iKang Healthcare Group, Inc. (a Cayman Islands company) [—] American Depositary Shares Each Representing [—] Ordinary Shares (Par Value US$[—] Per Ordinary Share) FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1.1
(a Cayman Islands company)
[—] American Depositary Shares
Each Representing [—] Ordinary Shares
(Par Value US$[—] Per Ordinary Share)
FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
[—], 2014
Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx
Incorporated
Xxx Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
UBS Securities LLC
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
as Representatives of the several Underwriters
Ladies and Gentlemen:
iKang Healthcare Group, Inc., an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), and the shareholders listed in Schedule B hereto (each a “Selling Shareholders” and collectively, the “Selling Shareholders”), confirm their respective agreements with Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated (“Xxxxxxx Xxxxx”), UBS Securities LLC (“UBS”) and each of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), for whom Xxxxxxx Xxxxx and UBS are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the “Representatives”), with respect to (i) the sale by the Company and the Selling Shareholders, acting severally and not jointly, and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective numbers of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), each ADS representing [—] ordinary shares of the Company, par value US$[—] per share (the “Ordinary Shares”) set forth in Schedule A and Schedule B hereto and (ii) the grant by the Company and the Selling Shareholders to the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the option described in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of [—] additional ADSs. The aforesaid [—] ADSs (the “Initial Securities”) to be purchased by the Underwriters and all or any part of the [—] ADSs subject to the option described in Section 2(b) hereof and as set forth opposite each of their names in Schedule B hereto (the “Option Securities”) are hereinafter referred to, collectively, as the “Securities.” Unless the context otherwise requires, each reference to the Initial Securities, the Option Securities or the Securities herein also includes the Ordinary Shares represented by such Securities.
1
The Company and the Selling Shareholders understand that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities in the United States and internationally outside of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) as soon as the Representatives deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered. Solely for purposes of this Agreement, the term PRC excludes Taiwan, The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“Hong Kong”) and The Macau Special Administrative Region.
The Company hereby acknowledges that, in connection with the proposed offering of the ADSs, it has requested UBS Financial Services Inc. (“UBS-FinSvc”) to administer a directed share program (“Directed Share Program”) pursuant to which up to an aggregate [—] ADSs of the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters (the “Reserved Securities”) shall be reserved for sale by the Underwriters to certain persons designated by the Company (the “Invitees”), as part of the distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters, subject to the terms of this Agreement, the applicable rules, regulations and interpretations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations. The Company solely determined, without any direct or indirect participation by the Underwriters, the Invitees who will purchase Reserved Securities (including the amount to be purchased by such persons) sold by the Underwriters. The Underwriters may offer any Reserved Securities not purchased by the Invitees to the general public on the same basis as the other ADSs being issued and sold hereunder. The Company has supplied UBS-FinSvc with the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the individuals or other entities which the Company has designated to be participants in the Directed Share Program. It is understood that any number of those so designated to participate in the Directed Share Program may decline to do so.
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form F-1 (No. 333-[—]), including the related preliminary prospectus or prospectuses, covering the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement on Form F-6 (No. 333-[—]) covering the registration of the ADSs under the 1933 Act. Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430A (“Rule 430A”) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act (the “1933 Act Regulations”) and paragraph (b) of Rule 424 (“Rule 424(b)”) of the 1933 Act Regulations. The information included in such prospectus that was omitted from such registration statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of such registration statement at the time it became effective pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 430A is referred to as “Rule 430A Information.” Each prospectus used before such registration statement became effective, and any prospectus that omitted the Rule 430A Information, that was used after such effectiveness and prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, is herein called a “preliminary prospectus.” Such registration statement, including the amendments thereto, the exhibits and any schedules thereto, at the time it became effective, and including the Rule 430A Information, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The registration statement relating to the ADSs, as amended at the time it became effective, is hereinafter referred to as the “ADS Registration Statement.” Any registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations is herein referred to as the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,” and after such filing the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities is herein called the “Prospectus.” The Company has filed, in accordance with Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “1934 Act”), a registration statement as amended (the “1934 Act Registration Statement”), on Form 8-A (File No. 001-[—]) under the 1934 Act to register, under Section 12(b) of the 1934 Act, the Ordinary Shares and the ADSs. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement, the 1934 Act Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement (including any prospectus wrapper) to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“XXXXX”).
2
The ADSs purchased by the Underwriters will be evidenced by American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) to be issued pursuant to a deposit agreement dated as of on or about [—], 2014 (the “Deposit Agreement”), to be entered into among the Company, [—], as depositary (the “Depositary”), and all owners and beneficial owners from time to time of the ADSs. Each ADS will initially represent the right to receive [—] Ordinary Shares deposited pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.
[In a separate offering, [—] sold [—] Ordinary Shares to [—] pursuant to a Share Purchase Agreement dated as of [date] (such transaction, the “Private Placement”) in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. The Private Placement will not be integrated with the offering of Shares and ADSs hereunder pursuant to applicable rules and regulations issued under the Securities Act.]
As used in this Agreement:
“Applicable Time” means [—] P.M. (New York City time) on [—], 2014 or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Representatives.
“General Disclosure Package” means any Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses issued at or prior to the Applicable Time, the most recent preliminary prospectus that is distributed to investors prior to the Applicable Time and the information included on Schedule C hereto, all considered together.
“Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus relating to the Securities that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), including without limitation any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 405”)) relating to the Securities that is (i) required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission, or (iii) exempt from filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).
3
“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors (other than a Bona Fide Electronic Road Show (as defined below)), as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule E hereto.
“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.
“Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the 1933 Act.
“Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the 1933 Act.
SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties.
(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, the Applicable Time referred to in Section 1(a)(i) hereof, the Closing Time referred to in Section 2(c) hereof, and as of each Date of Delivery (if any) referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:
(i) Registration Statements and Prospectuses. Each of the Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement and any amendment thereto has become effective under the 1933 Act. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the 1933 Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated. The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information.
Each of the Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations. Each preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time each was filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations. Each preliminary prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering and the Prospectus was or will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to XXXXX, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
4
The Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and the ADS Registration Statement and the filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and the ADS Registration Statement with the Commission have been duly authorized by and on behalf of the Company, and the Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement has been duly executed pursuant to such authorization.
(ii) Accurate Disclosure. None of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or any amendments thereto, at its effective time, at the Closing Time or at any Date of Delivery, contained, contains or will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. As of the Applicable Time, none of (A) the General Disclosure Package, (B) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, and (C) and individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto, as of its issue date, at the time of any filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), at the Closing Time or at any Date of Delivery, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein. For purposes of this Agreement, the only information so furnished shall be the information in the second, third and fourth paragraphs under the heading “Underwriting–Price Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids” and the addresses of the Underwriters under the heading “Underwriting–Electronic Prospectus” in each case contained in the Prospectus (collectively, the “Underwriter Information”).
(iii) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. No Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. The Company has made available a Bona Fide Electronic Road Show in compliance with Rule 433(d)(8)(ii) such that no filing of any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433(h)) is required in connection with the offering of the Securities.
5
(iv) Company Not Ineligible Issuer. At the time of filing the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) of the Securities, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations, without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer.
(v) Testing-the-Waters Materials. The Company (A) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives and (B) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications.
(vi) Emerging Growth Company Status. From the time of the initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any Person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).
(vii) Financial Statements. The financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of Regulation S-X under the 1934 Act, and present fairly the financial position of the Company and its Subsidiaries (as defined below) at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its Subsidiaries for the periods specified; and said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules present fairly in all material respects in accordance with US GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included therein. Except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the 1934 Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the 1933 Act, to the extent applicable.
6
(viii) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no material adverse change in the business, properties, condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that are material with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (C) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its share capital, (D) there has not been any obligation or liability, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), incurred by the Company or any or its Subsidiaries, which is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, and (E) there has not been any change in the capital stock or material adverse change in the outstanding indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiaries.
