Exhibit 2.1
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITES REGISTERED UNDER SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED (the “Exchange Act”)
As of the date of the Annual Report on Form 20-F (the “Form 20-F”) of which this Exhibit 2.1 is a part, Garden Stage Limited (the “Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”) has only one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended: the Company’s ordinary shares (the “Ordinary Shares”).
Description of Ordinary Shares
The following is a summary of material provisions of our currently effective memorandum and articles of association (our “Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association”), as well as the Companies Law (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands (the “Companies Act”) insofar as they relate to the material terms of our Ordinary Shares. Notwithstanding this, because it is a summary, it may not contain all the information that you may otherwise deem important. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, which are incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 20-F of which this Exhibit 2.1 is a part.
Type and Class of Securities (Item 9.A.5 of Form 20-F)
Each Ordinary Share has US$0.0001 par value. The number of our Ordinary Share that have been issued as of the last day of the financial year ended March 31, 2024 is provided on the cover of Form 20-F filed on July 31, 2024.
Preemptive Rights (Item 9.A.3 of Form 20-F)
Our shareholders do not have preemptive rights.
Limitations or Qualifications (Item 9.A.6 of Form 20-F)
Not applicable.
Rights of Other Types of Securities (Item 9.A.7 of Form 20-F)
Not applicable.
Rights of Ordinary Shares (Item 10.B.3 of Form 20-F)
Class of Ordinary Shares
As of the date of this annual report, our authorized share capital is US$50,000, divided into 500,000,000 ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share. All of our shares to be issued in the offering will be issued as fully paid.
Dividends
The holders of our Ordinary Shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors, subject to the Companies Act. Our articles of association provide that the directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and distributions on shares of the Company outstanding and authorize payment of the same out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefore. No dividend shall be paid otherwise than out of profits or, subject to the restrictions of the Companies Act, the share premium account.
Voting Rights
Subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any class or classes of shares, on a show of hands every shareholder of record present in person or by proxy at a general meeting shall have one vote and on a poll every shareholder of record present in person or by proxy shall have one vote for each share registered in his name in the register of Members.
An ordinary resolution to be passed by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attached to the Ordinary Shares cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy (or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorized representatives) at a general meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes attached to the Ordinary Shares cast by those shareholders who are present in person or by proxy (or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorized representatives) at a general meeting. Both ordinary resolutions and special resolutions may also be passed by a unanimous written resolution signed by all the shareholders of our company, as permitted by the Companies Act and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Cumulative Voting
Delaware law permits cumulative voting for the election of directors only if expressly authorized in the certificate of incorporation. There are no prohibitions in relation to cumulative voting under the laws of the Cayman Islands but our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting.
Pre-emptive Rights
There are no pre-emptive rights applicable to the issue by us of Ordinary Shares under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Meetings of Shareholders
The directors may whenever they think fit, and they shall on the requisition of shareholders of the Company holding at the date of the deposit of the requisition not less than one-tenth of such of the paid-up capital of the Company as at the date of the deposit carries the right of voting at general meetings of the Company, proceed to convene a general meeting of the Company.
No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of shareholders is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business; two shareholders present in person or by proxy shall be a quorum provided always that if the Company has one shareholder of record the quorum shall be that one shareholder present in person or by proxy. If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of shareholders, shall be dissolved and in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and place or to such other time or such other place as the directors may determine and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting the shareholders present shall be a quorum.
Meetings of Directors
The directors may from time to time provide for the management of the affairs of the Company in such manner as they shall think fit. The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the directors may be fixed by the directors and unless so fixed shall be two, a Director and his appointed alternate director being considered only one person for this purpose, and if there shall at any time be only a sole Director the quorum shall be one.
Winding Up
If we are wound up and the assets available for distribution among our shareholders are more than sufficient to repay the whole of the paid up capital at the commencement of the winding up, the excess shall be distributable among those shareholders in proportion to the capital paid up at the commencement of the winding up on the shares held by them respectively. If we are wound up and the assets available for distribution among the shareholders as such are insufficient to repay the whole of the paid up capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the shareholders in proportion to the capital paid up at the commencement of the winding up on the shares held by them, respectively. If we are wound up, the liquidator may with the sanction of a special resolution and any other sanction required by the Companies Act, divide among our shareholders in specie or kind the whole or any part of our assets (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not), and may, for such purpose, set such value as the liquidator deems fair upon any property to be divided and may determine how such division shall be carried out as between the shareholders or different classes of shareholders.
