REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT April 26, 2022
Exhibit 99.2
April 26, 2022
This REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), is made and entered into as of the date first above written, by and among AMTD IDEA GROUP, a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands whose registered office is at Xxxxxxx Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Xxxxxxxx Drive, PO Box 0000, Xxxxx Xxxxxx, XX0-0000, Cayman Islands (the “Company”), GEM GLOBAL YIELD LLC SCS, a “société en commandite simple” formed under the laws of Luxembourg having LEI No. 213800CXBEHFXVLBZO92 having an address at 00X, xxx Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx, X-0000 Xxxxxxxxxx (“Purchaser”); and GEM YIELD BAHAMAS LIMITED, a limited company formed under the laws of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and having an address at 0 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxx Xxx Xxxxxx & Blake Road, P.O. Box N-4875, Nassau, The Bahamas (“GYBL,” and together with the Company and Purchaser, the “Parties”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Purchase Agreement (as defined below).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company has offered GYBL the right to place with Purchaser up to U.S. $50,000,000 worth of Class A Ordinary Shares upon the date hereof; and
WHEREAS, the Parties have agreed, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of that certain Share Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “Purchase Agreement”) to the purchase and sale of such Class A Ordinary Shares and, to induce the Purchaser to enter into the Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide certain registration rights under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, or any similar successor statute (collectively, the “Securities Act”), and applicable state securities laws.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and the mutual covenants contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the Company and the Purchaser hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions.
As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) “Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which commercial banks in New York, New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed.
(b) “Effective Date” means the date that the Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission or that it went effective pursuant to Section 8 of the Securities Act.
(c) “Filing Deadline” means with respect to the Registration Statement, the 30th (thirtieth) calendar day after the Company’s filing of annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
(d) “Investor” means the Purchaser, GYBL, and any transferee or assignee thereof to which either of Purchaser or GYBL assigns its rights under this Agreement and who agrees to become bound by the provisions of this Agreement in accordance with Section 9 and any transferee or assignee thereof to whom a transferee or assignee assigns its rights under this Agreement and who agrees to become bound by the provisions of this Agreement in accordance with Section 9.
(e) “Legal Counsel” means legal counsel designated by Investor to review and oversee the Registration Statement and all New Registration Statements on Investors’ behalf.
(f) “Person” means any person or entity including but not limited to any corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a partnership, an organization, a business, an individual, a governmental or political subdivision thereof or a governmental agency.
(g) “Register,” “registered,” and “registration” refer to a registration effected by preparing and filing one or more registration statements of the Company in compliance with the Securities Act and pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act or any successor rule providing for offering securities on a continuous basis (“Rule 415”), and the declaration or ordering of effectiveness of such registration statement(s) by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”).
(h) “Registrable Securities” mean all of (i) the Shares which have been, or which may from time to time be, issued or issuable to the Investor pursuant to the Purchase Agreement; and (ii) any securities issued or issuable upon any share split, dividend or other distribution, recapitalization or similar event with respect to the foregoing; provided that the Shares shall cease to be Registrable Securities upon a sale pursuant to a Registration Statement or Rule 144 under the Securities Act.
(i) “Registration Statement” means a registration statement or registration statements of the Company filed under the Securities Act covering the resale by the Investor of Registrable Securities, as such registration statement or registration statements may be amended and supplemented from time to time (including pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act), including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein.
(j) “Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any other similar or successor rule or regulation of the Commission that may at any time permit the Investor to sell securities of the Company to the public without registration.
(k) “Rule 415” means Rule 415 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any other similar or successor rule or regulation of the Commission providing for offering securities on a delayed or continuous basis.