(ix) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(x) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Except as disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or entity other than the subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities listed on Exhibit 21.1 to the Registration Statement (each a “Subsidiary” and collectively the “Subsidiaries”). Each of the Subsidiaries has been duly organized and is validly existing in good standing (to the extent such concept exists) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; and all of the issued and outstanding share capital or equity interest of each Subsidiary, if applicable, has been duly authorized and validly issued, and is fully paid and non-assessable. None of the outstanding share capital or equity interest of any of the Subsidiaries was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any security holder of such entity. Except as disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the issued and outstanding share capital or equity interest of each of the Subsidiaries owned by the Company, directly or through Subsidiaries, is free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.
7
(xi) Capitalization. The Securities and all other outstanding share capital of the Company have been duly authorized; the authorized and outstanding share capital of the Company conform to the description in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, upon the issuance and sale of the Initial Securities, the Company shall have an authorized and outstanding share capital as set forth under the column of the capitalization table labeled “Pro Forma” in the “Capitalization” section (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to reservations, agreements or employee benefit plans referred to in the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of convertible securities or options referred to in the Prospectus); all outstanding share capital of the Company are and, when the Securities and the underlying Ordinary Shares have been issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement at the Closing Time or each Date of Delivery, as the case may be, such Securities will have been validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and will conform to the information in the General Disclosure Package and to the description of such Securities contained in the Prospectus; the shareholders of the Company have no preemptive rights with respect to the Securities, and none of the outstanding share capital of the Company, including the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Selling Shareholders, have been issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights of any security holder; the Securities and the underlying Ordinary Shares to be sold by the Company, when issued and delivered against payment heretofore pursuant to this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, will not be subject to any security interest, other encumbrance or adverse claims, and will have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws and will not have been issued in violation of any preemptive right, right of first refusal or similar right; except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and subject to the terms and provisions of the Deposit Agreement, there are no restrictions on transfers of Ordinary Shares represented by the Securities or the Securities under the laws of the Cayman Islands or the United States, as the case may be; and the Ordinary Shares represented by the Securities may be freely deposited by the Company with the Depositary or its nominee against issuance of ADRs evidencing the Securities as contemplated by the Deposit Agreement.
(xii) Possession of Licenses and Permits. Except as disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its Subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate national, provincial, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, except where a failure to so possess would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; The Company and its Subsidiaries are, and have at all times been, in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses except where a failure to so comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. All of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Government Licenses where a failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
8
(xiii) SAFE Compliance. Except as disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has taken all reasonable steps to comply with, and to cause all of the Company’s shareholders who are PRC residents or PRC citizens, to comply with any applicable rules and regulations of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE Rules and Regulations”), including, without limitation, taking reasonable steps to require each shareholder that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or PRC citizen to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable SAFE Rules and Regulations.
(xiv) M&A Rules. The Company is aware of and has been advised as to, the content of the Rules on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Tax Administration, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of China on August 8, 2006 (the “M&A Rules”), in particular the relevant provisions thereof that purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles formed for the purpose of obtaining a stock exchange listing outside of PRC and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or natural persons, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of their securities on stock exchange located outside of PRC; the Company has received legal advice specifically with respect to the M&A Rules from its PRC counsel and the Company understands such legal advice; and the Company has fully communicated such legal advice from its PRC counsel to each of its directors that signed the Registration Statement and each such director has confirmed that he or she understands such legal advice. Except as disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,, the issuance and sale of the Ordinary Shares and the Securities, the listing and trading of the Securities on the NASDAQ Global Market Inc. and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement are not and will not be, as of the date hereof, at the Closing Time on each Date of Delivery, adversely affected by the M&A Rules or any official clarifications, guidance, interpretations or implementation rules in connection with or related to the M&A Rules, including the guidance and notices issued by the CSRC on September 8 and September 21, 2006 (collectively, the “M&A Rules and Related Clarifications”). As of the date hereof, except as disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the M&A Rules and Related Classifications did not and do not require the Company to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the issuance and sale of the Ordinary Shares and the Securities, the listing and trading of the Securities on the NASDAQ Global Market Inc., or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement.
9
(xv) Independent Accountants. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants LLP (“Deloitte”), who have certified the financial statements and supporting schedules filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement, are independent public accountants as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.
(xvi) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(xvii) Authorization and Description of Securities. The Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable; and the issuance of the Securities is not subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any security holder of the Company. The Ordinary Shares conforms to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and such description conforms to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same. No holder of Securities will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder.
(xviii) Authorization of Deposit Agreement. The Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized, and when executed and delivered by the Company will, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Depositary, constitute a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforceability, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles; upon due issuance by the Depositary of the ADRs evidencing the Securities against the deposit of the underlying Ordinary Shares in respect thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADRs will be duly and validly issued and the persons in whose names the ADRs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified therein and in the Deposit Agreement; and the Deposit Agreement and the ADRs conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. There has been no change in the Company’s agreement with the Depositary in connection with any pre-release of the Company’s ADRs and no such change is currently contemplated.
(xix) Listing. The ADSs have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject only to notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution.
10
(xx) Absence of Violations, Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is (A) in violation of its Organizational Documents (as defined below), (B) in default (or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would be in default) in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them is bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary is subject (collectively, “Agreements and Instruments”), (C) in violation of any law, statute, regulation, rule, judgment, order, writ or decree of any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, assets or operations (each, a “Governmental Entity”), or (D) in breach or in default of any of the Government Licenses, and except, in the case of clauses (B), (C) and (D), for such defaults, breaches or violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxi) Absence of Existing Defaults and Conflicts Resulting from the Transaction. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein or therein and in the Registration Statement (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the Ordinary Shares represented by the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Statutory Prospectus included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments, except for such defaults, breaches or violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, nor will such action result in (A) any violation of the provisions of Organizational Documents of the Company or any Subsidiary, (B) an violation of any applicable law, statute, regulation, rule, judgment, order, writ or decree of any Governmental Entity, or (C) any breach or default of the Governmental Licenses, except, in the case of clause (B) and (C), for such defaults, breaches or violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. As used herein, “Organizational Documents” means, with respect to any person, the memorandum of association, articles of association, articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, bylaws and any charter, partnership agreements, joint venture agreements or other organizational documents of such entity and any amendments thereto. A “Repayment Event” means any event or condition that gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any Subsidiary.
(xxii) Absence of Labor Dispute. Except as disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, which, in either case, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
11
(xxiii) Absence of Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any Governmental Entity now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company or any Subsidiary, that is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement (other than as disclosed therein), or which might result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which might materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder or thereunder; and the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective property or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxiv) Corporate Structure. The description of the corporate structure of the Company, as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Corporate Structure” is true and accurate in all material respects and nothing has been omitted from such description which would make it misleading in any material respect. There is no other agreement, contract or other document relating to the corporate structure or the operation of the Company and its Subsidiaries to the extent material to the Company, which has not been previously disclosed or made available to the Underwriters and disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xxv) Accurate Summaries. The statements in the Statutory Prospectus included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the headings “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Dividend Policy,” “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities,” “Business,” “Regulation,” “Management,” “Related Party Transactions,” “Description of Share Capital,” “Description of American Depositary Shares,” “Shares Eligible for Future Sale,” “Taxation” and “Underwriting,” insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings in all material respects and present the material information required to be shown.
(xxvi) Accuracy of Exhibits. There are no contracts or other documents of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or the Statutory Prospectus or required to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement, that have not been described and filed as required.
12
(xxvii) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patents rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on the business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has infringed or is infringing the intellectual property of a third party or has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate would result in a Material Adverse Effect
(xxviii) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any Governmental Entity is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement, except (A) such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the rules of the NASDAQ Global Market Inc., state securities laws or the rules of FINRA and (B) such as have been obtained under the laws and regulations of jurisdictions outside the United States in which the Reserved Securities were offered.
(xxix) Absence of Manipulation. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor any of their respective directors, officers, affiliates or controlling person has taken, nor will the Company or any affiliate take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or which would be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(xxx) Title to Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries and good title to all other properties owned by them, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or except where failure to have good and marketable title to such real property or good title to all other properties owned by them would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; and except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, are valid, subsisting, enforceable and in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any notice of any material claim that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any Subsidiary under any of the material leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such Subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such material lease or sublease.