The liquidator may also vest the whole or any part of these assets in trusts for the benefit of the shareholders as the liquidator shall think fit, but so that no shareholder will be compelled to accept any assets, shares or other securities upon which there is a liability.
Calls on Ordinary Shares and forfeiture of Ordinary Shares
Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their Ordinary Shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least one month prior to the specified time of payment. The Ordinary Shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.
Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Ordinary Shares
Shares may be issued on the terms that they are, or at the option of the Company or the holder are, to be redeemed on such terms and in such manner as the Company, before the issue of the shares, may by Special Resolution determine and the rights attaching to any issued shares may, subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, by special resolution, be varied so as to provide that such shares are to be or are liable to be so redeemed. The Companies Act and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association permits us to purchase our own shares, subject to certain restrictions and requirements. Subject to the Companies Act, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and to any applicable requirements imposed from time to time by the NASDAQ, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or by any other recognized stock exchange on which our securities are listed, we may purchase our own shares (including any redeemable shares) on such terms and in such manner as been approved by the directors or by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. Under the Companies Act, the repurchase of any share may be paid out of our Company’s profits, or out of the share premium account, or out of the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares made for the purpose of such repurchase, or out of capital. If the repurchase proceeds are paid out of our Company’s capital, our Company must, immediately following such payment, be able to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Act, no such share may be repurchased (1) unless it is fully paid up, and (2) if such repurchase would result in there being no shares outstanding other than shares held as treasury shares. The repurchase of shares may be effected in such manner and upon such terms as may be authorized by or pursuant to the Company’s articles of association. If the articles do not authorize the manner and terms of the purchase, a company shall not repurchase any of its own shares unless the manner and terms of purchase have first been authorized by a resolution of the company.
Inspection of Books and Records
Holders of our Ordinary Shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by the Companies Act or authorized by the Directors or by the Company in general meeting. However, we will provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements.
Requirements to Change the Rights of Holders of Ordinary Shares (Item 10.B.4 of Form 20-F)
Variations of Rights of Shares
If at any time, our share capital is divided into different classes of shares, all or any of the rights attached to any class of our shares may (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of three-fourths of the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.
Limitations on the Rights to Own Ordinary Shares (Item 10.B.6 of Form 20-F)
Rights of Non-Resident or Foreign Shareholders
There are no limitations imposed by our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.
Ownership Threshold (Item 10.B.8 of Form 20-F)
There are no provisions under the laws of the Cayman Islands which are applicable to our company or under our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association that require our company to disclose shareholder ownership above any particular ownership threshold.
Differences Between the Law of Different Jurisdictions (Item 10.B.9 of Form 20-F)
The Companies Act is derived, to a large extent, from the older Companies Acts of England and Wales but does not follow recent United Kingdom statutory enactments, and accordingly there are significant differences between the Companies Act and the current Companies Act of England. In addition, the Companies Act differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the comparable laws applicable to companies incorporated in the State of Delaware in the United States.
