(iv) this subsection (c) shall not be construed to limit the effect of subsection (b) of this Section 11.02.
(d) Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of this Section 11.02.
Section 11.03 Notice of Defaults. Within 90 calendar days after the occurrence thereof and if known to the Trustee, the Trustee shall give to the Holders of the Securities of a series notice of each Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such series known to the Trustee, by transmitting such notice to Holders at their addresses as the same shall then appear on the Register, unless such Default shall have been cured or waived before the giving of such notice (the term “Default” being hereby defined to be the events specified in Section 7.01, which are, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, Events of Default as defined in said Section).
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Section 11.04 Eligibility; Disqualification.
(a) The Trustee shall at all times satisfy the requirements of Section 310(a) of the TIA. The Trustee shall have a Corporate Trust Office. If at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section 11.04, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect hereinafter specified in this Article.
(b) The Trustee shall comply with Section 310(b) of the TIA; provided, however, that there shall be excluded from the operation of Section 310(b)(i) of the TIA any indenture or indentures under which other securities or certificates of interest or participation in other securities of the Company are Outstanding if the requirements for such exclusion set forth in Section 310(b)(1) of the TIA are met. If the Trustee has or shall acquire a conflicting interest within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the TIA, the Trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign, to the extent and in the manner provided by, and subject to the provisions of, the Trust Indenture Act and this Indenture. If Section 310(b) of the TIA is amended any time after the date of this Indenture to change the circumstances under which a Trustee shall be deemed to have a conflicting interest with respect to the Securities of any series or to change any of the definitions in connection therewith, this Section 11.04 shall be automatically amended to incorporate such changes.
Section 11.05 Resignation and Notice; Removal. The Trustee, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may at any time resign and be discharged of the trusts hereby created with respect to any one or more or all series of Securities by giving to the Company notice in writing. Such resignation shall take effect upon the appointment of a successor Trustee and the acceptance of such appointment by such successor Trustee. Any Trustee hereunder may be removed with respect to any series of Securities at any time by the filing with such Trustee and the delivery to the Company of an instrument or instruments in writing signed by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding, specifying such removal and the date when it shall become effective.
If at any time:
(1) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of Section 310(b) of the TIA after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least six months, or
(2) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible under Section 11.04 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least six months, or
(3) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,
then, in any such case, (i) the Company by written notice to the Trustee may remove the Trustee and appoint a successor Trustee with respect to all Securities, or (ii) subject to Section 315(e) of the TIA, any Securityholder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee with respect to all Securities and the appointment of a successor Trustee or Trustees.
Upon its resignation or removal, any Trustee shall be entitled to the payment of compensation for the services rendered hereunder by such Trustee and to the payment of all costs and expenses properly incurred hereunder and all moneys then due to it hereunder. The Trustee’s rights to indemnification and its lien provided in Section 11.01(a) shall survive its resignation or removal, repayment of the Securities, the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture and the termination of this Indenture for any reason.
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Section 11.06 Successor Trustee by Appointment.
(a) In case at any time the Trustee shall resign, or shall be removed in which event the vacancy shall be filled as provided in Section 11.04(b)), or shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged bankrupt or insolvent, or if a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed, or if any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation with respect to the Securities of one or more series, a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series (it being understood that any such successor Trustee may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more or all of such series and that at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series) may be appointed by the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that or those series then Outstanding, by an instrument or instruments in writing signed in duplicate by such Holders and filed, one original thereof with the Company and the other with the successor Trustee; provided that, until a successor Trustee shall have been so appointed by the Holders of Securities of that or those series as herein authorized, the Company, or, in case all or substantially all the assets of the Company shall be in the possession of one or more custodians or receivers lawfully appointed, or of trustees in bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings (including a trustee or trustees appointed under the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code), or of assignees for the benefit of creditors, such receivers, custodians, trustees or assignees, as the case may be, by an instrument in writing, shall appoint a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series. Subject to the provisions of Section 11.04 and Section 11.05, upon the appointment as above provided of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series, the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series shall cease to be Trustee hereunder. After any such appointment other than by the Holders of Securities of that or those series, the Person making such appointment shall forthwith cause notice thereof to be mailed to the Holders of Securities of such series at their addresses as the same shall then appear on the Register but any successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series so appointed shall, immediately and without further act, be superseded by a successor Trustee appointed by the Holders of Securities of such series in the manner above prescribed, if such appointment be made prior to the expiration of one year from the date of the mailing of such notice by the Company, or by such receivers, trustees or assignees.
(b) If any Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall resign or be removed and a successor Trustee shall not have been appointed by the Company or by the Holders of the Securities of such series or, if any successor Trustee so appointed shall not have accepted its appointment after such appointment shall have been made, the retiring Trustee may, on behalf of and at the expense of the Company, appoint its own successor or the retiring Trustee or the Company may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee. If in any other case a successor Trustee is not be appointed pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 11.06 within 60 days after such appointment might have been made hereunder, the Holder of any Security of the applicable series or any retiring Trustee (at the expense of the Company) may petition any court of competent jurisdiction to appoint a successor Trustee. Such court may thereupon, in any such case, after such notice, if any, as such court may deem proper and prescribe, appoint a successor Trustee.
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(c) Any successor Trustee appointed hereunder with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to its predecessor Trustee and to the Company, or to the receivers, trustees, assignees or court appointing it, as the case may be, an instrument accepting such appointment hereunder, and thereupon such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the authority, rights, powers, trusts, immunities, duties and obligations with respect to such series of such predecessor Trustee with like effect as if originally named as Trustee hereunder, and such predecessor Trustee, upon payment of its charges and disbursements then unpaid, shall thereupon become obligated to pay over, and such successor Trustee shall be entitled to receive, all moneys and properties held by such predecessor Trustee as Trustee hereunder, subject nevertheless to its lien provided for in Section 11.01(a). Nevertheless, on the written request of the Company or of the successor Trustee or of the Holders of at least 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding, such predecessor Trustee, upon payment of its said charges and disbursements, shall execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee upon the trusts herein expressed all the rights, powers and trusts of such predecessor Trustee and shall assign, transfer and deliver to the successor Trustee all moneys and properties held by such predecessor Trustee, subject nevertheless to its lien provided for in Section 11.01(a); and, upon request of any such successor Trustee and the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Trustee all such authority, rights, powers, trusts, immunities, duties and obligations.
Section 11.07 Successor Trustee by Merger. Any Person into which the Trustee or any successor to it in the trusts created by this Indenture shall be merged or converted, or any Person with which it or any successor to it shall be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee or any such successor to it shall be a party, or any Person to which the Trustee or any successor to it shall sell or otherwise transfer all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor Trustee under this Indenture without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto; provided that such Person shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under this Article. In case at the time such successor to the Trustee shall succeed to the trusts created by this Indenture with respect to one or more series of Securities, any of such Securities shall have been authenticated but not delivered by the Trustee then in office, any successor to such Trustee may adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor Trustee, and deliver such Securities so authenticated; and in case at that time any of the Securities shall not have been authenticated, any successor to such Trustee may authenticate such Securities either in the name of any predecessor Trustee hereunder or in the name of the successor Trustee; and in all such cases such certificates shall have the full force which it is anywhere in the Securities or in this Indenture provided that the certificate of the Trustee shall have; provided, however, that the right to adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor Trustee or authenticate Securities in the name of any predecessor Trustee shall apply only to its successor or successors by merger, conversion or consolidation.
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Section 11.08 Right to Rely on Officers’ Certificate. Subject to Section 11.02, and subject to the provisions of Section 16.01 with respect to the certificates required thereby, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it necessary or desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officers’ Certificate with respect thereto delivered to the Trustee, and such Officers’ Certificate, in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.
Section 11.09 Communications by Securityholders with Other Securityholders. Holders of Securities may communicate pursuant to Section 312(b) of the TIA with other Holders with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Securities. The Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of Section 312(c) of the TIA with respect to such communications.
Resignation by the Agents. Any Agent may resign at any time by notifying the Trustee and the Company in writing. Notwithstanding the replacement of any Agent pursuant to this Section 11.10, the Issuer’s obligations under Section 11.01(a) shall continue for the benefit of the resigning Agent.
ARTICLE XII
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE
Section 12.01 Applicability of Article. If, pursuant to Section 3.01, provision is made for the defeasance of Securities of a series and if the Securities of such series are denominated and payable only in U.S. Dollars (except as provided pursuant to Section 3.01), then the provisions of this Article shall be applicable except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for Securities of such series. Defeasance provisions, if any, for Securities denominated in a Foreign Currency may be specified pursuant to Section 3.01.
Section 12.02 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.
(a) This Indenture, with respect to the Securities of any series (if all series issued under this Indenture are not to be affected), shall cease to be of further effect (except as to any surviving rights of registration of transfer or exchange of such Securities herein expressly provided for and rights to receive payments of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, such Securities) when:
(i) either:
(A) all Securities of such series that have been authenticated, except (x) lost, stolen or destroyed Securities that have been replaced or paid and (y) Securities for whose payment money has been deposited in trust and thereafter repaid to the Company, have been delivered to the Registrar for cancellation; or
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(B) all Securities of such series that have not been delivered to the Registrar for cancellation have become due and payable by reason of the mailing of a notice of redemption or otherwise or will become due and payable within one year and the Company has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or its agent) as trust funds in trust solely for the benefit of the Holders, cash in U.S. Dollars, U.S. Government Obligation, or a combination of cash in U.S. Dollars and U.S. Government Obligation, in amounts as will be sufficient (in the case of a deposit not entirely in cash, in the opinion of an internationally recognized investment bank, appraisal firm or firm of independent public accountants), without consideration of any reinvestment of interest, to pay and discharge the entire Indebtedness on such Securities not delivered to the Registrar for cancellation for principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest to the Stated Maturity or Redemption Date, as the case may be; provided, however, in the event a petition for relief under the Bankruptcy Code or any applicable state bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law is filed with respect to the Company within 91 days after the deposit and the Trustee (or its agent) is required to return the moneys then on deposit with the Trustee to the Company, the obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to such Securities shall not be deemed terminated or discharged;
(ii) no Default or Event of Default under this Indenture has occurred and is continuing on the date of the deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit) and the deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any other instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;
(iii) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all sums payable by it under this Indenture with respect to all Securities of such series; and
(iv) the Company has delivered irrevocable instructions to the Trustee under this Indenture to apply the deposited money toward the payment of the Securities of such series at the Stated Maturity or Redemption Date, as the case may be.