(xxxi) Investment Company Act. The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
13
(xxxii) Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its Subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or Governmental Entity, against or affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.
(xxxiii) Registration Rights and Other Rights. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered by the Company under the 1933 Act.
Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (A) no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to issue or sell to it any Ordinary Shares or any other share capital of or other equity interests in the Company, (B) no person has any preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase any Ordinary Shares or any other share capital of or other equity interests in the Company and (C) no person has the right to act as an underwriter or as a financial advisor to the Company in connection with the offer and sale of the Ordinary Shares; and no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to register under the 1933 Act any Ordinary Shares or any other share capital of or other equity interests in the Company, or to include any such shares or interests in the Registration Statement or the offering contemplated by the Registration Statement.
14
(xxxiv) Accounting Controls. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries maintains a system of internal accounting controls, including, but not limited to, disclosure controls and procedures, internal controls over accounting matters and financial reporting and legal and regulatory compliance controls (collectively, “Internal Controls”) that are sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Such Internal Controls have been supervised by the Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer, or by persons acting under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with US GAAP. The Internal Controls, upon consummation of the offering of the Securities, will be overseen by the audit committee of the board (the “Audit Committee”) in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1934 Act.
(xxxv) Absence of Accounting Issues. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (1) no other material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (2) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company is not reviewing or investigating, and neither the Company’s independent auditors nor its internal auditors have recommended that the Company review or investigate, (i) adding to, deleting, changing the application of, or changing the Company’s disclosure with respect to, any of the Company’s material accounting policies, (ii) any matter that could result in a restatement of the Company’s financial statements for any annual or interim period during the current or prior three fiscal years, or (iii) any significant deficiency, material weakness, change in Internal Controls or fraud involving management or other employees who have a significant role in Internal Controls.
(xxxvi) Critical Accounting Policies. The section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus accurately and fairly describes in all material respects (A) accounting policies that the Company believes are the most important in the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and that require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments (“Critical Accounting Policies”), (B) judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of the Critical Accounting Policies, and (C) the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions; and the Company’s management have reviewed and agreed with the selection, application and disclosure of the Critical Accounting Policies as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and have consulted with its independent accountants with regards to such disclosure.
15
(xxxvii) Compliance with the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act. The Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that, upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the Company will be in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”) that are then in effect and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(xxxviii) Payment of Taxes. The Company and its Subsidiaries have filed all material tax returns that are required to have been filed by them pursuant to applicable national, provincial, local and non-U.S. tax law, and have paid all material taxes due pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any assessment received by the Company and its Subsidiaries, except for such taxes, if any, as are being contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been provided. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company in respect of any income and corporation tax liability for any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined, except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxxix) Insurance. Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its Subsidiaries carry or are entitled to the benefits of insurance, with financially sound and reputable insurers, in such amounts and covering such risks as is generally maintained by companies of established repute engaged in the same or similar business in the PRC, and all such insurance is in full force and effect. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any Subsidiary will not be able (A) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire, or (B) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither of the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been denied any insurance coverage which it has sought or for which it has applied.
(xl) Statistical and Market-Related Data. Any statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate, and, except to the extent that a written consent for the use of data is not required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources and such consent has not been revoked.
(xli) Dividend Payment. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no Subsidiary is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such Subsidiary’s share capital or equity interest, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such Subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such Subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other Subsidiary of the Company.
16
(xlii) Payments in Foreign Currency. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, under current laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands and any political subdivision thereof, all dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the Securities and the underlying Ordinary Shares may be paid by the Company to the holder thereof in United States dollars and freely transferred out of the Cayman Islands and all such payments made to holders thereof or therein who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands will not be subject to income, withholding or other taxes under laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands, or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein and will otherwise be free and clear of any other tax, duty, withholding or deduction in the Cayman Islands or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein and without the necessity of obtaining any governmental authorization in the Cayman Islands or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein.
(xliii) Business Practices. None of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, any of their respective directors or officers or, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and will maintain policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representation and warranty contained herein.
(xliv) No Violation of Sanctions. None of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, any of their respective directors or officers or, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, employee, affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is an individual or entity (“Person”) currently the subject or target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government, including, without limitation, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions; and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the sale of the Securities, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other Person, to fund any activities of or business with any Person, or in any country or territory, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of Sanctions or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any Person (including any Person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions.
17
(xlv) Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any Governmental Entity (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any Governmental Entity involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(xlvi) No Finder’s Fee. Except pursuant to this Agreement, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has incurred any liability for any brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the consummation of the transaction contemplated hereby or by the Registration Statement.
(xlvii) Related Party Transactions. All the related party transactions required to be disclosed under the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act, the 1933 Act and the 1934 Act are disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and Final Prospectus under the heading “Related Party Transactions,” and such disclosure is true and accurate in all material respects.
(xlviii) Passive Foreign Investment Company. Based upon the nature of the Company’s business and estimates of the value of its assets, including goodwill, which is based on the expected price of the ADSs in the offering, the Company does not expect to be a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes for its current taxable year or in the foreseeable future.
(xlix) Foreign Private Issuer. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the 1933 Act.
(l) No Transaction or Other Taxes. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no transaction, stamp or other issuance, registration, transfer or withholding taxes or duties are payable in any of the PRC, Hong Kong or the Cayman Islands by or on behalf of the Underwriters to any PRC, Hong Kong or Cayman Islands taxing authority in connection with (A) the issuance, sale and delivery of the Ordinary Shares represented by the Securities by the Company and the Selling Shareholders, the issuance of the Securities by the Depositary, and the delivery of the Securities to or for the account of the Underwriters, (B) the purchase from the Company and the Selling Shareholders, and the initial sale and delivery by the Underwriters of the Securities to purchasers thereof in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, (C) the deposit of the Ordinary Shares with the Depositary and the Custodian (as defined in the Deposit Agreement) and the issuance and delivery of the ADRs evidencing the Securities or (D) other than nominal stamp duty if this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement is executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands, the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement.
18
(li) Validity of Choice of Law. The choice of the law of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement are valid choices of law under the laws of the Cayman Islands and PRC and will be honored by courts in the Cayman Islands and PRC, subject to the conditions and restrictions described under the caption “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities” in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to compliance with relevant civil procedural requirements (which do not involve a re-examination of the merits of the claim) in the PRC. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 16 of this Agreement and Section 7.6 of the Deposit Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each United States federal court and New York state court located in the Borough of Manhattan, in Xxx Xxxx xx Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxxxxx Xxxxxx (each, a “New York Court”), and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and authorize, and pursuant to Section 16 of this Agreement and Section 7.6 of the Deposit Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably designated, appointed an authorized agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Deposit Agreement or the Securities in any New York Court, and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over the Company as provided in Section 16 of this Agreement and Section 7.6 of the Deposit Agreement.
(lii) No Immunity. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the extent applicable, any of their respective properties, assets or revenues has any right of immunity under Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxx Xxxx, XXX, Xxx Xxxx xx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx federal law, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any such legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxx Xxxx, XXX, Xxx Xxxx xx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx federal court, from service of process, attachment upon or prior to judgment, or attachment in aid of execution of judgment, or from execution of a judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of a judgment, in any such court, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, the Deposit Agreement or the Securities; and, to the extent that the Company, or any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, each of the Company and its Subsidiaries waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by law and has consented to such relief and enforcement as provided in Section 16 of this Agreement and Section [—] of the Deposit Agreement.
(liii) Judgment Currency. Any final judgment for a fixed sum of money rendered by a New York Court having jurisdiction under New York law in respect of any suit, action or proceeding against the Company based upon this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement would be recognized and enforced against the Company by Cayman Islands courts without re-examining the merits of the case under the common law doctrine of obligation; provided that (A) adequate service of process has been effected and the defendant has had a reasonable opportunity to be heard, (B) such judgments or the enforcement thereof are not contrary to the law, public policy, security or sovereignty of the Cayman Islands, (C) such judgments were not obtained by fraudulent means and do not conflict with any other valid judgment in the same matter between the same parties, and (D) an action between the same parties in the same matter is not pending in any Cayman Islands court at the time the lawsuit is instituted in the foreign court.