2
2. Registration.
(a) Mandatory Registration. The Company shall prepare and, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than the Filing Deadline, file with the Commission an initial Registration Statement on Form S-1, F-1, S-3 or F-3, or such other form or forms as may be reasonably acceptable to the Investor, covering the resale by the Investor of Registrable Securities. The Registration Statement shall register with the Commission for resale all of the Registrable Securities. The Investor and Legal Counsel shall have a reasonable opportunity to review and comment upon the information relating to the Investor and its Affiliates included in such Registration Statement or amendment to such Registration Statement and any related prospectus prior to its filing with the Commission. The Investor shall furnish all information reasonably requested by the Company for inclusion therein. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to have the Registration Statement or amendment declared effective by the Commission as soon as practicable. Subject to Allowable Grace Periods (as defined herein below), the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to keep the Registration Statement effective pursuant to Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act and available to permit the sales of all of the Registrable Securities issued to the Investor at the time until the date as of which the Investor no longer owns any Registrable Securities (the “Registration Period”). The Registration Statement (including any amendments or supplements thereto and prospectuses contained therein) shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.
(b) Rule 424 Prospectus. The Company shall, as required by applicable securities regulations, file with the Commission, pursuant to Rule 424 promulgated under the Securities Act, the prospectus, amendments and prospectus supplements, if any, to be used in connection with offers and sales of the Registrable Securities under the Registration Statement. The Investor and Legal Counsel shall have a reasonable opportunity to review and comment upon such prospectus prior to its filing with the Commission. The Investor shall use its reasonable best efforts to comment upon such prospectus within two Trading Days from the date the Investor receives the proposed final version of such prospectus.
(c) Sufficient Number of Shares Registered. In the event the number of shares available under the Registration Statement is insufficient to cover all of the Registrable Securities, the Company shall file one or more additional Registration Statements (each a “New Registration Statement”), so as to cover all of such Registrable Securities as soon as practicable, but in any case not later than twenty (20) Trading Days after the necessity therefor arises. The Company shall use it reasonable best efforts to cause each such New Registration Statement to become effective as soon as practicable following the filing thereof.
(d) Piggyback Registrations. Without limiting any of the Company’s obligations hereunder or under the Purchase Agreement, if there is not an effective Registration Statement covering all of the Registrable Securities and the Company shall determine to prepare and file with the Commission a registration statement relating to an offering for its own account or the account of others under the Securities Act of any of its equity securities (other than on Form S-8 (as promulgated under the Securities Act) or its equivalent relating to equity securities to be issued solely in connection with equity securities issuable in connection with the Company’s option or other employee benefit plans), then the Company shall deliver to the Investor a written notice of such determination and, if within five days after the date of the delivery of such notice, the Investor shall so request in writing, the Company shall include in such registration statement all or any part of such Registrable Securities the offer and sale of which the Investor requests to be registered.
3
(e) Offering. If the staff of the Commission (the “Staff”) or the Commission seeks to characterize any offering pursuant to a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Agreement as constituting an offering of securities that does not permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used for resales by the Investor on a delayed or continuous basis under Rule 415 at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices) (or as otherwise may be acceptable to the Investor), or if after the filing of the initial Registration Statement with the Commission pursuant to Section 2(a), the Company is otherwise required by the Staff or the Commission to reduce the number of Registrable Securities included in such initial Registration Statement, then the Company shall reduce the number of Registrable Securities to be included in such initial Registration Statement (with the prior consent of the Investor and Legal Counsel as to the specific Registrable Securities to be removed therefrom, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed, denied, or conditioned) until such time as the Staff and the Commission shall so permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used as aforesaid. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if after giving effect to the actions referred to in the immediately preceding sentence, the Staff or the Commission does not permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used for resales by the Investor on a delayed or continuous basis under Rule 415 at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices) (or as otherwise may be acceptable to the Investor), the Company shall not request acceleration of the Effective Date of such Registration Statement and, in its sole and absolute discretion, may take such steps as may be required for such Registration Statement to become effective pursuant to Section 8 of the Securities Act. If not, the Company shall promptly (but in no event later than 48 hours) request the withdrawal of such Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 477 under the Securities Act. In the event of any reduction in Registrable Securities pursuant to this paragraph, the Company shall file additional Registration Statements in accordance with Section 2(c) until such time as all Registrable Securities have been included in Registration Statements that have been declared effective and the prospectus contained therein is available for use by the Investor.