(b) The Company shall deliver an Officers’ Certificate and an opinion of External Legal Counsel (which opinion may be subject to customary assumptions and exclusions) to the Trustee stating that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been satisfied.
(c) Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee or the Paying Agent (as the case may be) pursuant to subclause (A)(y) of clause (i) of Section 12.02(a), the obligations of the Trustee or the Paying Agent (as the case may be) under Section 12.07 and Section 6.03(e) shall survive such satisfaction and discharge.
Section 12.03 Defeasance upon Deposit of Moneys or U.S. Government Obligations.
(a) The Company may, at its option and at any time, elect to have either Section 12.03(b) or Section 12.03(c) applied to all Outstanding Securities of any series upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Section 12.03.
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(b) Upon the Company’s exercise under Section 12.03(a) of the option applicable to this Section 12.03(b), the Company shall, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 12.03(d), be deemed to have been Discharged from its obligations with respect to all Outstanding Securities of such series on the date such conditions are satisfied (“Legal Defeasance”). For this purpose, “Legal Defeasance” means that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and Discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by the Securities of such series then Outstanding and to have satisfied all of its other obligations under the Securities of such series and this Indenture, except for the following provisions which shall survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder:
(i) the rights of Holders of the Securities of such series then Outstanding to receive payments in respect of the principal of, or interest or premium on the Securities when such payments are due from the trust referred to in Section 12.03(d);
(ii) the Company’s obligations concerning issuing temporary Securities, registration of Securities, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities and the maintenance of an office or agency for payment and money for security payments held in trust;
(iii) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee, and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith; and
(iv) this Section 12.03(b) and Section 12.03(c) with respect to the Securities of such series.
Following the Company’s exercise of its Legal Defeasance option, payment of the Securities of such series may not be accelerated because of an Event of Default. Subject to compliance with this Article VII, the Company may exercise its option under this Section 12.03(b) notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under Section 12.03(c).
“Discharged” means that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by, and obligations under, the Securities of a series and to have satisfied all the obligations under this Indenture relating to the Securities of such series (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except (A) the rights of Holders of Securities of such series to receive, from the trust fund described in clause (i) of Section 12.03(d), payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on such Securities when such payments are due, (B) the Company’s obligations with respect to Securities of such series under Section 3.04, Section 3.06, Section 3.07, Section 6.02, Section 6.03, Section 12.06 and Section 12.07 and (C) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder.
(c) Upon the Company’s exercise under Section 12.03(a) of the option applicable to this Section 12.03(c), the Company shall, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 12.03(d), be released from its obligations under the covenants contained in Section 6.04, Section 6.06 and as provided pursuant to Section 3.01(z), on and after the date the conditions set forth in Section 12.03(d) are satisfied (“Covenant Defeasance”). For this purpose, “Covenant Defeasance” means that, with respect to this Indenture and the Securities of such Series then Outstanding, the Company may omit to comply with and shall have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such covenant or by reason of any reference in any such covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document, and such omission to comply shall not constitute a Default or an Event of Default under Section 7.01, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and the Securities shall be unaffected thereby. In addition, upon the Company’s exercise under Section 12.03(a) of the option applicable to this Section 12.03(c), subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 12.03(d), Section 7.01(c), Section 7.01(d) (only with respect to covenants that are released as a result of such Covenant Defeasance), Section 7.01(e) and Section 7.01(f), in each case, shall not constitute Events of Default.
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(d) The following shall be the conditions to the exercise of either the Legal Defeasance option under Section 12.03(b) or the Covenant Defeasance option under Section 12.03(c):
(i) the Company must irrevocably deposit with the Trustee (or its agent) as trust funds, in trust, for the benefit of the Holders of all Securities subject to Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance, cash in U.S. Dollars, U.S. Government Obligation, or a combination of cash in U.S. Dollars and U.S. Government Obligation, in amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized investment bank, appraisal firm or firm of independent public accountants to pay the principal of, or interest and premium on such Securities that are then Outstanding on the Stated Maturity or Redemption Date, as the case may be, and the Company must specify whether such Securities are being defeased to maturity or to a particular Redemption Date;
(ii) in the case of Legal Defeasance, the Company must deliver to the Trustee an opinion of External Legal Counsel of recognized standing with respect to U.S. federal income tax matters that is acceptable to the Trustee confirming that (A) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service a ruling or (B) since the date of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion of External Legal Counsel will confirm that, the beneficial owners of the Securities then Outstanding will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;
(iii) in the case of Covenant Defeasance, the Company must deliver to the Trustee an opinion of External Legal Counsel of recognized standing with respect to U.S. federal income tax matters that is acceptable to the Trustee confirming that the beneficial owners of the Securities of such series then Outstanding will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred;
(iv) no Default or Event of Default with respect to Securities of that series must have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit);
(v) the Company must deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by it with the intent of preferring the Holders of Securities over the Company’s other creditors with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding its creditors or others; and
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(vi) the Company must deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an opinion of External Legal Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent relating to the Legal Defeasance or the Covenant Defeasance have been complied with.
Section 12.04 Repayment to Company. The Trustee and any Paying Agent shall promptly pay to the Company (or to its designee) upon Company Order any excess moneys or U.S. Government Obligations held by them at any time, including any such moneys or U.S. Government Obligations held by the Trustee under any escrow agreement entered into pursuant to Section 12.06. The provisions of the last paragraph of Section 6.03 shall apply to any moneys or U.S. Government Obligations held by the Trustee or any Paying Agent under this Article that remains unclaimed for two years after the Maturity of any series of Securities for which moneys or U.S. Government Obligations have been deposited pursuant to Section 12.03.
Section 12.05 Indemnity for U.S. Government Obligations. The Company shall pay and shall indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the deposited U.S. Government Obligations or the principal or interest received on such U.S. Government Obligations.
Section 12.06 Deposits to Be Held in Escrow. Any deposits with the Trustee referred to in Section 12.03 above shall be irrevocable (except to the extent provided in Section 12.04 and Section 12.07) and shall be made under the terms of an escrow agreement. As contemplated under this Article XII, if any Outstanding Securities of a series are to be redeemed prior to their Stated Maturity, in accordance with any mandatory or optional sinking fund requirement, the applicable escrow agreement shall provide therefor and the Company shall provide a notice of redemption. The escrow agreement shall provide that, upon satisfaction of any Mandatory Sinking Fund Payment requirements, whether by deposit of moneys, application of proceeds of deposited U.S. Government Obligations or, if permitted, by delivery of Securities, the Trustee shall pay or deliver over to the Company as excess moneys pursuant to Section 12.04 all funds or obligations then held under the escrow agreement and allocable to the sinking fund payment requirements so satisfied.
If Securities of a series with respect to which such deposits are made may be subject to later redemption at the option of the Company or pursuant to Optional Sinking Fund Payments, the applicable escrow agreement may, at the option of the Company, provide therefor. Upon such deposit of funds, the Trustee shall pay or deliver over to the Company as excess funds pursuant to Section 12.04 all funds or obligations then held under such agreement and allocable to the Securities to be redeemed. In the case of exercise of Optional Sinking Fund Payment rights by the Company, such escrow agreement shall, at the option of the Company, provide that upon deposit by the Company with the Trustee of funds pursuant to such exercise the Trustee shall pay or deliver over to the Company as excess funds pursuant to Section 12.04 all funds or obligations then held under such escrow agreement for such series and allocable to the Securities to be redeemed.
Section 12.07 Application of Trust Money.
(a) Neither the Trustee nor any other paying agent shall be required to pay interest on any moneys deposited pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, except such as it shall agree with the Company in writing to pay thereon. Any moneys so deposited for the payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on the Securities of any series and remaining unclaimed for two years after the date of the maturity of the Securities of such series or the date fixed for the redemption of all the Securities of such series at the time Outstanding, as the case may be, shall be applied as provided in Section 6.03(e).
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(b) Subject to the provisions of clause (a) above, any moneys or U.S. Government Obligations which at any time shall be deposited by the Company or on its behalf with the Trustee or any other paying agent for the purpose of paying the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on any of the Securities shall be and are hereby assigned, transferred and set over to the Trustee or such other paying agent in trust for the respective Holders of the Securities for the purpose for which such moneys or U.S. Government Obligations shall have been deposited; provided that such moneys or U.S. Government Obligations need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.
Section 12.08 Deposits of Non-U.S. Currencies. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article, if the Securities of any series are payable in a Currency other than U.S. Dollars, the Currency or the nature of the government obligations to be deposited with the Trustee under the foregoing provisions of this Article shall be as set forth in the Officers’ Certificate or established in the supplemental indenture under which the Securities of such series are issued.