19
(liv) No Unapproved Marketing Documents. The Company has not distributed and, prior to the later of the Closing Time or any Date of Delivery and the completion of the distribution of the Securities, will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to which the Representatives have consented in accordance with this Agreement and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus set forth on Schedule E hereto.
(lv) Employee Benefits. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its Subsidiaries have no obligation to provide retirement, death or disability benefits to any of the present or past employees of the Company or any Subsidiary, or to any other person; and the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all applicable laws relating to employee benefits in all material respects.
(lvi) No Broker-Dealer Affiliation. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no affiliations or associations between any member of FINRA and the Company or any of the officers or directors of the Company or its Subsidiaries, or holders of 5% or greater of the Company’s unregistered equity securities that were acquired at any time on or after the 180th day immediately preceding the date the Registration Statement was initially filed with the Commission.
(lvii) No Additional Sale of Securities. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not sold, issued or distributed any shares during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A, Regulation D or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants.
(lviii) Sales of Reserved Securities. In connection with any offer and sale of Reserved Securities outside the United States, each preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus, any prospectus wrapper and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time it was filed, or if not filed, issued, complied and will comply in all material respects with any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions in which the same is distributed. The Company has not offered, or caused the Representatives to offer, Reserved Securities to any person with the specific intent to unlawfully influence (i) a customer or supplier of the Company or any of its affiliates to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with any such entity or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any of its affiliates, or their respective businesses or products.
20
(lix) Lending Relationship. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any Underwriter and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.
(lx) No Trading. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is engaged in any trading activities involving commodity contracts or other trading contracts that are not currently traded on a securities or commodities exchange.
(lxi) Private Placement. The Private Placement was conducted in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and all requirements of Regulation S or of such exemption were duly complied with by [—] and [—].
(lxii) No Integration. The Private Placement will not be integrated with the offering of Shares and ADSs hereunder pursuant to applicable rules and regulations issued under the Securities Act.
(b) Representations and Warranties by the Selling Shareholders. The Selling Shareholders represent and warrant to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, the Applicable Time and the Closing Time, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:
(i) Accurate Disclosure. None of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto includes any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, provided that such representations and warranties set forth in this subsection (b)(i) apply only to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to each of the Selling Shareholders furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholders expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any other Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (the “Selling Shareholder Information”); the Selling Shareholders are not prompted to sell the Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders hereunder by any information concerning the Company or any subsidiary of the Company which is not set forth in the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.
(ii) Authorization of Agreements. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholders. The power of attorney (the “Power of Attorney”) and the custody agreement (the “Custody Agreement”) relating to this offering, in the form heretofore furnished to the Representatives, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling Shareholders and is the valid and binding agreement of such Selling Shareholders, and such Power of Attorney has not been revoked, cancelled or terminated at any time.
21
(iii) Good Standing. Such Selling Shareholder that is a corporation has been duly organized and is validly existing as a company in good standing in its jurisdiction of incorporation, if applicable.
(iv) Noncontravention. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the sale and delivery of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholders and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and compliance by such Selling Shareholders with their obligations hereunder do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any tax, lien, charge or encumbrance upon the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholders or any property or assets of such Selling Shareholders pursuant to any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, license, lease or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Shareholders are a party or by which such Selling Shareholders are bound, or to which any of the property or assets of such Selling Shareholders are subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of Organizational Documents of such Selling Shareholders, if applicable, or any applicable treaty, law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over such Selling Shareholders or any of its properties.
(v) Valid Title. Such Selling Shareholders have, and at the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery will have (A) valid title to the Ordinary Shares underlying the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholders, free and clear of all security interests, claims, liens, equities or other encumbrances and (B) the legal right and power and any authorizations and approvals required by law, to enter into this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement and to sell, transfer and deliver the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholders.
(vi) Ordinary Shares Freely Depositable. The Ordinary Shares represented by the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholders may be freely deposited by such Selling Shareholders with the Depositary or with the Custodian as agent for the Depositary in accordance with the Deposit Agreement against the issuance of ADRs evidencing the Securities representing such Ordinary Shares so deposited by such Selling Shareholders.
(vii) Security Interests. Upon payment for the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholders under this Agreement and the crediting of such Securities to a securities account maintained by the Representative at The Depository Trust Company (the “DTC”) or its nominee, the Underwriters will acquire a securities entitlement (within the meaning of Section 8-501 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code (the “UCC”) with respect to such Securities, and no action based on an “adverse claim” (as defined in Section 8-102 of the UCC) may be asserted against the Underwriters with respect to such securities entitlement if, at such time, the Underwriters do not have notice of any adverse claim within the meaning of Section 8-105 of the UCC.
22
(viii) Absence of Manipulation. Such Selling Shareholders have not taken, and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or would be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(ix) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or consent, approval, authorization, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign, is necessary or required for the performance by such Selling Shareholders of their obligations hereunder, or in connection with the sale and delivery of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under applicable securities laws.
(x) No Association with the FINRA. Neither such Selling Shareholders nor any of their affiliates directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, or is a person associated with, any member firm of the FINRA.
(xi) No Conflicting Obligations. The Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholders hereunder are subject to the interest of the Underwriters, and the obligations of such Selling Shareholders hereunder shall not be terminated by any act of such Selling Shareholders, by operation of law or the occurrence of any other event.
(xii) No Finder’s Fee. Other than as contemplated herein, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between such Selling Shareholders and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against such Selling Shareholders or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with this offering.
(xiii) No Stamp or Transaction Taxes. No transaction, stamp, capital or other issuance, registration, transaction, transfer or withholding taxes or duties are payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters in connection with (A) the sale and delivery of the Ordinary Shares represented by the Securities by such Selling Shareholders, the issuance of the Securities by the Depositary, and the delivery of such Securities to or for the account of the Underwriters, (B) the purchase from such Selling Shareholders and the initial sale and delivery by the Underwriters of the Securities to purchasers thereof, (C) the deposit by such Selling Shareholders of the Ordinary Shares with the Depositary and the Custodian (as defined in the Deposit Agreement) and the issuance and delivery of the ADRs evidencing the Securities, or (D) other than nominal stamp duty if this Agreement is executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands, the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
(xiv) No Other Marketing Documents. Such Selling Shareholders have not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the Closing Time or the latest Date of Delivery and the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Securities, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities by such Selling Shareholders, including any free writing prospectus.
23
(xv) No Registration or Other Similar Rights. Other than as disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package ad the Prospectus, such Selling Shareholders do not have, or has waived prior to the date hereof, any registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale by the Company under the Registration Statement or included in this offering.
(xvi) No Pre-emptive Rights. Such Selling Shareholders do not have, or have waived prior to the date hereof, any preemptive right, right of first refusal or other similar right to purchase any of the Securities that are to be sold by the Company to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement; and such Selling Shareholders do not own any warrants, options or similar rights to acquire, and does not have any right or arrangement to acquire, any capital shares, right, warrants, options or other securities from the Company, other than those described in each of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xvii) Sanctions. (i) Neither such Selling Shareholders nor any of its subsidiaries, nor any director, officer, or employee thereof, nor, to such Selling Shareholders’ knowledge, any agent, affiliate or representative of such Selling Shareholders or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is:
(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) , the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union (“EU”), Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor
(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Burma/Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria).
(ii) Such Selling Shareholders will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:
(A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or
(B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
24
(xviii) Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of such Selling Shareholders and their subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where such Selling Shareholders and their subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving such Selling Shareholders or any of their subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of such Selling Shareholders, threatened.
(c) Officer’s Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries delivered to the Representatives or to the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby; and any certificate signed by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholders as such and delivered to the Representatives or to the Underwriters pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be deemed a representation and warranty by such Selling Shareholders to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.