3. Related Obligations. With respect to the Registration Statement and whenever any Registrable Securities are to be registered pursuant to Section 2 including on any New Registration Statement, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to effect the registration of the Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method of disposition thereof and, pursuant thereto, the Company shall have the following obligations:
(a) The Company shall prepare and file with the Commission such amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to any registration statement and any prospectus and prospectus supplement used in connection with such registration statement, which prospectus is to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 promulgated under the Securities Act, as may be necessary to keep the Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement effective at all times during the Registration Period, and, during such period, comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities of the Company covered by the Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement until such time as all of such Registrable Securities shall have been disposed of in accordance with the intended methods of disposition by the seller or sellers thereof as set forth in such registration statement.
4
(b) The Company shall permit the Investor to review and comment upon the Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement and all amendments and supplements thereto at least two Trading Days prior to their filing with the Commission, and not file any document in a form to which Investor reasonably objects. The Investor shall use its reasonable best efforts to comment upon the Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement and any amendments or supplements thereto within two (2) Trading Days from the date the Investor receives the final version thereof. The Company shall furnish to the Investor, without charge, any correspondence from the Commission or the staff of the Commission to the Company or its representatives relating to the Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement.
(c) Upon request of the Investor, the Company shall furnish to the Investor, (i) promptly after the same is prepared and filed with the Commission, at least one copy of such registration statement and any amendment(s) thereto, including financial statements and schedules, all documents incorporated therein by reference and all exhibits; (ii) upon the effectiveness of any registration statement, a copy of the prospectus included in such registration statement and all amendments and supplements thereto (or such other number of copies as the Investor may reasonably request); and (iii) such other documents, including copies of any preliminary or final prospectus, as the Investor may reasonably request from time to time in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by the Investor. For the avoidance of doubt, any filing available to the Investor via the Commission’s live XXXXX system shall be deemed “furnished to the Investor” hereunder.
(d) The Company shall use reasonable best efforts to (i) register and qualify the Registrable Securities covered by a registration statement under such other securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the Investor reasonably requests; (ii) prepare and file in those jurisdictions, such amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registrations and qualifications as may be necessary to maintain the effectiveness thereof during the Registration Period; (iii) take such other actions as may be necessary to maintain such registrations and qualifications in effect at all times during the Registration Period; and (iv) take all other actions reasonably necessary or advisable to qualify the Registrable Securities for sale in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition thereto to (x) qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this Section 3(d), (y) subject itself to general taxation in any such jurisdiction, or (z) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction. The Company shall promptly notify the Investor who holds Registrable Securities of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the registration or qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale under the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction in the United States or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose.
5
(e) As promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such event or facts, the Company shall notify the Investor in writing of the happening of any event or existence of such facts as a result of which the prospectus included in any registration statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and promptly prepare a supplement or amendment to such registration statement to correct such untrue statement or omission, and deliver a copy of such supplement or amendment to the Investor (or such other number of copies as the Investor may reasonably request). The Company shall also promptly notify the Investor in writing (i) when a prospectus or any prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment has been filed, and when a registration statement or any post-effective amendment has become effective (notification of such effectiveness shall be delivered to the Investor by email on the same day of such effectiveness); (ii) of any request by the Commission for amendments or supplements to any registration statement or related prospectus or related information; and (iii) of the Company’s reasonable determination that a post-effective amendment to a registration statement would be appropriate.
(f) The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or other suspension of effectiveness of any registration statement, or the suspension of the qualification of any Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction and, if such an order or suspension is issued, to obtain the withdrawal of such order or suspension at the earliest possible moment and to notify the Investor of the issuance of such order and the resolution thereof or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threat of any proceeding for such purpose.