ARTICLE XIII
IMMUNITY OF CERTAIN PERSONS
Section 13.01 No Personal Liability. No recourse shall be had for the payment of the principal of, or the premium, if any, or interest on, any Security or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof or of the Indebtedness represented thereby, or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of this Indenture, against any incorporator, shareholder, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor thereto, either directly or through the Company or any successor thereto, whether by virtue of any constitutional provision, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly agreed and understood that this Indenture and the Securities are solely corporate obligations, and that no personal liability whatsoever shall attach to, or be incurred by, any incorporator, shareholder, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor thereto, either directly or through the Company or any successor corporation, because of the incurring of the Indebtedness hereby authorized or under or by reason of any of the obligations, covenants, promises or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities, or to be implied herefrom or therefrom, and that all liability, if any, of that character against every such incorporator, shareholder, officer and director is, by the acceptance of the Securities and as a condition of, and as part of the consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Securities expressly waived and released.
ARTICLE XIV
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
Section 14.01 Without Consent of Securityholders. Except as otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 3.01 with respect to any series of Securities, the Company and the Trustee, at any time and from time to time, may enter into one or more indentures supplemental hereto, in form satisfactory to the Trustee, for any one or more of or all the following purposes:
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(a) to cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency contained herein or in any supplemental indenture; provided, however, that such amendment does not materially and adversely affect the rights of Holders;
(b) in the case of a merger or consolidation, to evidence the succession of another corporation to the Company, or successive successions, and the assumption by such successor of the covenants and obligations of the Company contained in the Securities of one or more series and in this Indenture or any supplemental indenture;
(c) to comply with the rules of any applicable Depositary;
(d) to secure any series of Securities;
(e) to add to the covenants and agreements of the Company, to be observed thereafter and during the period, if any, in such supplemental indenture or indentures expressed, and to add Events of Default, in each case for the protection or benefit of the Holders of all or any series of the Securities (and if such covenants, agreements and Events of Default are to be for the benefit of fewer than all series of Securities, stating that such covenants, agreements and Events of Default are expressly being included for the benefit of such series as shall be identified therein), or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company;
(f) to make any change in any series of Securities that does not adversely affect the legal rights under this Indenture of any Holder of such Securities in any material respect;
(g) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of an appointment under this Indenture of a successor Trustee; provided that the successor Trustee is otherwise qualified and eligible to act as such under the terms hereof;
(h) to conform the text of this Indenture or any series of the Securities to any provision of the section entitled “Description of Debt Securities” in the Prospectus to the extent that such provision in the Prospectus was intended to be a verbatim recitation of a provision of this Indenture or such series of the Securities as evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate;
(i) to make any amendment to the provisions of this Indenture relating to the transfer and legending of Securities as permitted by this Indenture, including, but not limited to, facilitating the issuance and administration of any series of the Securities or, if incurred in compliance with this Indenture, additional Securities; provided, however, that (i) compliance with this Indenture as so amended would not result in any series of the Securities being transferred in violation of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any applicable securities law and (ii) such amendment does not materially and adversely affect the rights of Holders to transfer Securities;
(j) to change or eliminate any of the provisions of this Indenture; provided that any such change or elimination shall become effective only when there is no Outstanding Security of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture that is entitled to the benefit of such provision and as to which such supplemental indenture would apply;
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(k) to make any amendment to this Indenture necessary to qualify this Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;
(l) to add guarantors or co-obligors with respect to any series of Securities; and
(m) to establish the form and terms of Securities of any series as permitted in Section 3.01, or to provide for the issuance of additional Securities in accordance with the limitations set forth in this Indenture, or to add to the conditions, limitations or restrictions on the authorized amount, terms or purposes of issue, authentication or delivery of the Securities of any series, as herein set forth, or other conditions, limitations or restrictions thereafter to be observed.
Subject to the provisions of Section 14.03, the Trustee is authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any such supplemental indenture, to make the further agreements and stipulations which may be therein contained and to accept the conveyance, transfer, assignment, mortgage or pledge of any property or assets thereunder.
Any supplemental indenture authorized by the provisions of this Section 14.01 may be executed by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of the Holders of any of the Securities at the time Outstanding, notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 14.02.
Section 14.02 With Consent of Securityholders; Limitations.
(a) With the consent of the Holders (evidenced as provided in Article VIII) of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of each series affected by such supplemental indenture voting separately, the Company and the Trustee may, from time to time and at any time, enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any provisions of this Indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of the Securities of such series to be affected; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall, without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of each such series affected thereby,
(i) change the Stated Maturity of the principal of and premium, if any, or any installment of interest on any Security;
(ii) reduce the principal amount of, payments of interest on or stated time for payment of interest on any Security;
(iii) change any obligation of the Company to pay Additional Amounts with respect to any Security;
(iv) change the Currency in which the principal of and premium, if any, or interest on such Security is denominated or payable;
(v) reduce the amount of the principal of an Original Issue Discount Security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 7.02;
(vi) impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment due on or with respect to any Security;
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(vii) reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, the consent of whose Holders is required for any supplemental indenture;
(viii) reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series, the consent of whose Holders is required for any waiver of compliance with certain provisions of this Indenture or certain Defaults hereunder and their consequences provided for in this Indenture;
(ix) modify any of the provisions of this Section 14.02, Section 7.06 or Section 6.08, except to increase any such percentage or to provide that certain other provisions of this Indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby; provided, however, that this clause shall not be deemed to require the consent of any Holder with respect to changes in the references to the “Trustee” and concomitant changes in this Section 14.02 and Section 6.08, or the deletion of this proviso, in accordance with the requirements of Section 11.06 and Section 11.01(g);
(x) amend, change or modify any provision of this Indenture affecting the ranking of any series of Securities in a manner which adversely affects the Holders of such Securities; or
(xi) reduce the amount of the premium payable upon the redemption or repurchase of any Security or change the time at which any Security may be redeemed or repurchased as described in Section 4.07 or as provided pursuant to Section 3.01, whether through an amendment or waiver of provisions in the covenants, definitions or otherwise.
(b) A supplemental indenture that changes or eliminates any provision of this Indenture which has expressly been included solely for the benefit of one or more particular series of Securities or which modifies the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series with respect to such covenant or other provision, shall be deemed not to affect the rights under this Indenture of the Holders of Securities of any other series.
(c) It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Securityholders under this Section 14.02 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such consent shall approve the substance thereof.
(d) The Company may set a record date pursuant to Section 8.02(e) for purposes of determining the identity of the Holders of each series of Securities entitled to give a written consent or waive compliance by the Company as authorized or permitted by this Section 14.02.
(e) Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Section 14.02, the Company shall mail a notice, setting forth in general terms the substance of such supplemental indenture, to the Holders of Securities at their addresses as the same shall then appear in the Register. Any failure of the Company to mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture.
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Section 14.03 Trustee Protected. Upon the request of the Company, accompanied by the Officers’ Certificate and Opinion of Counsel required by Section 16.01 stating that the execution of such supplemental indenture to be entered into pursuant to Section 14.01 or Section 14.02 is authorized or permitted by this Indenture and that each such amendment, supplement or waiver constitutes the legal, valid, binding and enforceable obligations of the party or parties executing such amendment, supplement or waiver, and an officer’s certificate stating that all conditions precedent have been complied with, and evidence satisfactory to the Trustee of consent of the Holders if the supplemental indenture is to be executed pursuant to Section 14.02, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of said supplemental indenture unless said supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion, but shall not be obligated to, enter into said supplemental indenture. The Trustee shall be fully protected in relying upon such Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel.
Section 14.04 Effect of Execution of Supplemental Indenture. Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article XIV, this Indenture shall be deemed to be modified and amended in accordance therewith and, except as herein otherwise expressly provided, the respective rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities under this Indenture of the Trustee, the Company and the Holders of all of the Securities or of the Securities of any series affected, as the case may be, shall thereafter be determined, exercised and enforced hereunder subject in all respects to such modifications and amendments, and all the terms and conditions of any such supplemental indenture shall be and be deemed to be part of the terms and conditions of this Indenture for any and all purposes.
Section 14.05 Notation on or Exchange of Securities. Securities of any series authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article may bear a notation in the form approved by the Trustee as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company or the Trustee shall so determine, new Securities so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Trustee and the Board of Directors of the Company, to any modification of this Indenture contained in any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in exchange for the Securities then Outstanding in equal aggregate principal amounts, and such exchange shall be made without cost to the Holders of the Securities.
Section 14.06 Conformity with TIA. Every supplemental indenture executed pursuant to the provisions of this Article shall conform to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect.
ARTICLE XV
SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES
Section 15.01 Agreement to Subordinate. In the event a series of Securities is designated as subordinated pursuant to Section 3.01, and except as otherwise provided in a Company Order, Officers’ Certificate or in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, the Company, for itself, its successors and assigns, covenants and agrees, and each Holder of Securities of such series by his, her or its acceptance thereof, likewise covenants and agrees, that the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on each and all of the Securities of such series is hereby expressly subordinated, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness. In the event a series of Securities is not designated as subordinated pursuant to Section 3.01(r), this Article XV shall have no effect upon such series of Securities.