SECTION 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.
(a) Initial Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company and the Selling Shareholders agree to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company and the Selling Shareholders, at the price per ADS set forth in Schedule C, that proportion of the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule B opposite the name of the Company and the Selling Shareholders, which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional number of Initial Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject, in each case, to such adjustments among the Underwriters as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional securities.
Executed transfer forms for the Ordinary Shares represented by the Securities to be sold by a Selling Shareholder hereunder have been placed in custody, for delivery under this Agreement, under Custody Agreements made with the Company, as the custodian. Each Selling Shareholder agrees that the Ordinary Shares represented by the transfer forms held in custody for such Selling Shareholders under such Custody Agreements are subject to the interests of the Underwriters hereunder, that the arrangements made by such Selling Shareholders for such custody are to that extent irrevocable, and that the obligations of such Selling Shareholders hereunder shall not be terminated by operation of law, whether by the death of any Selling Shareholder that is a natural person or the occurrence of any other event, or in the case of a trust, by the death of any trustee or trustees or the termination of such trust. If any Selling Shareholder that is a natural person or any such trustee or trustees should die, or if any other such event should occur, or if any of such trusts should terminate, before the delivery of the Initial Securities hereunder, such Initial Securities shall be delivered by the Company, as the custodian, in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement as if such death or other event or termination had not occurred, regardless of whether or not the Company, as the custodian, shall have received notice of such death or other event or termination.
25
(b) Option Securities. In addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company and the Selling Shareholders hereby grant an option to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase up to an additional [—] Option Securities, as set forth in Schedule B, at the price per ADS set forth in Schedule C, less an amount per ADS equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Initial Securities but not payable on the Option Securities. The option hereby granted may be exercised for 30 days after the date hereof and may be exercised in whole or in part at any time from time to time upon notice by the Representatives to the Company and the Selling Shareholders setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment and delivery for such Option Securities. Any such time and date of delivery (a “Date of Delivery”) shall be determined by the Representatives, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Time, as hereinafter defined. If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Securities, each of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, will purchase that proportion of the total number of Option Securities then being purchased which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject in each case to such adjustments as the Representatives in their discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares.
(c) Payment. The Company and the Selling Shareholders will deliver the Initial Securities to or as instructed by the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters through the facilities of the DTC in a form reasonably acceptable to the Representatives against payment of the purchase price by the Underwriters in Federal (same day) funds by wire transfer to an account at a bank acceptable to the Representatives drawn to the order of the Company, at 9:00 A.M., (New York City time), on the third (fourth, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M. (New York City time) on any given day) business day after the date hereof (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or at such other time not later than seven business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company and the Selling Shareholders (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called the “Closing Time”).
In addition, in the event that any or all of the Option Securities are purchased by the Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, such Option Securities shall be made on each Date of Delivery as specified in the notice from the Representatives to the Company and the Selling Shareholders.
The parties to this agreement understand that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for each such Underwriter’s account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, that it has agreed to purchase.
26
The Underwriters shall deduct from the amount so payable to the Company pursuant to this Section 2(c) the gross commissions to the Underwriters and all expenses payable by the Company under Section 4(a) of this Agreement.
(d) Denominations; Registration. The ADRs evidencing the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, shall be in definitive form, in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request in writing at least one full business day before the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be.
SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company and the Selling Shareholders.
(a) The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:
(i) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests. The Company, subject to Section 3(a)(ii), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430A, and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, the 1934 Act Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus (including any prospectus wrapper) or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement, the 1934 Act Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the 1934 Act Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will effect all filings required under Rule 424(b), in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus.
The Company will use reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order, prevention or suspension and, if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
27
(ii) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus is relating to the Securities (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 172”), would be) required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(a)(ii), such amendment or supplement or Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment, supplement or Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as the Underwriters may reasonably request. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement relating to the Securities or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.
(iii) Filing of Amendments and Exchange Act Documents. The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the 1934 Act Registration Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations) or any amendment, supplement or revision to either the prospectus included in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement and the 1934 Act Registration Statement at the time it became effective or to the Prospectus, and will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall object. The Company has given the Representatives notice of any filings made pursuant to the 1934 Act or rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1934 Act within 48 hours prior to the Applicable Time; and the Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to make any such filing from the Applicable Time to the Closing Time and will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall object.
28
(iv) Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement and the 1934 Act Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Representatives, without charge, conformed copies of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement and the 1934 Act Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The copies of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement, the 1934 Act Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to XXXXX, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T under the Act.
(v) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to XXXXX, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T under the Act.
(vi) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions within or outside of the United States as the Representatives may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required to complete the distribution of the Securities; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.
(vii) Rule 158. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its shareholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Underwriters the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.
(viii) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds”.
(ix) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the ADSs (including the Securities) on the New York Stock Exchange.
29
(x) Restriction on Sale of ADSs and Ordinary Shares. For the period of 180 days after the date of this Agreement (the “Lock-Up Period”), the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters, (i) directly or indirectly, offer, sell, pledge, contract to sell, announce the intention to sell, issue, lend, grant or purchase any option, right or warrant for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of or transfer, any ADSs, Ordinary Shares underlying the ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ADSs or Ordinary Shares (the “Lock-up Securities”), (ii) file or publicly disclose its intention to file any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing, or (iii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Lock-up Securities, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above is to be settled by delivery of the Lock-Up Securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A) the sale and transfer of the ADSs and the underlying Ordinary Shares in the current offering, (B) the issuance of share options to the Company’s directors, officers and employees, (C) the issuance of the Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of employee share options existing on the date of the Prospectus or (D) the filing of a registration statement on Form S-8 in respect of the Company’s share option plans.
(xi) If the Representatives, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a lock-up agreement described in Section 5(v) hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provides the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of set forth Exhibit A hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
(xii) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. During the five-year period after the date of this Agreement, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and, upon request, to each of the other Underwriters, as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, a copy of its annual report to shareholders for such year; and the Company will furnish to the Representatives (i) as soon as available, a copy of each report of the Company filed with the Commission under the 1934 Act or mailed to shareholders, and (ii) from time to time, such other information concerning the Company as the Representatives may reasonably request. However, so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of either Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the 1934 Act and is timely filing reports with the Commission on its XXXXX reporting system, it is not required to furnish such reports or statements filed through XXXXX to the Underwriters.
(xiii) No Stabilization. The Company will not take, and will cause its affiliates (within the meaning of Rule 144 under the 0000 Xxx) not to take, directly or indirectly, any action that constitutes or is designed to cause or result in, or which could reasonably be expected to constitute, cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
30
(xiv) SAFE Compliance. The Company shall take all reasonable steps to comply with, and to cause all of the Company’s shareholders who are PRC residents or PRC citizens, to comply with the SAFE Rules and Regulations, including, without limitation, taking reasonable steps to require each shareholder that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or PRC citizen to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable SAFE Rules and Regulations.
(xv) Transfer Restrictions. The Company shall at all times maintain transfer restrictions with respect to the Company’s ADSs and Ordinary Shares that are subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to this Agreement and the Lock-Up Agreements and shall ensure compliance with such restrictions on transfer of restricted ADSs and Ordinary Shares. The Company shall retain all share certificates that are by their terms subject to transfer restrictions until such time as such transfer restrictions are no longer applicable to such securities.
(xvi) Deposit Agreement. The Company will comply with the terms of the Deposit Agreement so that the ADR evidencing the ADSs will be executed by the Depositary and delivered to each Underwriter’s participant account in DTC, pursuant to this Agreement at the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery.
(xvii) Cayman Islands Approvals. The Company agrees (i) not to attempt to avoid any judgment obtained by it or denied to it in a court of competent jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, (ii) following the consummation of the offering of the Securities, it will use its best efforts to obtain and maintain all approvals required in the Cayman Islands to pay and remit outside the Cayman Islands all dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Ordinary Shares, and (iii) it will use its best efforts to obtain and maintain all approvals required in the Cayman Islands, if any, for the Company to acquire sufficient foreign exchange for the payment of dividends and all other relevant purposes.