(g) The Company shall (i) cause ADSs representing the Registrable Securities to be listed on the Principal Market; or (ii) secure designation and quotation of ADSs representing the Registrable Securities on the Principal Market. The Company shall pay all fees and expenses in connection with satisfying its obligation under this Section.
(h) Upon the Investor’s written request, the Company shall cooperate with the Investor to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates (not bearing any restrictive legend) representing the Registrable Securities to be offered pursuant to any registration statement and enable such certificates to be in such denominations or amounts as the Investor may reasonably request and registered in such names as the Investor may request.
(i) The Company shall at all times maintain the services of a registrar with respect to its Ordinary Shares and a depositary bank with respect to its ADSs representing its Ordinary Shares.
(j) If reasonably requested by the Investor, the Company shall (i) immediately incorporate in a prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment such information as the Investor reasonably believes should be included therein relating to the sale and distribution of Registrable Securities, including, without limitation, information with respect to the number of Registrable Securities being sold, the purchase price being paid therefor and any other terms of the offering of the Registrable Securities; (ii) make all required filings of such prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment as soon as practicable after being notified of the matters to be incorporated in such prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment; and (iii) supplement or make amendments to any registration statement.
6
(k) Within three Trading Days after any registration statement which includes the Registrable Securities is declared effective by the Commission, the Company shall deliver, and shall cause legal counsel for the Company to deliver, to the transfer agent for such Registrable Securities (with copies to the Investor) confirmation that such registration statement has been declared effective by the Commission in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A. Thereafter, if requested by the Purchaser at any time, the Company shall require its counsel to deliver to the Purchaser a written confirmation whether or not the effectiveness of such registration statement has lapsed at any time for any reason (including, without limitation, the issuance of a stop order) and whether or not the registration statement is current and available to the Purchaser for sale of all of the Registrable Securities.
(l) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein (but subject to the last sentence of this Section 3(l)), at any time after the Effective Date of a particular Registration Statement, the Company may delay the disclosure of material, non-public information concerning the Company or any of its Subsidiaries the disclosure of which at the time is not, in the good-faith opinion of the board of directors of the Company, in the best interest of the Company, nor, in the opinion of counsel to the Company, otherwise required (a “Grace Period”); provided, however, that the Company shall promptly, but in no event later than 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the second Trading Day immediately prior to the commencement of any Grace Period (except for such case where it is impossible to provide such two-Trading Day advance notice, in which case the Company shall provide such notice as soon as possible), notify the Investor in writing of the (i) existence of material, non-public information giving rise to a Grace Period (provided that in each such notice the Company shall not disclose the content of such material, non-public information to the Investor) and the date on which such Grace Period will begin and (ii) date on which such Grace Period ends; provided, further, that (I) no Grace Period shall exceed 20 consecutive Trading Days, and during any 365-day period, all such Grace Periods shall not exceed an aggregate of 60 Trading Days; provided, further, that the Company shall not register any securities for the account of itself or any other shareholder during any such Grace Period, (II) the first day of any Grace Period must be at least three Trading Days (or such shorter period as may be agreed by the Parties) after the last day of any prior Grace Period and (III) no Grace Period may exist during (A) the first 10 consecutive Trading Days after the Effective Date of the particular Registration Statement or (B) the five-Trading Day period following each Settlement Date (each, an “Allowable Grace Period”). For purposes of determining the length of a Grace Period above, such Grace Period shall begin on and include the date set forth in the notice referred to in clause (i) above, provided that such notice is received by the Investor not later than 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the second Trading Day immediately prior to such commencement date (except for such case where it is impossible to provide such two-Trading Day advance notice, in which case the Company shall provide such notice as soon as possible) and shall end on and include the later of the date the Investor receives the notice referred to in clause (ii) above and the date referred to in such notice. The provisions of Section 3(j) hereof shall not be applicable during the period of any Allowable Grace Period. Upon expiration of each Grace Period, the Company shall again be bound by the first sentence of Section 3(e) with respect to the information giving rise thereto unless such material, non-public information is no longer applicable. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 3(l), the Company shall cause its transfer agent to deliver unlegended Ordinary Shares to a transferee of the Investor in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement in connection with any sale of Registrable Securities with respect to which the Investor has entered into a contract for sale, and delivered a copy of the prospectus included as part of the particular Registration Statement to the extent applicable, prior to the Investor’s receipt of the notice of a Grace Period and for which the Investor has not yet settled.