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Section 15.02 Distribution on Dissolution, Liquidation and Reorganization; Subrogation of Securities. Subject to Section 15.01, upon any distribution of assets of the Company upon any dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization of the Company, whether in bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership proceedings or upon an assignment for the benefit of creditors or any other marshalling of the assets and liabilities of the Company or otherwise (subject to the power of a court of competent jurisdiction to make other equitable provision reflecting the rights conferred in this Indenture upon the Senior Indebtedness and the holders thereof with respect to the Securities and the holders thereof by a lawful plan of reorganization under the Bankruptcy Code or any applicable state bankruptcy laws):
(a) the holders of all Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled to receive payment in full of the principal, premium, if any, or interest thereon before the Holders of the Securities are entitled to receive any payment upon the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on Indebtedness evidenced by the Securities; and
(b) any payment or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to which the Holders of the Securities or the Trustee would be entitled except for the provisions of this Article XV in respect of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest, on the Securities shall be paid by the liquidation trustee or agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, whether a trustee in bankruptcy, a receiver or liquidating trustee or otherwise, directly to the holders of Senior Indebtedness or their representative or representatives or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture under which any instruments evidencing any of such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, ratably according to the aggregate amounts remaining unpaid on account of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Senior Indebtedness held or represented by each, to the extent necessary to make payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness remaining unpaid, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness; and
(c) in the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character in respect of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on Indebtedness evidenced by the Securities, whether in cash, property or securities prohibited by the foregoing, shall be received by the Trustee or the Holders of the Securities before all Senior Indebtedness is paid in full, such payment or distribution shall be paid over, upon written notice to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, to the holder of such Senior Indebtedness or his, her or its representative or representatives or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture under which any instrument evidencing any of such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, ratably as aforesaid, as calculated by the Company, for application to payment of all Senior Indebtedness remaining unpaid until all such Senior Indebtedness shall have been paid in full, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness.
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(d) Subject to the payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, the Holders of the Securities shall be subrogated to the rights of the holders of Senior Indebtedness (to the extent that distributions otherwise payable to such holder have been applied to the payment of Senior Indebtedness) to receive payments or distributions of cash, property or securities of the Company applicable to Senior Indebtedness until the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities shall be paid in full and no such payments or distributions to the Holders of the Securities of cash, property or securities otherwise distributable to the holders of Senior Indebtedness shall, as between the Company, its creditors other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness, and the Holders of the Securities be deemed to be a payment by the Company to or on account of the Securities. It is understood that the provisions of this Article XV are and are intended solely for the purpose of defining the relative rights of the Holders of the Securities, on the one hand, and the holders of the Senior Indebtedness, on the other hand. Nothing contained in this Article XV or elsewhere in this Indenture or in the Securities is intended to or shall impair, as between the Company, its creditors other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness, and the Holders of the Securities, the obligation of the Company, which is unconditional and absolute, to pay to the Holders of the Securities the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities as and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with their terms, or to affect the relative rights of the Holders of the Securities and creditors of the Company other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness, nor shall anything herein or in the Securities prevent the Trustee or the Holder of any Security from exercising all remedies otherwise permitted by applicable law upon default under this Indenture, subject to the rights, if any, under this Article XV of the holders of Senior Indebtedness in respect of cash, property or securities of the Company received upon the exercise of any such remedy. Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article XV, the Trustee, shall be entitled to accept and conclusively rely upon a certificate of the liquidating trustee or agent or other person making any distribution to the Trustee for the purpose of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such distribution, the holders of Senior Indebtedness and other indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereof and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article XV.
Section 15.03 No Payment on Securities in Event of Default on Senior Indebtedness. Subject to Section 15.01, no payment by the Company on account of principal (or premium, if any), sinking funds or interest, if any, on the Securities shall be made at any time if: (i) a default on Senior Indebtedness exists that permits the holders of such Senior Indebtedness to accelerate its maturity and (ii) the default is the subject of judicial proceedings or the Company has received notice of such default. The Company may resume payments on the Securities when full payment of amounts then due for principal (premium, if any), sinking funds and interest on Senior Indebtedness has been made or duly provided for in money or money’s worth.
Section 15.04 Payments on Securities Permitted. Subject to Section 15.01, nothing contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities shall (a) affect the obligation of the Company to make, or prevent the Company from making, at any time except as provided in Section 15.02 and Section 15.03, payments of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on the Securities or (b) prevent the application by the Trustee of any moneys or assets deposited with it hereunder to the payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities, unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have received written notice of any fact prohibiting the making of such payment from the Company more than two Business Days prior to the date fixed for such payment.
Section 15.05 Authorization of Securityholders to Trustee to Effect Subordination. Subject to Section 15.01, each Holder of Securities by his acceptance thereof authorizes and directs the Trustee on his, her or its behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination as provided in this Article XV.
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Section 15.06 Notices to Trustee. The Company shall give prompt written notice to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee of any fact known to the Company that would prohibit the making of any payment of moneys or assets to or by the Trustee in respect of the Securities of any series pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV. Subject to Section 15.01, notwithstanding the provisions of this Article XV or any other provisions of this Indenture, neither the Trustee nor the Paying Agent (other than the Company) shall be charged with knowledge of the existence of any Senior Indebtedness or of any fact which would prohibit the making of any payment of moneys or assets to or by the Trustee or the Paying Agent, unless and until a Responsible Officer of the Trustee or the Paying Agent shall have received written notice thereof from the Company or from the holder of any Senior Indebtedness or from the trustee for any such holder of Senior Indebtedness, together with proof satisfactory to the Trustee of such holding of Senior Indebtedness or of the authority of such trustee, and, prior to the receipt of any such written notice, the Trustee shall be entitled in all respects conclusively to presume that no such facts exist; provided, however, that if at least two Business Days prior to the date upon which by the terms hereof any such moneys or assets may become payable for any purpose (including, without limitation, the payment of either the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Security) a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall not have received with respect to such moneys or assets the notice provided for in this Section 15.06, then, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall have full power and authority to receive such moneys or assets and to apply the same to the purpose for which they were received, and shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary which may be received by it within two Business Days prior to such date. The Trustee shall be entitled to accept and conclusively rely on the delivery to it of a written notice by a Person representing himself to be a holder of Senior Indebtedness (or a trustee on behalf of such holder) to establish that such a notice has been given by a holder of Senior Indebtedness or a trustee on behalf of any such holder. In the event that the Trustee determines in good faith that further evidence is required with respect to the right of any Person as a holder of Senior Indebtedness to participate in any payment or distribution pursuant to this Article XV, the Trustee may request such Person to furnish evidence to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee as to the amount of Senior Indebtedness held by such Person, the extent to which such Person is entitled to participate in such payment or distribution and any other facts pertinent to the rights of such Person under this Article XV and, if such evidence is not furnished, the Trustee may defer any payment to such Person pending judicial determination as to the right of such Person to receive such payment.
Section 15.07 Trustee as Holder of Senior Indebtedness. Subject to Section 15.01, the Trustee in its individual capacity shall be entitled to all the rights set forth in this Article XV in respect of any Senior Indebtedness at any time held by it to the same extent as any other holder of Senior Indebtedness and nothing in this Indenture shall be construed to deprive the Trustee of any of its rights as such holder. Nothing in this Article XV shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 7.05 or Section 11.01.
Section 15.08 Modifications of Terms of Senior Indebtedness. Subject to Section 15.01, any renewal or extension of the time of payment of any Senior Indebtedness or the exercise by the holders of Senior Indebtedness of any of their rights under any instrument creating or evidencing Senior Indebtedness, including, without limitation, the waiver of default thereunder, may be made or done all without notice to or assent from the Holders of the Securities or the Trustee. No compromise, alteration, amendment, modification, extension, renewal or other change of, or waiver, consent or other action in respect of, any liability or obligation under or in respect of, or of any of the terms, covenants or conditions of any indenture or other instrument under which any Senior Indebtedness is Outstanding or of such Senior Indebtedness, whether or not such release is in accordance with the provisions of any applicable document, shall in any way alter or affect any of the provisions of this Article XV or of the Securities relating to the subordination thereof.
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Section 15.09 Reliance on Judicial Order or Certificate of Liquidating Agent. Subject to Section 15.01, upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article XV, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities shall be entitled to conclusively rely upon any order or decree entered by any court of competent jurisdiction in which such insolvency, bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation, reorganization, dissolution, winding up or similar case or proceeding is pending, or a certificate of the trustee in bankruptcy, liquidating trustee, custodian, receiver, assignee for the benefit of creditors, agent or other person making such payment or distribution, delivered to the Trustee or to the Holders of Securities, for the purpose of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such payment or distribution, the holders of Senior Indebtedness and other indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article XV.
Section 15.10 Satisfaction and Discharge; Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance. Subject to Section 15.01, moneys and U.S. Government Obligations deposited in trust with the Trustee pursuant to and in accordance with Article XII and not, at the time of such deposit, prohibited to be deposited under Sections Section 15.02 or Section 15.03 shall not be subject to this Article XV.
Section 15.11 Trustee Not Fiduciary for Holders of Senior Indebtedness. With respect to the holders of Senior Indebtedness, the Trustee undertakes to perform or observe only such of its covenants and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Article XV, and no implied covenants or obligations with respect to the holders of Senior Indebtedness shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. The Trustee shall not be deemed to owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of Senior Indebtedness. The Trustee shall not be liable to any such holder if it shall pay over or distribute to or on behalf of Holders of Securities or the Company, or any other Person, moneys or assets to which any holder of Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled by virtue of this Article XV or otherwise.
ARTICLE XVI
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Section 16.01 Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent.
(a) Upon any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any of the provisions of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such conditions precedent have been complied with, except that in the case of any such application or demand as to which the furnishing of such document is specifically required by any provision of this Indenture relating to such particular application or request, no additional certificate or opinion need be furnished.
(b) Each certificate or opinion provided for in this Indenture and delivered to the Trustee with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than the certificates provided pursuant to Section 6.05of this Indenture) shall include (i) a statement that the Person giving such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition; (ii) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based; (iii) a statement that, in the opinion of such Person, he or she has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable such Person to express an informed view or opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and (iv) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such Person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
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(c) Any certificate, statement or opinion of an officer of the Company may be based, insofar as it relates to legal matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, counsel, unless such officer knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to the matters upon which his or her certificate, statement or opinion is based are erroneous. Any certificate, statement or opinion of counsel may be based, insofar as it relates to factual matters, upon a certificate, statement or opinion of, or representations by, an officer or officers of the Company stating that the information with respect to such factual matters is in the possession of the Company, unless such counsel knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate, statement or opinion or representations with respect to such matters are erroneous.