(xviii) Sarbanes Oxley Act. The Company will use its best efforts to comply with the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act, and to use its best efforts to cause the Company’s Subsidiaries and their respective directors and officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with the applicable provisions of Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
(xix) OFAC. The Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the Securities hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the OFAC.
(xx) Testing-the-Waters Materials. If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
31
(xxi) Emerging Growth Company Status. The Company will promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of the Securities within the meaning of the Securities Act and (ii) completion of the 180-day restricted period referred to in Section 3(a)(x).
(b) The Selling Shareholders covenant with each Underwriter as follows:
(i) W-9 / W-8 Form. Such Selling Shareholders agree to procure delivery to the Representative on or prior to the Closing Time a properly completed and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-9 or applicable Form W-8 (or other applicable form or statement specified by Treasury Department regulations in lieu thereof).
(ii) Interest of Underwriters. Such Selling Shareholders understand that the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholders hereunder are subject to the interests of the Underwriters and that the obligations of such Selling Shareholders hereunder shall not be terminated by any act of such Selling Shareholders, by operation of law, by the death or incapacity of any individual Selling Shareholders or, in the case of a trust, by the death or incapacity of any executor or trustee or the termination of such trust, or the occurrence of any other event.
(iii) Material Event. Such Selling Shareholders agree to notify promptly the Company and the Representative if, at any time prior to the date on which the distribution of the Securities as contemplated herein and in the Prospectus has been completed, as determined by the Representative, such Selling Shareholders have knowledge of the occurrence of any event relating to such Selling Shareholders as a result of which the Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement, in each case as then amended or supplemented, would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein (except in the case of the Registration Statement), in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading.
(iv) Further Agreement. Such Selling Shareholders agree to cooperate to the extent necessary to cause the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto to become effective at the earliest practical time and to do and perform all things to be done and performed under this Agreement prior to the Closing Time and to satisfy all conditions precedent of such Selling Shareholders to the delivery of the Securities and underlying Ordinary Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholders pursuant to this Agreement.
32
(v) Taxes. Such Selling Shareholders agree to pay, or cause to be paid all taxes, if any, or the transfer and sale of the Securities being sold by such Selling Shareholders.
(c) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Each of the Company and the Selling Shareholders represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations, required to be filed with the Commission or in the case of the Selling Shareholders, whether or not required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Company and the Representatives is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” Each of the Company and the Selling Shareholders represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission when required, legending and record keeping.
(d) Compliance with FINRA Rules. The Company hereby agrees that it will use its best efforts to ensure that the Reserved Securities will be restricted as required by FINRA or the FINRA rules from sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation for a period of three months following the date of this Agreement. The Underwriters will notify the Company as to which persons will need to be so restricted. Should the Company release, or seek to release, from such restrictions any of the Reserved Securities, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for any reasonable expenses (including, without limitation, legal expenses) they incur in connection with such release.
SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Expenses. [The Company and the Selling Shareholders, jointly and severally, agree to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of their obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) and the ADS Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation and delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the ADRs evidencing the Securities to the Underwriters, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements of counsels, accountants and other advisors to the Company, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(a)(vi) hereof, including filing fees in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, (vii) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Securities, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Securities, including without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, travel and lodging expenses of the officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with the road show, (ix) the filing fees incident to the review by the FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Securities; (x) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Securities on the NASDAQ Global Market, (xi) the costs and expenses of qualifying the Securities for inclusion in the book-entry settlement system of the DTC; (xii) the costs and expenses (including without limitation any damages or other amounts payable in connection with legal or contractual liability) associated with the reforming of any contracts for sale of the Securities made by the Underwriters caused by a breach of the representation contained in the third paragraph of Section 1(a)(i); and (xiii) costs and expenses of the Underwriters of up to $[—] incurred by them in connection with the road show.]
33
(b) Expenses of the Selling Shareholders. [The Selling Shareholders, jointly and severally, will pay all expenses incident to the performance of their respective performance of their respective obligations under, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by, this Agreement, including (i) any stamp and other duties and stock and other transfer taxes, if any, payable upon the sale of the Securities to the Underwriters and their transfer between the Underwriters pursuant to an agreement between such Underwriters, and (ii) the fees and disbursements of their respective counsel and other advisors.]
(c) Allocation of Expenses. The provisions of this Section shall not affect any agreement that the Company and the Selling Shareholders may make for the sharing of such costs and expenses.
(d) Termination of Agreement. [If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 5, Section 9(a) or Section 10. hereof, the Company shall, in addition to paying the amounts described in Section 4(a) above, reimburse the Underwriters for all of their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including reasonable the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.]
SECTION 5. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Selling Shareholders contained in Section 1 hereof or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or on behalf of the Selling Shareholders delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company and the Selling Shareholders of their covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement have become effective and at the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act, as the case may be, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A prospectus containing the Rule 430A Information shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time frame required by Rule 424(b) without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and declared effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430A.
34
(b) Opinion of U.S. Counsel for the Company. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received an opinion and disclosure letter, each dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, of Xxxxx Xxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP, special U.S. counsel for the Company, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(c) Opinion of Cayman Islands Counsel for the Company. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, of Xxxxxxx Xxxx & Xxxxxxx, Cayman Islands counsel for the Company, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(d) Opinion of PRC Counsel for the Company. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received an opinion and disclosure letter addressed to the Company, dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, of King & Wood Mallesons Lawyers, PRC counsel for the Company, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(e) Opinion of Hong Kong Counsel for the Company. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received an opinion addressed to the Representatives, dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, of Xxxxx Xxxx & Xxxxxxxx, special Hong Kong counsel for the Company, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(f) Opinion of Counsel for Each of the Selling Shareholders in its Jurisdiction of Incorporation. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received an opinion addressed to the Representatives, dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, of counsel for each of the Selling Shareholders in its jurisdiction of incorporation, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(g) Opinion of U.S. Counsel for Each of the Selling Shareholders. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, of U.S. counsel for each of the Selling Shareholders, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
35
(h) Opinion of Depositary’s Counsel. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated as of Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, of [—], counsel for the Depositary, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(i) Opinion of U.S. Counsel for the Underwriters. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, of Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP, U.S. counsel for the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(j) Opinion of PRC Counsel for the Underwriters. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, of Fangda Partners, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(k) Execution of Deposit Agreement. The Company and the Depositary shall have executed and delivered the Deposit Agreement and the Deposit Agreement shall be in full force and effect and the Company and the Depositary shall have taken all action necessary to permit the deposit of the Ordinary Shares and the issuance of the Securities in accordance with the Deposit Agreement.
(l) Depositary’s Certificate. The Depositary shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Underwriters a certificate satisfactory to the Representatives of one of its authorized officers with respect to the deposit with it of the Ordinary Shares represented by the Securities against issuance of the ADRs evidencing the Securities, the execution, issuance, countersignature and delivery of the ADRs evidencing the Securities pursuant to the Deposit Agreement and such other matters related thereto as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(m) Form W-9 / W-8. At or prior to the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received from the each Selling Shareholder the United States Treasury Department Form W-9 or the applicable Form W-8 (or other applicable form or statement specified by Treasury Department regulations in lieu thereof) properly completed and executed by each Selling Shareholder.
(n) Eligible for DTC Clearance. At or prior to the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Securities shall be eligible for clearance and settlement through the facilities of the DTC.
(o) No Free Writing Prospectus. No Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, Prospectus or amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall have been filed to which the Representatives object in writing.
36
Each of the Selling Shareholders has not prepared or had prepared on its behalf or used or referred to, any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405), and has not distributed any written materials in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities.
(p) Officers’ Certificates. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, there has not been, since the date hereof, any material adverse change in the business, properties, condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and there shall not have been any adverse legislative or regulatory developments related to the M&A Rules and Related Clarifications that, in the judgment of the Representatives (after consultation with the Company), would make it inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Securities and the Ordinary Shares being delivered at the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated in this Agreement (including any such development that results in either PRC counsel to the Company or PRC counsel to the Underwriters not being able to deliver, at the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, the respective opinions of such counsel). The Representatives shall have received certificates of the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) there has been no such adverse legislative or regulatory developments, (iii) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct in all respects with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, (iv) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time and such Date of Delivery, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to their knowledge, contemplated by the Commission.