7
4. Obligations of the Investor.
(a) At least five Business Days prior to the first anticipated filing date of each Registration Statement, the Company shall notify the Investor in writing of the information the Company reasonably requires from the Investor in connection with any registration statement hereunder. The Investor shall furnish to the Company such information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities held by it and the intended method of disposition of the Registrable Securities held by it as shall be reasonably required to effect the registration of such Registrable Securities and shall execute such documents in connection with such registration as the Company may reasonably request.
(b) The Investor, by its acceptance of the Registrable Securities, agrees to cooperate with the Company as reasonably requested by the Company in connection with the preparation and filing of each Registration Statement hereunder, unless the Investor has notified the Company in writing of the Investor’s election to exclude all of the Investor’s Registrable Securities from such Registration Statement.
(c) The Investor agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the happening of any event or existence of facts of the kind described in Section 3(f) or the first sentence of Section 3(e), the Investor will immediately discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to any registration statement(s) covering such Registrable Securities until the Investor’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended prospectus contemplated by Section 3(f) or the first sentence of Section 3(e). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Company shall cause its transfer agent to promptly deliver Ordinary Shares without any restrictive legend in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement in connection with any sale of Registrable Securities with respect to which an Investor has entered into a contract for sale prior to the Investor’s receipt of a notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(f) or the first sentence of Section 3(e) and for which the Investor has not yet settled.
5. Expenses and Fees. All reasonable expenses, other than sales or brokerage commissions, incurred in connection with registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to Sections 2 and 3, including, without limitation, all registration, listing and qualifications fees, printers and accounting fees, FINRA filing fees (if any) and fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company, if any, shall be paid by the Company.
8
6. Indemnification.
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company will, and hereby does, indemnify, hold harmless and defend the Investor, the members, directors, officers, and employees of the Investor and each Person, if any, who controls the Investor within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) (each, an “Indemnified Person”), against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, judgments, fines, penalties, charges, contingencies, costs (including, without limitation, court costs, reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs of defense and investigation), attorneys’ fees, amounts paid in settlement or expenses, joint or several (collectively, “Claims”), incurred in investigating, preparing or defending any action, claim, suit, inquiry, proceeding, investigation or appeal taken from the foregoing by or before any court or governmental, administrative or other regulatory agency, body or the Commission, whether pending or threatened, whether or not an indemnified party is or may be a party thereto, whether or not arising from a claim by a third party (“Indemnified Damages”), to which any of them may become subject insofar as such Claims (or actions or proceedings, whether commenced or threatened, in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact in the Registration Statement, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or in any filing made in connection with the qualification of the offering under the securities or other “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction in which Registrable Securities are offered, or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the any prospectus (as amended or supplemented, if the Company files any amendment thereof or supplement thereto with the Commission) or in any prospectus supplement or the omission or alleged omission to state therein any material fact necessary to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which the statements therein were made, not misleading, (iii) any violation or alleged violation by the Company of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, any other law, including, without limitation, any state securities law, or any rule or regulation thereunder relating to the offer or sale of the Registrable Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement or (iv) any material violation by the Company of this Agreement (the matters in the foregoing clauses (i) through (iv) being, collectively, “Violations”). The Company shall reimburse each Indemnified Person promptly as such expenses are incurred and are due and payable, for any reasonable legal fees or other reasonable expenses incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the indemnification agreement contained in this Section (a): (i) shall not apply to a Claim by an Indemnified Person arising out of or based upon a Violation which occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with information about the Investor furnished in writing to the Company by such Indemnified Person expressly for use in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement, any New Registration Statement or any such amendment thereof or supplement thereto, if such prospectus was timely made available by the Company pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 3(e); (ii) with respect to any superseded prospectus, shall not inure to the benefit of any such person from whom the person asserting any such Claim purchased the Registrable Securities that are the subject thereof (or to the benefit of any person controlling such person) if the untrue statement or omission of material fact contained in the superseded prospectus was corrected in the revised prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, if such revised prospectus was timely made available by the Company pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 3(e), and the Indemnified Person was promptly advised in writing not to use the incorrect prospectus prior to the use giving rise to a violation and such Indemnified Person, notwithstanding such advice, used it; (iii) shall not be available to the extent such Claim is based on a failure of the Investor to deliver or to cause to be delivered the prospectus made available by the Company, if such prospectus was timely made available by the Company pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 3(e); and (iv) shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Indemnified Person and shall survive the transfer of the Registrable Securities by the Investor pursuant to Section 9.