(d) Any certificate, statement or opinion of an officer of the Company or of counsel to the Company may be based, insofar as it relates to accounting matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, an accountant or firm of accountants, unless such officer or counsel, as the case may be, knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to the accounting matters upon which his or her certificate, statement or opinion may be based are erroneous. Any certificate or opinion of any firm of independent registered public accountants filed with the Trustee shall contain a statement that such firm is independent.
(e) In any case where several matters are required to be certified by, or covered by an opinion of, any specified Person, it is not necessary that all such matters be certified by, or covered by the opinion of, only one such Person, or that they be so certified or covered by only one document, but one such Person may certify or give an opinion with respect to some matters and one or more other such Persons as to other matters, and any such Person may certify or give an opinion as to such matters in one or several documents.
(f) Where any Person is required to make, give or execute two or more applications, requests, consents, certificates, statements, opinions or other instruments under this Indenture, they may, but need not, be consolidated and form one instrument.
Section 16.02 Trust Indenture Act Controls. If and to the extent that any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by, or with a provision included in this Indenture which is required to be included in this Indenture by any of the provisions of Sections 310 to 318, inclusive, of, the TIA, such imposed duties or incorporated provision shall control.
Section 16.03 Notices to the Company and Trustee. Any notice or demand authorized or permitted by this Indenture to be made upon, given or furnished to, or filed with, the Company or the Trustee shall be sufficiently made, given, furnished or filed for all purposes if it shall be mailed, by regular mail or overnight courier, delivered or faxed to:
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(a) the Company, at Tencent Music Entertainment Group, 17/F, Matsunichi Building, Kejizhongyi Road, Midwest District of Hi-tech Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518057, the People’s Republic of China, Attention: Chief Financial Officer, or at such other address as may have been furnished in writing to the Trustee by the Company.
(b) the Trustee and/or the Agents, at the Corporate Trust Office, Attention: Global Corporate Trust – Tencent Music Entertainment Group, with a copy to the Specified Corporate Trust Office.
Any such notice, demand or other document shall be in the English language. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, no such notice or demand shall be effective as to the Trustee and/or the Agents unless it is actually received by the Trustee and/or the Agents at the Corporate Trust Office with a copy to its Specified Corporate Trust Office.
The Trustee and the Agents shall have the right to accept and act upon instructions, including funds transfer instructions (“Instructions”) given pursuant to this Indenture and related financing documents and delivered using Electronic Means; provided, however, that the Company shall provide to the Trustee and the Agents an incumbency certificate listing officers with the authority to provide such Instructions (“Authorized Officers”) and containing specimen signatures of such Authorized Officers, which incumbency certificate shall be amended by the Company whenever a person is to be added or deleted from the listing. If the Company elects to give the Trustee and/or the Agents Instructions using Electronic Means and the Trustee and/or the Agents in its discretion elects to act upon such Instructions, the Trustee and/or the Agents’ understanding of such Instructions shall be deemed controlling. The Company understands and agrees that the Trustee and/or the Agents cannot determine the identity of the actual sender of such Instructions and that the Trustee and/or the Agents shall conclusively presume that directions that purport to have been sent by an Authorized Officer listed on the incumbency certificate provided to the Trustee and the Agents have been sent by such Authorized Officer. The Company shall be responsible for ensuring that only Authorized Officers transmit such Instructions to the Trustee and the Agents and that the Company and all Authorized Officers are solely responsible to safeguard the use and confidentiality of applicable user and authorization codes, passwords and/or authentication keys upon receipt by the Company. The Trustee and the Agents shall not be liable for any losses, costs or expenses arising directly or indirectly from the Trustee’s and the Agents’ reliance upon and compliance with such Instructions notwithstanding such directions conflict or are inconsistent with a subsequent written instruction. The Company agrees: (i) to assume all risks arising out of the use of Electronic Means to submit Instructions to the Trustee and the Agents, including without limitation the risk of the Trustee acting on unauthorized Instructions, and the risk of interception and misuse by third parties; (ii) that it is fully informed of the protections and risks associated with the various methods of transmitting Instructions to the Trustee and the Agents and that there may be more secure methods of transmitting Instructions than the method(s) selected by the Company; (iii) that the security procedures (if any) to be followed in connection with its transmission of Instructions provide to it a commercially reasonable degree of protection in light of its particular needs and circumstances; and (iv) to notify the Trustee and the Agents immediately upon learning of any compromise or unauthorized use of the security procedures.
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Section 16.04 Notices to Securityholders; Waiver. Any notice required or permitted to be given to Securityholders shall be sufficiently given (unless otherwise herein expressly provided), if to Holders, if given in writing by first class mail, postage prepaid, to such Holders at their addresses as the same shall appear on the Register.
(a) In the event of suspension of regular mail service or by reason of any other cause it shall be impracticable to give notice by mail, then such notification as shall be given with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute sufficient notice for every purpose hereunder.
(b) Where this Indenture provides for notice in any manner, such notice may be waived in writing by the Person entitled to receive such notice, either before or after the event, and such waiver shall be the equivalent of such notice. Waivers of notice by Holders shall be filed with the Trustee, but such filing shall not be a condition precedent to the validity of any action taken in reliance on such waiver. In any case where notice to Holders is given by mail, neither the failure to mail such notice nor any defect in any notice so mailed to any particular Holder shall affect the sufficiency of such notice with respect to other Holders, and any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given. In any case where notice to Holders is given by publication, any defect in any notice so published as to any particular Holder shall not affect the sufficiency of such notice with respect to other Holders, and any notice that is published in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given.
Section 16.05 Legal Holiday. Unless otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01, in any case where any Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Maturity of any Security of any series shall not be a Business Day at any Place of Payment for the Securities of that series, then payment of principal and premium, if any, or interest need not be made at such Place of Payment on such date, but may be made on the next succeeding Business Day at such Place of Payment with the same force and effect as if made on such Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Maturity and no interest shall accrue on such payment for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Maturity, as the case may be, to such Business Day if such payment is made or duly provided for on such Business Day.
Section 16.06 Judgment Currency. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the obligations of the Company to any Holder under this Indenture or the Securities of any series, as the case may be, shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency (the “Judgment Currency”) other than U.S. Dollars, be discharged only to the extent that on the Business Day following receipt by such Holder or the Trustee, as the case may be, of any amount in the Judgment Currency, such Holder or the Trustee, as the case may be, may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase the U.S. Dollars with the Judgment Currency. If the amount of U.S. Dollars so purchased is less than the amount originally to be paid to such Holder or the Trustee, as the case may be, in U.S. Dollars, the Company agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding such judgment, to pay the difference, and if the amount of U.S. Dollars so purchased exceeds the amount originally to be paid to such Holder, such Holder or the Trustee, as the case may be, agrees to pay to or for the account of the Company such excess; provided that such Holder shall not have any obligation to pay any such excess as long as a Default by the Company in its obligations under this Indenture or such series of Securities has occurred and is continuing, in which case such excess may be applied by such Holder to such obligations. In the event the Trustee is required or requested to make such purchases of U.S. Dollars with the Judgment Currency, the Trustee will in good faith select a recognized banking institution in The City of New York through which the Trustee will purchase the U.S. Dollars with the Judgment Currency; provided that the Trustee will not be liable for any losses or shortfalls in amounts so paid as a result of the foreign exchange rate applied by such banking institution to such purchases of the U.S. Dollars with the Judgment Currency in accordance with normal banking procedures.
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Section 16.07 Effects of Headings and Table of Contents. The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
Section 16.08 Successors and Assigns. All covenants and agreements in this Indenture by the parties hereto shall bind their respective successors and assigns and inure to the benefit of their permitted successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.
Section 16.09 Severability. If any provision hereof shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable under applicable law, then the remaining provisions hereof shall be construed as though such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision were not contained herein.
Section 16.10 Benefits of Indenture. Nothing in this Indenture expressed and nothing that may be implied from any of the provisions hereof is intended, or shall be construed, to confer upon, or to give to, any Person other than the parties hereto and their successors and the Holders of the Securities any benefit or any right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Indenture or any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise or agreement hereof, and all covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises and agreements in this Indenture contained shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and of the Holders of the Securities.
Section 16.11 Counterparts. This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
Section 16.12 Governing Law; Waiver of Trial by Jury. This Indenture and the Securities shall be deemed to be contracts made under the law of the State of New York, and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of said State.
THE COMPANY HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS INDENTURE.
Section 16.13 Submission to Jurisdiction. The Company irrevocably and unconditionally submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any U.S. federal or New York State court located in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Indenture or the Securities. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by registered mail addressed to the Company’s agent, Cogency Global Inc. located at 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., New York, NY 10168, shall be effective service of process against the Company for any suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court. The Company irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any objection to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum. A final judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and may be enforced in any other courts to whose jurisdiction the Company is or may be subject, by suit upon judgment. The Company further agrees that nothing herein shall affect any Holder’s right to effect service of process in any other manner permitted by law or bring a suit action or proceeding (including a proceeding for enforcement of a judgment) in any other court or jurisdiction in accordance with applicable law.
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Section 16.14 Waiver of Immunity. To the extent that the Company or any of its properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to, or have attributed to each of the Company, any right of immunity, on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any such legal action, suit or proceeding, from setoff or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any Cayman Islands, PRC, New York state or U.S. federal court, from service of process, from attachment upon or prior to judgment, from attachment in aid of execution of judgment, or from execution of judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment, in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, with respect to the obligations and liabilities of the Company or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with this Indenture, the Company hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by applicable law, and agree not to plead or claim, any such immunity and consent to such relief and enforcement.