(q) Certificate of Selling Shareholders. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received a certificate on behalf of the Selling Shareholders, dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, to the effect that (i) the representations and warranties of the Selling Shareholders contained in Section 1(b) are true and correct in all respects with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time and such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, and (ii) the Selling Shareholders have complied with all agreements and all conditions on its part to be performed under this Agreement at or prior to the Closing Time and such Date of Delivery.
(r) Accountant’s Comfort Letter at the Execution of this Agreement. At the time of the filing of the Prospectus, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
37
(s) Bring-down Comfort Letter. At the Closing Time and each Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte a letter, dated as of the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(t) Approval of Listing. At the Closing Time, the Securities shall have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject only to official notice of issuance.
(u) No Objection. The FINRA has confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements relating to the offering of the Securities.
(v) Lock-up Agreements. At the date of this Agreement, the Lock-Up Agreements, in the form set forth in Exhibit A hereto, signed by each Invitee and the persons listed on Schedule D hereto shall remain in force and not have been repudiated by any of the parties to such agreements.
(w) Additional Documents. At the Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company and the Selling Shareholders in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters. The Company will furnish the Representatives with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and documents as the Representatives reasonably request. The Representatives may in their sole discretion waive on behalf of the Underwriters compliance with any conditions to the obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, whether in respect of a Closing Time, a Delivery Date or otherwise.
(x) Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement, or, in the case of any condition to the purchase of Option Securities on a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, the obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase the relevant Option Securities, may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company and the Selling Shareholders at any time at or prior to the Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17 and 18 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.
38
SECTION 6. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification of Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its directors, officers, affiliates, as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) under the 1933 Act (each, an “Affiliate”), selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons as follows:
(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included (A) in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or (B) in any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Stock (“Marketing Materials”), including any roadshow or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically), or the omission or alleged omission in any preliminary prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, Prospectus or in any Marketing Materials of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any Governmental Entity, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 6(e) below) any such settlement is effected with the prior written consent of the Company;
(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representatives), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any Governmental Entity, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;
provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
39
(b) Indemnification of Underwriters by the Selling Shareholders. Each of the Selling Shareholders agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its directors, officers, Affiliates, selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act to the extent and in the manner set forth in clauses (a)(i), (ii) and (iii) above; provided that each of the Selling Shareholders shall be liable only to the extent that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission has been made in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with the Selling Shareholder Information; provided, further, that the liability under this subsection of each of the Selling Shareholders shall be limited to an amount equal to the aggregate gross proceeds after underwriting commissions and discounts, but before expenses, to each of the Selling Shareholder from the sale of Securities sold by such Selling Shareholder hereunder.
(c) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers and Selling Shareholders. Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, and the Selling Shareholders against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.
(d) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(a) and 6(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Representatives, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(c) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company and each of the Selling Shareholders. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of or based upon the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
40
(e) Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(ii) or settlement of any claim in connection with any violation referred to in Section 6(f) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.
(f) Indemnification for Reserved Securities. Without limitation of and in addition to its obligations under the other paragraphs of this Section 6, in connection with the offer and sale of the Reserved Securities, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters, their Affiliates and selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, from and against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending, investigating or settling any such action or claim), as incurred, (i) arising out of the violation of any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Reserved Securities have been offered, (ii) arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any prospectus wrapper or other material prepared by or with the consent of the Company for distribution to Invitees in connection with the offering of the Reserved Securities or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (iii) caused by the failure of any Invitee to pay for and accept delivery of Reserved Securities which have been orally confirmed for purchase by any Invitee by 9:00 A.M. (New York City time) on the first business day after the date of the Agreement, (iv) related to, or arising out of or in connection with, the offering of the Reserved Securities, or (v) arises out of or is based upon any of the matters referred to in clauses (i) through (iii) of Section 6(a).
41
SECTION 7. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions, or in connection with any violation of the nature referred to in Section 6(f) hereof, which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.
The relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders, on the one hand, and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, on the other hand, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus.
The relative fault of the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Selling Shareholders or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission or any violation of the nature referred to in Section 6(f) hereof.
The Company, the Selling Shareholders and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred and documented by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public.
42
No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 0000 Xxx) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act and each Underwriter’s Affiliates and selling agents shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to the number of Initial Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.
The provisions of this Section shall not affect any agreement among the Company and the Selling Shareholders with respect to contribution.
SECTION 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the Selling Shareholders submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or its Affiliates or selling agents, any person controlling any Underwriter, its officers or directors, any person controlling the Company or any person controlling the Selling Shareholders and (ii) delivery of and payment for the Securities.
SECTION 9. Termination of Agreement.
(a) Termination; General. The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, at any time at or prior to the Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus and General Disclosure Package, any material adverse change or any development involving a prospective change in the business, properties, condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, the effect of which or development is, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the completion of the offering or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States, the PRC, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in U.S., Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the PRC or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or the delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or by, as the case may be, any of the NASDAQ Global Market, New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Global Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, the FINRA or any other governmental authority, or (iv) if a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, the PRC or Hong Kong or if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities or authorities in the PRC or Hong Kong.
43
If the Representatives elect to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section, the Company, the Selling Shareholders and each other Underwriter shall be notified promptly in writing.
(b) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section 9, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17 and 18 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 10. Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at the Closing Time or a Date of Delivery to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:
(a) if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or
(b) if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, this Agreement or, with respect to any Date of Delivery which occurs after the Closing Time, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Option Securities to be purchased and sold on such Date of Delivery shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.
No action taken pursuant to this Section 10 shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.
In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement or, in the case of a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, which does not result in a termination of the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and the Company to sell the relevant Option Securities, as the case may be, either the (i) Representatives or (ii) the Company and the Selling Shareholders shall have the right to postpone the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.
44
SECTION 11. Tax Disclosure. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, immediately upon commencement of discussions with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, the Company (and each employee, representative or other agent of the Company) may disclose to any and all persons, without limitation of any kind, the tax treatment and tax structure of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are provided to the Company relating to such tax treatment and tax structure. For purposes of the foregoing, the term “tax treatment” is the purported or claimed U.S. federal income tax treatment of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the term “tax structure” includes any fact that may be relevant to understanding the purported or claimed U.S. federal income tax treatment of the transactions contemplated hereby.
SECTION 12. Default by one or more of the Selling Shareholders or the Company. (a) If a Selling Shareholder shall fail at the Closing Time or a Date of Delivery, as the case may be, to sell and deliver the number of Securities which such Selling Shareholder or Selling Shareholders are obligated to sell hereunder, and the remaining Selling Shareholders do not exercise the right hereby granted to increase, pro rata or otherwise, the number of Securities to be sold by them hereunder to the total number to be sold by all Selling Shareholders as set forth in Schedule B hereto, then the Underwriters may, at option of the Representatives, by notice from the Representatives to the Company and the non-defaulting Selling Shareholders, either (i) terminate this Agreement without any liability on the fault of any non-defaulting party except that the provisions of Sections 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17 and 18 shall remain in full force and effect or (ii) elect to purchase the Securities which the non-defaulting Selling Shareholders and the Company have agreed to sell hereunder. No action taken pursuant to this Section 12 shall relieve any Selling Shareholder so defaulting from liability, if any, in respect of such default.
In the event of a default by any Selling Shareholder as referred to in this Section 12, each of the Representatives, the Company and the non-defaulting Selling Shareholders shall have the right to postpone the Closing Time or any Date of Delivery, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required change in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements.
(b) If the Company shall fail at the Closing Time or a Date of Delivery, as the case may be, to sell the number of Securities that it is obligated to sell hereunder, then this Agreement shall terminate without any liability on the part of any nondefaulting party; provided, however, that the provisions of Sections 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17 and 18 shall remain in full force and effect. No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve the Company from liability, if any, in respect of such default.