9
(b) In connection with the Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement, the Investor agrees to severally and not jointly indemnify, hold harmless and defend, to the same extent and in the same manner as is set forth in Section 6(a), the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement, each Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (collectively and together with an Indemnified Person, an “Indemnified Party”), against any Claim or Indemnified Damages to which any of them may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Claim or Indemnified Damages arise out of or are based upon any Violation, in each case to the extent, and only to the extent, that such Violation occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with written information about the Investor furnished to the Company by the Investor expressly for use in connection with such registration statement; and, subject to Section 6(d), the Investor will reimburse any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim; provided, however, that the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 6(b) and the agreement with respect to contribution contained in Section 7 shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Investor, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld; provided, further, however, that the Investor shall be liable under this Section 6(b) for only that amount of a Claim or Indemnified Damages as does not exceed the net proceeds to the Investor as a result of the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such registration statement. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of such Indemnified Party and shall survive the transfer of the Registrable Securities by the Investor pursuant to Section 9.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party under this Section 6 of notice of the commencement of any action or proceeding (including any governmental action or proceeding) involving a Claim, such Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party shall, if a Claim in respect thereof is to be made against any indemnifying party under this Section 6 deliver to the indemnifying party a written notice of the commencement thereof, and the indemnifying party shall have the right to participate in, and, to the extent the indemnifying party so desires, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly noticed, to assume control of the defense thereof with counsel mutually satisfactory to the indemnifying party and the Indemnified Person or the Indemnified Party, as the case may be; provided, however, that an Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party shall have the right to retain its own counsel with the fees and expenses to be paid by the indemnifying party, if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel retained by the indemnifying party, the representation by such counsel of the Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party and the indemnifying party would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between such Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party and any other party represented by such counsel in such proceeding. The Indemnified Party or Indemnified Person shall cooperate fully with the indemnifying party in connection with any negotiation or defense of any such action or claim by the indemnifying party and shall furnish to the indemnifying party all information reasonably available to the Indemnified Party or Indemnified Person which relates to such action or claim. The indemnifying party shall keep the Indemnified Party or Indemnified Person fully apprised at all times as to the status of the defense or any settlement negotiations with respect thereto. No indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any action, claim or proceeding effected without its written consent, provided, however, that the indemnifying party shall not unreasonably withhold, delay or condition its consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the consent of the Indemnified Party or Indemnified Person, consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement or other compromise which does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such Indemnified Party or Indemnified Person of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation. Following indemnification as provided for hereunder, the indemnifying party shall be subrogated to all rights of the Indemnified Party or Indemnified Person with respect to all third parties, firms or corporations relating to the matter for which indemnification has been made. The failure to deliver written notice to the indemnifying party within a reasonable time of the commencement of any such action shall not relieve such indemnifying party of any liability to the Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party under this Section 6, except to the extent that the indemnifying party is prejudiced in its ability to defend such action.
10
(d) The indemnification required by this Section 6 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as and when bills are received or Indemnified Damages are incurred.