Section 16.15 Force Majeure. In no event shall the Trustee or the Agents be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee and the Agents shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.
[Signatures on following page]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Indenture to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
| Very truly yours,
TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF SECURITY
FACE OF NOTE
[For Inclusion in a Global Security only — UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR THE INDIVIDUAL SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY, THIS GLOBAL SECURITY MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.]
TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
___% Note Due _________
PRINCIPAL AMOUNT: _________
CUSIP: ___________
No.: ___________
TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “Company,” which term includes any successor thereto under the Indenture referred to on the reverse hereof), for value received, hereby promises to pay to ___________, or registered assigns, the principal sum of __________________ (_____) (or such other principal amount as shall be set forth in the Schedule of Increases or Decreases in Note attached hereto) on _____________, or on such earlier date as the principal hereof may become due in accordance with the provisions of this Note.
Interest Rate: ___________% per annum.
Interest Payment Dates: ___________ and ___________ of each year, commencing on ___________.
Interest Record Dates: ___________ and ___________.
Reference is made to the further provisions of this Note set forth on the reverse hereof. Such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Note shall not be valid or become obligatory for any purpose until the certificate of authentication hereon shall have been manually or electronically signed by the Trustee under the Indenture referred to on the reverse hereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Tencent Music Entertainment Group has caused this Note to be duly executed.
| TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
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CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
Date of authentication:
| THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
3
REVERSE OF NOTE
TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
___% Note Due _____
This Note is one of a duly authorized issue of debt securities of the Company of the series designated as the “___% Note due _____” (the “Notes”), all issued or to be issued under and pursuant to an Indenture, dated as of , 2026 (the “Base Indenture”), duly executed and delivered by and between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon, a banking corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York with limited liability, as trustee (the “Trustee,” which term includes any successor trustee)[, as supplemented by the Supplemental Indenture, dated as of _________ (the “Supplemental Indenture”), duly executed and delivered by and between the Company and the Trustee]. The Base Indenture [as supplemented and amended by the Supplemental Indenture] is referred to herein as the “Indenture”. Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings given them in the Indenture.
1. Interest. The Company promises to pay interest on the principal amount of this Note at a rate of ___% per annum. The Company will pay interest semi-annually on _____ and _____ of each year. If a payment date is not a Business Day as defined in the Indenture at a Place of Payment, payment may be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day, and no interest shall accrue for the intervening period. Interest shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
2. Method of Payment. The Company shall pay interest on the Notes (except Defaulted Interest), if any, to the Persons in whose name such Notes are registered at the close of business on the Record Date referred to on the face of this Note for such interest installment. In the event that the Notes or a portion thereof are called for redemption, and the Redemption Date is subsequent to a Record Date with respect to any Interest Payment Date and prior to such Interest Payment Date, interest on such Notes will instead be paid upon presentation and surrender of such Notes as provided in the Indenture. Payment of interest on the Notes shall be made, in the currency of the United States of America that at the time is legal tender for payment of public and private debts, at the Corporate Trust Office by wire transfer or, if the Notes are in certificates form and the Company acts as its own paying agent, at the option of the Company, by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Register or, in accordance with arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee, by wire transfer to an account designated by the Holder.
3. Paying Agent and Registrar. Initially, The Bank of New York Mellon will act as Paying Agent and Registrar. The Company may change or appoint any Paying Agent or Registrar without notice to any Noteholder. The Company may act in any such capacity.
4. Indenture. The terms of the Notes include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (“TIA”) as in effect on the date the Indenture is qualified. The Notes are subject to all such terms, and Noteholders are referred to the Indenture and TIA for a statement of such terms. To the extent permitted by applicable law, in the event of any inconsistency between the terms of this Note and the terms of the Indenture, the terms of the Indenture will control. The Notes are unsecured general obligations of the Company and constitute the series designated on the face of this Note as the “___% Note due _____,” initially limited to US$_________ in aggregate principal amount. The Company will furnish to any Noteholder upon written request and without charge a copy of the Base Indenture [and the Supplemental Indenture]. Requests may be made to: Tencent Music Entertainment Group, 17/F, Matsunichi Building, Kejizhongyi Road, Midwest District of Hi-tech Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518057, the People’s Republic of China, Attention: Chief Financial Officer.
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5. Redemption and Repurchase. [The Notes are subject to optional redemption, and may be the subject of a mandatory redemption or offer to purchase, as further described in the Indenture.] [The Company shall not be required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Notes.]
6. Denominations, Transfer, Exchange. The Notes are in registered form without coupons in the denominations of US$______ or any integral multiple of US$1,000 in excess thereof. The transfer of Notes may be registered and Notes may be exchanged as provided in the Indenture. The Notes may be presented for exchange or for registration of transfer (duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by the Company or the Registrar) at the office of the Registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by the Company for such purpose. The Company need not exchange or register the transfer of any Note or portion of a Note selected for redemption, except for the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part.
7. Persons Deemed Owners. The registered Noteholder may be treated as its owner for all purposes.
8. Amendments, Supplements and Waivers. The Indenture and the Notes may be amended or supplemented as provided in the Indenture. Any consent or waiver by the Noteholders as provided in the Indenture shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holders and upon all future Noteholders and holders of any security issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon the Notes.
9. Defaults and Remedies. The Events of Default relating to the Notes are defined in Section 7.01 of the Base Indenture. Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default, the rights and obligations of the Company, the Trustee and the Noteholders shall be as set forth in the applicable provisions of the Indenture.
10. No Recourse Against Others. No recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement contained in the Indenture or the Notes, or because of any indebtedness evidenced thereby, shall be had against any incorporator as such, or against any past, present or future shareholder, officer, director or employee, as such, of the Company or of any successor, either directly or through the Company or any successor, under any rule of law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise, all such liability being expressly waived and released by the acceptance hereof and as part of the consideration for the issue hereof.
11. Authentication. This Note shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose until authenticated by the manual or electronic signature of the Trustee.
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12. Governing Law. The Base Indenture, the Supplemental Indenture and this Note shall be deemed to be contracts made under the law of the State of New York, and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of said State.
6
ASSIGNMENT
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned hereby sell(s), assign(s) and transfer(s) unto
[PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE]
[PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE]
the within Note and all rights thereunder, hereby irrevocably constituting and appointing ____________________________________________________ Attorney to transfer such Note on the books of the Company, with full power of substitution in the premises.
| Signature: | ||
| Dated: _______________________ | ||
| NOTICE: The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the within Note in every particular without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever. | ||
7
SCHEDULE OF INCREASES OR DECREASES IN NOTE*
The initial principal amount of this Note is US$___________. The following increases or decreases in a part of this Note have been made:
| Date |
Amount of decrease in principal amount of this Note |
Amount of increase in principal amount of this Note |
Principal amount of this Note following such decrease (or increase) |
| * | Insert in Global Notes. |
8
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
This Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.07 of the Indenture, dated as of , 2026, as amended, supplemented or modified from time to time (the “Indenture”), between Tencent Music Entertainment Group, an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”) and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (the “Trustee”). Capitalized terms defined in the Indenture are used herein as therein defined.
The undersigned hereby certifies to the Trustee as follows:
1. I am the duly elected, qualified and acting [title] or [title], as the case may be, of the Company.
2. I have reviewed and am familiar with the contents of this Compliance Certificate.
3. I have reviewed the terms of the Indenture.
4. A review has been conducted of the activities of the Company’s performance under the Indenture, in each case since the [Issue Date/date of last Compliance Certificate], and since the [Issue Date/date of last Compliance Certificate] the Company has been in compliance with all conditions and covenants under the Indenture]/[if there has been a default in the fulfillment of any obligation under the Indenture, specifying each such default and the nature and status thereof.]
[Signature page follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Compliance Certificate as of the date set forth below.
| TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| Date: , 20 | ||
[Signature Page to Form of Compliance Certificate]
2
Exhibit 5.1
Our ref YCU/801545-000006/87350119v2
Tencent Music Entertainment Group
腾讯音乐娱乐集团
Unit 3, Building D
Kexing Science Park
Kejizhongsan Avenue
Hi-Tech Park
Nanshan District
Shenzhen 518057
People’s Republic of China
1 September 2026
Dear Sir or Madam
Tencent Music Entertainment Group 腾讯音乐娱乐集团
We have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to Tencent Music Entertainment Group 腾讯音乐娱乐集团 (the “Company”) in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form F-3, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the “Registration Statement”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended to date, in connection with the issuance and sale from time to time, in one or more series of debt securities of the Company (together, the “Securities”). The Securities are to be issued under an indenture to be entered into between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Indenture”).