SECTION 13. Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated is One Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, and UBS Securities LLC is 1285 Avenue of the Xxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: Syndicate; and notices to the Company and the Selling Shareholders shall be directed to [—], Attention: [Chief Financial Officer].
45
SECTION 14. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company and the Selling Shareholder acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the initial public offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company and the Selling Shareholders, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company or the Selling Shareholders, any of its Subsidiaries or their respective shareholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or the Selling Shareholders, with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company or the Selling Shareholders on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company or the Selling Shareholders with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of each of the Company and the Selling Shareholders, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company or the Selling Shareholders have consulted its own respective legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.
SECTION 15. Parties. This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters and the Company and the Selling Shareholders and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Shareholders and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and the Selling Shareholders and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.
SECTION 16. Trial by Jury. The Company (on its behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its stockholders and affiliates), each of the Selling Shareholders and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
SECTION 17. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY CLAIM CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
46
SECTION 18. Consent to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Immunity. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) shall be instituted in (i) the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan or (ii) the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. The Company and the Selling Shareholders irrevocably appoints [—] as their agent to receive service of process or other legal summons for purposes of any such suit, action or proceeding that may be instituted in any state or federal court in the City and County of New York. With respect to any Related Proceeding, each party irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all immunity (whether on the basis of sovereignty or otherwise) from jurisdiction, service of process, attachment (both before and after judgment) and execution to which it might otherwise be entitled in the Specified Courts, and with respect to any Related Judgment, each party waives any such immunity in the Specified Courts or any other court of competent jurisdiction, and will not raise or claim or cause to be pleaded any such immunity at or in respect of any such Related Proceeding or Related Judgment, including, without limitation, any immunity pursuant to the United States Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, as amended.
SECTION 19. Judgment Currency. The obligations of the Company and the Selling Shareholders pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any sum due to any Underwriter shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first business day, following receipt by such Underwriter of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency, on which (and only to the extent that) such Underwriter may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency; if the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, the Company and the Selling Shareholders agree, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter against such loss.
SECTION 20. TIME. TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.
SECTION 21. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
47
SECTION 22. Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Shareholders in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours, | ||
By |
| |
Title: |
48
CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written:
Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx | ||
Incorporated | ||
By |
| |
Authorized Signatory | ||
UBS Securities LLC | ||
By |
| |
Authorized Signatory | ||
By |
| |
Authorized Signatory |
For themselves and as Representatives of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.
49
SCHEDULE A
UNDERWRITERS
Name of Underwriters |
Number of Initial Securities |
Number of Option Securities | ||
UBS Securities LLC |
[—] | [—] | ||
Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated |
[—] | [—] | ||
[—] |
[—] | [—] | ||
|
| |||
Total |
[—] | [—] | ||
|
|
Sch A-1
SCHEDULE B
SECURITIES SOLD BY THE COMPANY
Number of Initial Securities to be Sold |
Maximum Number of Option Securities to Be Sold | |||
[—] | [—] | |||
|
| |||
Total |
[—] | [—] | ||
|
|
SECURITIES SOLD BY THE SELLING SHAREHOLDERS
Name of Selling Shareholder | Number of Initial Securities to be Sold |
Maximum Number of Option Securities to Be Sold | ||
[—] |
[—] | [—] | ||
[—] |
[—] | [—] | ||
[—] |
[—] | [—] | ||
[—] |
[—] | [—] | ||
[—] |
[—] | [—] | ||
|
| |||
Total |
[—] | [—] | ||
|
|
Sch B-1
SCHEDULE C
[—] American Depositary Shares
(Par Value US$[—] Per Ordinary Share)
1. The initial public offering price per ADS shall be US$[—].
2. The purchase price per ADS to be paid by the several Underwriters shall be US$[—], being an amount equal to the initial public offering price set forth above less US$[—] per ADS, subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 2(b) for any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Initial Securities but not payable on the Option Securities.
Sch C-1
SCHEDULE D
All Directors
All Executive Officers
All Existing Shareholders
Sch D-1
SCHEDULE E
[Specify each issuer general use free writing prospectus]
Sch E-1
Exhibit A
, 2014
Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx
Incorporated
Xxx Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
UBS Securities LLC
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Re: | Proposed Initial Public Offering by iKang Healthcare Group, Inc. |
Dear Sirs:
The undersigned, a shareholder, officer or director of iKang Healthcare Group, Inc., an exempted company incorporated under the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), understands that Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated (“Xxxxxxx Xxxxx”) and UBS Securities LLC (“UBS”, and together with Xxxxxxx Xxxxx, the “Representatives”) propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with the Company and the other parties named herein providing for the initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”) of American depositary shares (the “Securities”), representing ordinary shares of the Company, par value US$0.01 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”). In recognition of the benefit that such an offering will confer upon the undersigned as a shareholder, officer or director of the Company, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned agrees with each underwriter to be named in the Underwriting Agreement that, during the period beginning on the date hereof and ending on the date that is 180 days from the date of the Underwriting Agreement (the “Lock-up Period”), the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, directly or indirectly, (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares of the Company’s ADSs, Ordinary Shares or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for ADSs or Ordinary Shares, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition (collectively, the “Lock-Up Securities”), or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any of the Lock-up Securities, or file or cause to be filed any registration statement in connection therewith, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities, whether any such swap or transaction is to be settled by delivery of Ordinary Shares or other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to the exercise of any option or warrant by the undersigned to acquire ADSs or Ordinary Shares or conversion of any convertible security into ADSs or Ordinary Shares, provided that any shares of ADSs or Ordinary Shares obtained by such exercise or conversion shall be subject to the terms of this lock-up agreement. If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the foregoing provisions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed Securities the undersigned may purchase in the offering.
Ex. F-1
Notwithstanding the foregoing, and subject to the conditions below, the undersigned may transfer the Lock-Up Securities without the prior written consent of the Representatives, provided that (1) the Representatives receive a signed lock-up agreement for the balance of the Lock-up Period from each donee, trustee, distributee, or transferee, as the case may be, (2) any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, and (3) the undersigned does not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report regarding such transfers:
(i) | as a bona fide gift or gifts or by will or intestate succession upon the death of the undersigned; or |
(ii) | to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned (for purposes of this lock-up agreement, “immediate family” shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin); or |
(iii) | as a distribution to partners, members or stockholders of the undersigned; or |
(iv) | to the undersigned’s affiliates or to any investment fund or other entity controlled or managed by (or under the common control of management with) the undersigned. |
Furthermore, the undersigned may sell ADSs purchased by the undersigned on the open market following the Initial Public Offering if and only if (i) such sales are not required to be reported in any public report or filing with the Securities Exchange Commission, or otherwise and (ii) the undersigned does not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report regarding such sales.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (1) the Representatives agree that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of the Lock-up Securities, the Representatives will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (2) the Company has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the Representatives hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (i) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (ii) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this letter to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.
The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the Lock-Up Securities except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.
2
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if (i) the closing of the public offering has not occurred on or prior to the earlier of (x) the 60th day following the execution of the Underwriting Agreement by all parties thereto, or (y) June 30, 2014, or (ii) the Underwriting Agreement has been terminated before the Date of Delivery for any reason, then, this lock-up agreement shall terminate and be of no further force or effect.
This lock-up agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof.
[Signature Page Follows]
3
Very truly yours, | ||
Signature: |
| |
Print Name: |
|
[Signature Page to Lock-up Agreement]
4
FORM OF PRESS RELEASE
TO BE ISSUED PURSUANT TO SECTION 3(xi) OF THE UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
[Date]
iKang Healthcare Group, Inc. (the “Company”) announced today that Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated, UBS Securities LLC, the representatives of the underwriters in the Company’s recent initial public offering of American Depositary Shares ( underwriters in the Company’s recent initial public offering of State of New York, wer share (the “Ordinary Shares”), is [waiving]/[releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to [—] [ADSs] [Ordinary Shares] held by [certain officers or directors]/[an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver]/[release] will take effect on [—] 2014, and the shares may be sold on or after such date.
This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
5