| | | Delaware | | Cayman Islands |
| Title of Organizational Documents | | Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws | | Certificate of Incorporation and memorandum and articles of association |
| Duties of Directors | | Under Delaware law, the business and affairs of a corporation are managed by or under the direction of its board of directors. In exercising their powers, directors are charged with a fiduciary duty of care to protect the interests of the corporation and a fiduciary duty of loyalty to act in the best interests of its shareholders. The duty of care requires that directors act in an informed and deliberative manner and inform themselves, prior to making a business decision, of all material information reasonably available to them. The duty of care also requires that directors exercise care in overseeing and investigating the conduct of the corporation’s employees. The duty of loyalty may be summarized as the duty to act in good faith, not out of self-interest, and in a manner which the director reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the shareholders. | | Under the laws of the Cayman Islands, directors have a fiduciary duty to act honestly in good faith with a view to the company’s best interests. Our directors also have a duty to exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances. A shareholder has the right to seek damages if a duty owed by the directors is breached. |
| Limitations on Personal Liability of Directors | | Subject to the limitations described below, a certificate of incorporation may provide for the elimination or limitation of the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director. Such provision cannot limit liability for breach of loyalty, bad faith, intentional misconduct, unlawful payment of dividends or unlawful share purchase or redemption. In addition, the certificate of incorporation cannot limit liability for any act or omission occurring prior to the date when such provision becomes effective. | | The Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of Officers and directors. However, as a matter of public policy, Cayman Islands law will not allow the limitation of a director’s liability to the extent that the liability is a consequence of the director committing a crime or of the director’s own fraud, dishonesty or wilful default. |
| Indemnification of Directors, Officers, Agents, and Others | | A corporation has the power to indemnify any director, officer, employee, or agent of corporation who was, is, or is threatened to be made a party who acted in good faith and in a manner he believed to be in the best interests of the corporation, and if with respect to a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct would be unlawful, against amounts actually and reasonably incurred. | | The ability of Cayman Islands companies to provide in their articles of association for indemnification of officers and directors is limited, insofar as it is not permissible for the directors to contract out of the core fiduciary duties they owe to the company, nor would any indemnity be effective if it were held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, which would include any attempt to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. |
| | | | | Our articles of association provide to the extent permitted by law, the directors and officers for the time being of the Company and any trustee for the time being acting in relation to any of the affairs of the Company and their heirs, executors, administrators and personal representatives respectively shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company from and against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, losses, damages and expenses which they or any of them shall or may incur or sustain by reason of any act done or omitted in or about the execution of their duty in their respective offices or trusts, except such (if any) as they shall incur or sustain by or through their own wilful neglect or default respectively and no such director, officer or trustee shall be answerable for the acts, receipts, neglects or defaults of any other director, officer or trustee or for joining in any receipt for the sake of conformity or for the solvency or honesty of any banker or other persons with whom any monies or effects belonging to the Company may be lodged or deposited for safe custody or for any insufficiency of any security upon which any monies of the Company may be invested or for any other loss or damage due to any such cause as aforesaid or which may happen in or about the execution of his office or trust unless the same shall happen through the wilful neglect or default of such director, officer or trustee. |
| Interested Directors | | Under Delaware law, a transaction in which a director who has an interest in such transaction would not be voidable if (i) the material facts as to such interested director’s relationship or interests are disclosed or are known to the board of directors and the board in good faith authorizes the transaction by the affirmative vote of a majority of the disinterested directors, even though the disinterested directors are less than a quorum, (ii) such material facts are disclosed or are known to the shareholders entitled to vote on such transaction and the transaction is specifically approved in good faith by vote of the shareholders, or (iii) the transaction is fair as to the corporation as of the time it is authorized, approved or ratified. Under Delaware law, a director could be held liable for any transaction in which such director derived an improper personal benefit. | | Interested director transactions are governed by the terms of a company’s memorandum and articles of association. |
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| Voting Requirements | | The certificate of incorporation may include a provision requiring supermajority approval by the directors or shareholders for any corporate action. In addition, under Delaware law, certain business combinations involving interested shareholders require approval by a supermajority of the non-interested shareholders. | | For the protection of shareholders, certain matters must be approved by special resolution of the shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, including alteration of the memorandum or articles of association, appointment of inspectors to examine company affairs, reduction of share capital (subject, in relevant circumstances, to court approval), change of name, authorization of a plan of merger or transfer by way of continuation to another jurisdiction or consolidation or voluntary winding up of the company. The Companies Act requires that a special resolution be passed by a majority of at least two-thirds or such higher percentage as set forth in the memorandum and articles of association, of shareholders being entitled to vote and do vote in person or by proxy at a general meeting, or by unanimous written consent of shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting. |
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| Voting for election of Directors | | Under Delaware law, unless otherwise specified in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation, directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors. | | Directors are appointed in accordance with the terms of the memorandum and articles of association of the company. |
| Cumulative Voting | | No cumulative voting for the election of directors unless so provided in the certificate of incorporation. | | Our currently effective articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. |
| Directors’ Powers Regarding Bylaws | | The certificate of incorporation may grant the directors the power to adopt, amend or repeal bylaws. | | The memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution of the shareholders. |