We are furnishing this opinion as Exhibits 5.1 and 23.2 to the Registration Statement.
| 1 | Documents Reviewed |
For the purposes of this opinion, we have reviewed only originals, copies or final drafts of the following documents:
| 1.1 | The certificate of incorporation of the Company dated 6 June 2012 and the certificate of incorporation on change of name of the Company dated 5 January 2017 issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands. |
| 1.2 | The eighth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as adopted by special resolution passed on 30 June 2026 (the “Memorandum and Articles”). |
| 1.3 | A certificate of good standing with respect to the Company issued by the Registrar of Companies dated 28 August 2026 (the “Certificate of Good Standing”). |
| 1.4 | A certificate from a director of the Company a copy of which is attached to this opinion letter (the “Director’s Certificate”). |
| 1.5 | The Registration Statement. |
| 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 (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy, as of the date of this opinion letter, of the Director’s Certificate and the Certificate of Good Standing. We have also relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:
| 2.1 | Copies of documents, conformed copies or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals. |
| 2.2 | All signatures, initials and seals are genuine. |
| 2.3 | The Securities are, or will be, legal, valid, binding and enforceable against all relevant parties in accordance with their terms under the laws of the State of New York (the “Relevant Law”) and all other relevant laws (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws of the Cayman Islands). |
| 2.4 | The capacity, power, authority and legal right of all parties under all relevant laws and regulations (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws of the Cayman Islands) to enter into, execute, unconditionally deliver and perform their respective obligations under the Securities. |
| 2.5 | There is nothing contained in the minute book or corporate records of the Company (which, other than the records set out in paragraphs 1.1 to 1.3 of this opinion letter, we have not inspected) which would or might affect the opinions set out below. |
| 2.6 | There is no contractual or other prohibition or restriction (other than as arising under Cayman Islands law) binding on the Company prohibiting or restricting it from entering into and performing its obligations under the Securities. |
| 2.7 | No monies paid to or for the account of any party under the Securities or any property received or disposed of by any party to the Securities in each case in connection with the Securities or the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby represent or will represent proceeds of criminal conduct or criminal property or terrorist property (as defined in the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) and the Terrorism Act (As Revised) respectively). |
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| 2.8 | There is nothing under any law (other than the law of the Cayman Islands) which would or might affect the opinions set out below. Specifically, we have made no independent investigation of the Relevant Law. |
| 2.9 | The Company will, by resolution (the “Board Resolutions”) of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”), duly authorise the execution, issuance, delivery and performance of the Securities. |
| 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 with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands. |
| 3.2 | When (i) the Board has taken all necessary corporate action to approve the creation and the terms of the Securities and to approve the issue thereof, the terms of the offering thereof and related matters; (ii) an Indenture relating to the Securities and the Securities shall have been authorised and duly executed and delivered by and on behalf of the Company and all the relevant parties thereunder in accordance with all relevant laws; and (iii) the Securities have been duly executed and delivered on behalf of the Company and have been authenticated in the manner set forth in the Indenture relating to such issue of Securities, the Securities will have been duly executed, issued and delivered on behalf of the Company and constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with their terms. |
| 3.3 | The statements under the caption “Taxation” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement, to the extent that they constitute statements of Cayman Islands law, are accurate in all material respects and that such statements constitute our opinion. |
| 4 | Qualifications |
The opinions expressed above are subject to the following qualifications:
| 4.1 | The obligations assumed by the Company under the Securities will not necessarily be enforceable in all circumstances in accordance with their terms. In particular: |
| (a) | enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, reorganisation, readjustment of debts or moratorium or other laws of general application relating to, protecting or affecting the rights of creditors and/or contributories; |
| (b) | enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity. For example, equitable remedies such as specific performance may not be available, inter alia, where damages are considered to be an adequate remedy; |
| (c) | some claims may become barred under relevant statutes of limitation or may be or become subject to defences of set off, counterclaim, estoppel and similar defences; |
| (d) | where obligations are to be performed in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, they may not be enforceable in the Cayman Islands to the extent that performance would be illegal under the laws of that jurisdiction; |
| (e) | the courts of the Cayman Islands have jurisdiction to give judgment in the currency of the relevant obligation and statutory rates of interest payable upon judgments will vary according to the currency of the judgment. If the Company becomes insolvent and is made subject to a liquidation proceeding, the courts of the Cayman Islands will require all debts to be proved in a common currency, which is likely to be the “functional currency” of the Company determined in accordance with applicable accounting principles. Currency indemnity provisions have not been tested, so far as we are aware, in the courts of the Cayman Islands; |
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| (f) | arrangements that constitute penalties will not be enforceable; |
| (g) | enforcement may be prevented by reason of fraud, coercion, duress, undue influence, misrepresentation, public policy or mistake or limited by the doctrine of frustration of contracts; |
| (h) | provisions imposing confidentiality obligations may be overridden by compulsion of applicable law or the requirements of legal and/or regulatory process; |
| (i) | the courts of the Cayman Islands may decline to exercise jurisdiction in relation to substantive proceedings brought under or in relation to the Securities in matters where they determine that such proceedings may be tried in a more appropriate forum; |
| (j) | we reserve our opinion as to the enforceability of the relevant provisions of the Securities to the extent that they purport to grant exclusive jurisdiction as there may be circumstances in which the courts of the Cayman Islands would accept jurisdiction notwithstanding such provisions; |
| (k) | a company cannot, by agreement or in its articles of association, restrict the exercise of a statutory power and there is doubt as to the enforceability of any provision in the Securities whereby the Company covenants to restrict the exercise of powers specifically given to it under the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “Companies Act”), including, without limitation, the power to increase its authorised share capital, amend its memorandum and articles of association or present a petition to a Cayman Islands court for an order to wind up the Company; and |
| (l) | enforcement or performance of any provision in the Securities which relates, directly or indirectly, to an interest in the Company constituting shares, voting rights or ultimate effective control over management in the Company may be prohibited or restricted if any such relevant interest is or becomes subject to a restrictions notice issued under the Beneficial Ownership Transparency Act (As Revised) (“BOT Act”). |
| 4.2 | Applicable court fees will be payable in respect of the enforcement of the Securities. |
| 4.3 | To maintain the Company in good standing with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands, annual filing fees must be paid and returns made to the Registrar of Companies within the time frame prescribed by law. |
| 4.4 | A certificate, determination, calculation or designation of any party to the Securities as to any matter provided therein might be held by a Cayman Islands court not to be conclusive final and binding if, for example, it could be shown to have an unreasonable or arbitrary basis, or in the event of manifest error. |
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| 4.5 | The obligations of the Company may be subject to restrictions pursuant to: |
| (a) | United Nations and United Kingdom sanctions extended to the Cayman Islands by Orders in Council; and |
| (b) | sanctions imposed by Cayman Islands authorities under Cayman Islands legislation. |
| 4.6 | We express no opinion as to the meaning, validity or effect of any references to foreign (i.e. non-Cayman Islands) statutes, rules, regulations, codes, judicial authority or any other promulgations and any references to them in the Securities. |
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, which are the subject of this opinion.
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 headings “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities” and “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.
Yours faithfully
/s/ Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP
5
Director’s Certificate
6
| Exhibit 5.2 | ||||||
|
Davis Polk & Wardwell Hong Kong Solicitors The Hong Kong Club Building 3A Chater Road Hong Kong davispolk.com |
|||||
| Resident Hong Kong Partners | ||||||
| Samuel (Jee Seok) Kang # James C. Lin * Martin David Rogers † |
Miranda (Man Wah) So * Steve (Xuelin) Wang * |
|||||
| Hong Kong Solicitors # Also Admitted in New South Wales * Also Admitted in New York † Also Admitted in England and Wales |
||||||
September 1, 2026
Tencent Music Entertainment Group
Unit 3, Building D, Kexing Science Park
Kejizhongsan Avenue, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan District
Shenzhen, 518057, the People’s Republic of China
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Tencent Music Entertainment Group, an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), is filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration Statement on Form F-3 (the “Registration Statement”) and the related Prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the purpose of registering under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the Company’s debt securities (the “Debt Securities”), which may be issued pursuant to an indenture (the “Indenture”) among the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (the “Trustee”), initial paying agent and initial registrar.
We, as your counsel, have examined originals or copies of such documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or advisable for the purpose of rendering this opinion.
In rendering the opinions expressed herein, we have, without independent inquiry or investigation, assumed that (i) all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic and complete, (ii) all documents submitted to us as copies conform to authentic, complete originals, (iii) all documents filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that have not been executed will conform to the forms thereof, (iv) all signatures on all documents that we reviewed are genuine, (v) all natural persons executing documents had and have the legal capacity to do so, (vi) all statements in certificates of public officials and officers of the Company that we reviewed were and are accurate and (vii) all representations made by the Company as to matters of fact in the documents that we reviewed were and are accurate.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the additional assumptions and qualifications set forth below, we advise you that, in our opinion, assuming that the Indenture and any supplemental indenture to be entered into in connection with the issuance of any Debt Securities have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trustee and the Company insofar as the laws of the Cayman Islands are concerned, the specific terms of a particular series of Debt Securities have been duly authorized insofar as the laws of the Cayman Islands are concerned, and established in accordance with the Indenture, and such Debt Securities have been duly authorized, executed, authenticated, issued and delivered, insofar as the laws of the Cayman Islands are concerned, and in accordance with the Indenture and the applicable underwriting or other agreement against payment therefor, such Debt Securities will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, concepts of reasonableness and equitable principles of general applicability, and may be subject to possible judicial or regulatory actions giving effect to governmental actions or foreign laws affecting creditors’ rights, provided that we express no opinion as to the effect of fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or similar provision of applicable law on the conclusions expressed above or the validity, legally binding effect or enforceability of any provision that permits holders to collect any portion of stated principal amount upon acceleration of the Debt Securities to the extent determined to constitute unearned interest.
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|
Davis Polk & Wardwell Hong Kong Solicitors The Hong Kong Club Building 3A Chater Road Hong Kong davispolk.com |
|||||
| Resident Hong Kong Partners | ||||||
| Samuel (Jee Seok) Kang # James C. Lin * Martin David Rogers † |
Miranda (Man Wah) So * Steve (Xuelin) Wang * |
|||||
| Hong Kong Solicitors # Also Admitted in New South Wales * Also Admitted in New York † Also Admitted in England and Wales |
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We hereby confirm that our opinion as to the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders of an investment in the Debt Securities is set forth in full under the caption “Taxation – U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” in the Prospectus.