| Nomination and Removal of Directors and Filling Vacancies on Board | | Shareholders may generally nominate directors if they comply with advance notice provisions and other procedural requirements in company bylaws. Holders of a majority of the shares may remove a director with or without cause, except in certain cases involving a classified board or if the company uses cumulative voting. Unless otherwise provided for in the certificate of incorporation, directorship vacancies are filled by a majority of the directors elected or then in office. | | Nomination, appointment and removal of directors and filling of board vacancies are governed by the terms of the memorandum and articles of association. |
| Mergers and Similar Arrangements | | Under Delaware law, with certain exceptions, a merger, consolidation, exchange or sale of all or substantially all the assets of a corporation must be approved by the board of directors and a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon. Under Delaware law, a shareholder of a corporation participating in certain major corporate transactions may, under certain circumstances, be entitled to appraisal rights pursuant to which such shareholder may receive cash in the amount of the fair value of the shares held by such shareholder (as determined by a court) in lieu of the consideration such shareholder would otherwise receive in the transaction. Delaware law also provides that a parent corporation, by resolution of its board of directors, may merge with any subsidiary, of which it owns at least 90% of each class of capital stock without a vote by shareholders of such subsidiary. Upon any such merger, dissenting shareholders of the subsidiary would have appraisal rights. | | The Companies Act permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company, and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The written plan of merger or consolidation must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the shareholders and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures. |
| | | | | Save in certain limited circumstances under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands, a shareholder of a Cayman constituent company who dissents from the merger or consolidation is entitled to payment of the fair value of his shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) upon dissenting to the merger or consolidation, provide the dissenting shareholder complies strictly with the procedures set out in the Companies Act. The exercise of dissenter rights will preclude the exercise by the dissenting shareholder of any other rights to which he or she might otherwise be entitled by virtue of holding shares, save for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful. |
| | | | | Separate from the statutory provisions relating to mergers and consolidations, the Companies Act also contains statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies by way of schemes of arrangement; provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. Dissentient members/creditors are entitled to appear and be heard. At the hearing, the Grand Court considers (in light of any opposition) whether: ● approval of the scheme was reasonable (whether a reasonable member would have approved it); |
| | | | | ● each class was fairly represented at the meeting; ● the majority acted bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class; ● all notice periods were complied with; ● the resolutions carried by the requisite majority. |
| Shareholder Suits | | Class actions and derivative actions generally are available to shareholders under Delaware law for, among other things, breach of fiduciary duty, corporate waste and actions not taken in accordance with applicable law. In such actions, the court generally has discretion to permit the winning party to recover attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with such action. | | In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, there are exceptions to the foregoing principle, including when: ● a company acts or proposes to act illegally or ultra vires; ● the act complained of, although not ultra vires, could only be effected duly if authorized by more than a simple majority vote that has not been obtained; and ● those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
| Inspection of Corporate Records | | Under Delaware law, shareholders of a Delaware corporation have the right during normal business hours to inspect for any proper purpose, and to obtain copies of list(s) of shareholders and other books and records of the corporation and its subsidiaries, if any, to the extent the books and records of such subsidiaries are available to the corporation. | | Shareholders of a Cayman Islands exempted company have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of a list of shareholders or other corporate records (other than the copies of memorandum and articles of association and any special resolutions passed by such companies, and the registers of mortgages and charges of such companies) of the company. However, these rights may be provided in the company’s memorandum and articles of association. |
| Shareholder Proposals | | Unless provided in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, Delaware law does not include a provision restricting the manner in which shareholders may bring business before a meeting. | | Cayman Islands law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to table resolutions at a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our articles provide that the directors may whenever they think fit, and they shall on the requisition of Members of the Company holding at the date of the deposit of the requisition not less than one-tenth of such of the paid-up capital of the Company as at the date of the deposit carries the right of voting at general meetings of the Company, proceed to convene a general meeting of the Company. If the directors do not within 21 days from the date of the deposit of the requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three months after the expiration of the said 21 days. |
| Approval of Corporate Matters by Written Consent | | Delaware law permits shareholders to take action by written consent signed by the holders of outstanding shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting of shareholders. | | The Companies Act allows a special resolution to be passed in writing if signed by all the voting shareholders (if authorized by the memorandum and articles of association). |
| Calling of Special Shareholders Meetings | | Delaware law permits the board of directors or any person who is authorized under a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws to call a special meeting of shareholders. | | The Companies Act does not have provisions governing the proceedings of shareholders meetings which are usually provided in the memorandum and articles of association. |
| Dissolution; Winding Up | | Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board of directors. | | Under the Companies Act and our articles, the Company may be wound up by a special resolution of our shareholders, or if the winding up is initiated by our board of directors, by either a special resolution of our members or, if our company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of our members. In addition, a company may be wound up by an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so. |
Changes in Capital (Item 10.B.10 of Form 20-F)
Subject to the Companies Act, we may from time to time by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders:
| ● | increase the share capital of our Company by new shares of such amount as it thinks expedient; |
| ● | consolidate and divide all or any of our share capital into shares of larger amount than its existing shares of shares; |
| ● | subdivide its existing shares, or any of them, into shares of a smaller amount provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share shall be the same as it was in case of the share from which the reduced share is derived; and |
| ● | cancel any shares that, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the shares so canceled. |
Our shareholders may by special resolution, subject to confirmation by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on an application by our company for an order confirming such reduction, reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorized by the Companies Act.
Debt Securities (Item 12.A of Form 20-F)
Not applicable.
Warrants and Rights (Item 12.B of Form 20-F)
Not applicable.
Other Securities (Item 12.C of Form 20-F)
Options Grants
On April 24, 2023 and subsequently on August 31, 2023, we granted options to: (1) Mr. Sze Ho, CHAN. the current Director, Chief Executive Officer, and interim Chief Financial Officers; (2) Mr. Tin Hei LEE, the Company’s former Chief Financial Officer, and (3) Mr. Wai Lok Raymond FONG, the Company’s former Director, for the said person to acquire an aggregate of 1,475,000 Ordinary Shares of the Company, including: (1) the options to acquire an aggregate of 590,000 Ordinary Shares in three equal tranches to Mr. Sze Ho CHAN; (2) options to acquire an aggregate of 147,500 Ordinary Shares in three equal tranches to Mr. Tin Hei LEE; and (3) options to acquire an aggregate of 737,500 Ordinary Shares in three equal tranches to Mr. Wai Lok Raymond FONG.
The options granted to each of Mr. Chan, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Fong will vest over a period of three years in three equal tranches on the first, second, and third anniversary of the date of Company’s listing on NASDAQ, subject in each case to Mr. Chan, Mr. Lee and Mr. Fong’s continued service to the Company or any of its affiliates on the applicable vesting date. The applicable exercise price for the options that were granted is US$2.00.
The options granted will expire on the earlier date of (i) the fourth anniversary of Company’s listing on Nasdaq, or (ii) the date in the event of Mr. Chan, Mr. Fong, and Mr. Lee’s termination of employment, death, disability, or change of control of the Company. Before the exercise of an option, the holder has no rights as a shareholder with respect to the shares subject to such option, including no voting rights and no right to receive dividends or dividend equivalents.
On April 1, 2024, the Company accepted the resignation of Mr. Ting Hei, LEE as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, which came into effect the same day. Mr. Lee is currently serving as the manager in I Win Securities. Pursuant to the Employment Agreements with Mr. Lee, the options to acquire an aggregate of 147,500 Ordinary Shares by Mr. Lee expired on the date of Mr. Lee’s resignation as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company.
Effective April 1, 2024, Mr. Wai Lok Raymond, FONG has resigned as a director of the Company. On the same date, the Company entered into the Resignation Agreement and Consulting Arrangement with Mr. Fong, effective on the same date. Pursuant to the Resignation Agreement and Consulting Arrangement with Mr. Fong, following Mr. Fong’s resignation, the Company agrees to engage and employ Mr. Fong as a consultant to provide advisory services, for the term of one year.
Upon expiration of the initial-year term, the Consulting Arrangement shall be automatically extended for successive one-year term unless terminated by either party upon a three-month prior written notice. Pursuant to the Resignation Agreement and Consulting Arrangement with Mr. Fong, Mr. Fong retains his options to acquire an aggregate of 737,500 Ordinary Shares in three equal tranches.
As of the date of the annual report, Mr. Sze Ho, CHAN has the option to acquire an aggregate of 590,000 Ordinary Shares in three equal tranches, and Mr. Wai Lok Raymond, FONG has the option to acquire an aggregate of 737,500 Ordinary Shares in three equal tranches, the options to be vested over a period of three years in three equal tranches on the first, second, and third anniversary of the date of Company’s listing on Nasdaq, subject in each case to the continued service of Mr. Chan and Mr. Fong to the Company or any of its affiliates on the applicable vesting date.
Description of American Depositary Shares (Items 12.D.1 and 12.D.2 of Form 20-F)
Not applicable.
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