In connection with the opinions expressed above, we have assumed that at or prior to the time of the delivery of any Debt Securities (i) the Board of Directors of the Company shall have duly established the terms of the Debt Securities and duly authorized the issuance and sale of the Debt Securities and such authorization shall not have been modified or rescinded; (ii) the Company is, and shall remain, validly existing as a corporation under the laws of the Cayman Islands; (iii) the Registration Statement shall have become effective and such effectiveness shall not have been terminated or rescinded; (iv) the Indenture and the Debt Securities (collective, the “Documents”) are each valid, binding and enforceable agreements of each party thereto; and (v) there shall not have occurred any change in law affecting the validity or enforceability of such security. We have also assumed that the terms of any security whose terms are established subsequent to the date hereof and the issuance, execution, delivery and performance by the Company of any such security (a) require no action by or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official and (b) do not contravene, or constitute a default under, any provision of applicable law or public policy or regulation or any judgment, injunction, order or decree or any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company.
We are members of the Bar of the State of New York and the foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of New York and the federal law of the United States, except that we express no opinion as to (i) any law, rule or regulation that is applicable to the Company, the Documents or such transactions solely because such law, rule or regulation is part of a regulatory regime applicable to any party to any of the Documents or any of its affiliates due to the specific assets or business of such party or such affiliate or (ii) any law, rule or regulation relating to national security. Insofar as the foregoing opinion involves matters governed by the laws of the PRC and the Cayman Islands, we have relied, without independent inquiry or investigation, on the opinion of Han Kun Law Offices and Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP filed with the Registration Statement.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement referred to above and further consent to the reference to our name under the captions “Taxation – U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” and “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.
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Davis Polk & Wardwell Hong Kong Solicitors The Hong Kong Club Building 3A Chater Road Hong Kong davispolk.com |
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| Resident Hong Kong Partners | ||||||
| Samuel (Jee Seok) Kang # James C. Lin * Martin David Rogers † |
Miranda (Man Wah) So * Steve (Xuelin) Wang * |
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| Hong Kong Solicitors # Also Admitted in New South Wales * Also Admitted in New York † Also Admitted in England and Wales |
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Very truly yours,
/s/ Davis Polk & Wardwell
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form F-3 of Tencent Music Entertainment Group of our report dated April 17, 2026 relating to the financial statements and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which appears in Tencent Music Entertainment Group’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
| /s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP |
| Shenzhen, the People’s Republic of China |
| September 1, 2026 |
Exhibit 23.3
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September 1st, 2026
To: Tencent Music Entertainment Group
Unit 3, Building D, Kexing Science Park, Kejizhongsan Avenue,
Hi-TechPark, Nanshan District
Shenzhen, 518057
The People’s Republic of China
Dear Madams or Sirs,
We consent to the reference to our firm in the sections titled “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities” and “Legal Matters” in Tencent Music Entertainment Group’s registration statement on Form F-3 dated September 1st, 2026, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the “Form F-3”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). We also consent to the filing with the SEC of this consent letter as an exhibit to the Form F-3.
[Signature Page Follows]
CONFIDENTIALITY. This document contains confidential information which may be protected by privilege from disclosure. Unless you are the intended or authorised recipient, you shall not copy, print, use or distribute it or any part thereof or carry out any act pursuant thereto and shall advise Han Kun Law Offices immediately by telephone, e-mail or facsimile and return it promptly by mail. Thank you.
| Yours faithfully, | ||
| /s/ HAN KUN LAW OFFICES HAN KUN LAW OFFICES |
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Exhibit 25.1
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM T-1
STATEMENT OF ELIGIBLITY
UNDER THE TRUST INDENTURE ACT OF 1939
OF A CORPORATION DESIGNATED TO ACT AS TRUSTEE
| ☐ | CHECK IF AN APPLICATION TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY OF A TRUSTEE PURSUANT TO SECTION 305(b)(2) |
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
(Exact name of trustee as specified in its charter)
| New York | 13-5160382 | |
| (Jurisdiction of incorporation of organization if not a U.S. national bank)
240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286, United States of America (Address of principal executive offices) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
10286 (Zip Code) |
COGENCY GLOBAL INC.
122 East 42nd Street,
18th Floor New York, NY 10168
+1 (800) 221-0102
(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)
TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)
| Cayman Islands (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
17/F, Matsunichi Building, Kejizhongyi Road Midwest District of Hi-tech Park Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518057 the People’s Republic of China (Address of principal executive offices) |
Not Applicable (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
518057 (Zip Code) |
SENIOR DEBT SECURITIES
(Title of the indenture securities)
| Item 1. | General Information. |
| (a) | Name and address of each examining or supervising authority to which it is subject. |
Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services of the State of New York
One State Street, New York, N.Y. 10004-1417, and Albany, N.Y. 12223
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
33 Liberty Street, New York, N.Y. 10045
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
550 17th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20429
The Clearing House Association L.L.C.
100 Broad Street, New York, N.Y. 10004
| (b) | Whether it is authorized to exercise corporate trust powers. |
Yes.
| Item 2. | Affiliations with the obligor. |
If the obligor is an affiliate of the trustee, describe each such affiliation.
None.
| Item 16. | List of exhibits. |
Exhibits identified in parentheses below, on file with the Commission, are incorporated herein by reference as an exhibit hereto, pursuant to Rule 7a-29 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the “Act”) and 17 C.F.R. 229.10(d).
| 1. | A copy of the Organization Certificate of The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as The Bank of New York, itself formerly Irving Trust Company) as now in effect, which contains the authority to commence business and a grant of powers to exercise corporate trust powers (Exhibit 1 to Amendment No. 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 33-6215, Exhibits la and lb to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 33-21672, Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 33-29637, Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-121195 and Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-152735). |
| 4. | A copy of the existing By-laws of the Trustee (Exhibit 4 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-261533). |
| 6. | The consent of the Trustee required by Section 321(b) of the Act (Exhibit 6 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-229519). |
| 7. | A copy of the latest report of condition of the Trustee published pursuant to law or to the requirements of its supervising or examining authority. |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 the trustee, The Bank of New York Mellon, a banking corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, has duly caused this statement of eligibility to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, all in the city of Hong Kong, on the 1st day of September, 2026.
| The Bank of New York Mellon | ||
| By: |
/s/ Hailey Jiang | |
| Name: |
Hailey Jiang | |
| Title: |
Authorized Signatory | |
EXHIBIT 7
Consolidated Report of Condition of
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
of 240 Greenwich Street, New York, N.Y. 10286
And Foreign and Domestic Subsidiaries,
a member of the Federal Reserve System, at the close of business June 30, 2026, published in accordance with a call made by the Federal Reserve Bank of this District pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Reserve Act.
| ASSETS |
Dollar amounts in thousands | |||
| Cash and balances due from depository institutions: |
||||
| Noninterest-bearing balances and currency and coin |
6,063,000 | |||
| Interest-bearing balances |
146,331,000 | |||
| Securities: |
||||
| Held-to-maturity securities |
48,256,000 | |||
| Available-for-sale debt securities |
107,264,000 | |||
| Equity securities with readily determinable fair values not held for trading |
0 | |||
| Federal funds sold and securities purchased under agreements to resell: |
||||
| Federal funds sold in domestic offices |
0 | |||
| Securities purchased under agreements to resell |
27,537,000 | |||
| Loans and lease financing receivables: |
||||
| Loans and leases held for sale |
0 | |||
| Loans and leases held for investment |
46,659,000 | |||
| LESS: Allowance for credit losses on loans and leases |
200,000 | |||
| Loans and leases held for investment, net of allowance |
46,459,000 | |||
| Trading assets |
8,709,000 | |||
| Premises and fixed assets (including right-of-use assets) |
3,596,000 | |||
| Other real estate owned |
0 | |||
| Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries and associated companies |
2,380,000 | |||
| Direct and indirect investments in real estate ventures |
0 | |||
| Intangible assets |
7,330,000 | |||
| Other assets |
21,190,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total assets |
425,115,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| LIABILITIES |
||||
| Deposits: |
||||
| In domestic offices |
255,943,000 | |||
| Noninterest-bearing |
84,330,000 | |||
| Interest-bearing |
171,613,000 | |||
| In foreign offices, Edge and Agreement subsidiaries, and IBFs |
116,619,000 | |||
| Noninterest-bearing |
9,678,000 | |||
| Interest-bearing |
106,941,000 | |||
| Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase: |
||||
| Federal funds purchased in domestic offices . |
0 | |||
| Securities sold under agreements to repurchase |
5,787,000 | |||
| Trading liabilities |
2,988,000 | |||
| Other borrowed money: |
6,395,000 | |||
| Not applicable |
||||
| Not applicable |
||||
| Subordinated notes and debentures |
0 | |||
| Other liabilities |
7,942,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total liabilities |
395,674,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| EQUITY CAPITAL |
||||
| Perpetual preferred stock and related surplus |
0 | |||
| Common stock |
1,135,000 | |||
| Surplus (exclude all surplus related to preferred stock) |
13,277,000 | |||
| Retained earnings |
17,014,000 | |||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income |
-1,985,000 | |||
| Other equity capital components |
0 | |||
| Total bank equity capital |
29,441,000 | |||
| Noncontrolling (minority) interests in consolidated subsidiaries |
0 | |||
| Total equity capital |
29,441,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total liabilities and equity capital |
425,115,000 | |||
|
|
|
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I, Dermot McDonogh, Chief Financial Officer of the above-named bank do hereby declare that this Report of Condition is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Dermot McDonogh
Chief Financial Officer
We, the undersigned directors, attest to the correctness of this statement of resources and liabilities. We declare that it has been examined by us, and to the best of our knowledge and belief has been prepared in conformance with the instructions and is true and correct.
| Robin A. Vince Jeffrey A. Goldstein Joseph J. Echevarria |
] | Directors |