(e) The indemnity agreements contained herein shall be in addition to (i) any cause of action or similar right of the Indemnified Party or Indemnified Person against the indemnifying party or others, and (ii) any liabilities the indemnifying party may be subject to pursuant to the law.
(f) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no party shall be entitled to recover from the other party for punitive, indirect, incidental or consequential damages, or loss of profit, revenue or other financial metric, loss of business, or loss of good will arising from or in connection with this Agreement.
7. Contribution. To the extent any indemnification by an indemnifying party is prohibited or limited by law, the indemnifying party agrees to make the maximum contribution with respect to any amounts for which it would otherwise be liable under Section 6 to the fullest extent permitted by law; provided, however, that: (i) no seller of Registrable Securities guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any seller of Registrable Securities who was not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation; and (ii) contribution by any seller of Registrable Securities shall be limited in amount to the net amount of proceeds received by such seller from the sale of such Registrable Securities.
8. Reports and Disclosures under the Securities Acts.
With a view to making available to the Investor the benefits of Rule 144, the Company agrees, at the Company’s sole expense, to:
(a) make and keep public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144;
(b) file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so long as the Company remains subject to such requirements and the filing of such reports and other documents is required for the applicable provisions of Rule 144;
11
(c) furnish to the Investor so long as the Investor owns Registrable Securities, promptly upon request, (i) a written statement by the Company that it has complied with the reporting and/ or disclosure provisions of Rule 144, the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, (ii) a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Company and such other reports and documents so filed by the Company, and (iii) such other information as may be reasonably requested to permit the Investor to sell such securities pursuant to Rule 144 without registration (for the avoidance of doubt, any filing available to the Investor via the Commission’s live XXXXX system shall be deemed “furnished to the Investor” hereunder); and
(d) take such additional action as is requested by the Investor to enable the Investor to sell the Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 144, including, without limitation, delivering all such legal opinions, consents, certificates, resolutions and instructions to the Company’s transfer agent as may be requested from time to time by the Investor and otherwise reasonably cooperate with Investor and Investor’s broker to effect such sale of securities pursuant to Rule 144.
The Company agrees that damages may be an inadequate remedy for any breach of the terms and provisions of this Section 8 and that Investor shall, whether or not it is pursuing any remedies at law, be entitled to equitable relief in the form of a preliminary or permanent injunction, without having to post any bond or other security, upon any breach or threatened breach of any such terms or provisions. Investor agrees that the Rule 144 rights under this Agreement are subject to the delivery by the Investor of a bona fide fair market offer for a licensing or funding opportunity pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
9. Assignment of Registration Rights. None of the Parties may assign this Agreement or any other Transaction Document to any Person without the prior consent of the others; provided that without the consent of the other, (i) the Company may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement and other Transaction Documents to the Successor Company; (ii) the Purchaser may assign its rights and obligations under this agreement to an Affiliate of the Purchaser. In the event of a Reverse Merger Transaction, the Company’s rights and obligations under this Agreement shall be automatically assigned to the Successor Company, and the Parties agree that the terms of this Agreement shall be construed to give effect to such assignment.
10. Amendment of Registration Rights. Provisions of this Agreement may be amended and the observance thereof may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance and either retroactively or prospectively), only with the mutual written consent of the Company and the Investor. Failure of any Party to exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a Party in exercising such right or remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof.
11. Miscellaneous.
(a) A Person is deemed to be a holder of Registrable Securities whenever such Person owns or is deemed to own of record such Registrable Securities. If the Company receives conflicting instructions, notices or elections from two or more Persons with respect to the same Registrable Securities, the Company shall act upon the basis of instructions, notice or election received from the registered owner of such Registrable Securities.
12
(b) Any notices, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been delivered upon receipt, when delivered by electronic mail, return receipt requested, properly addressed to the Party to receive the same. The addresses for such communications shall be:
| If to the Company: | Attn: Xxxxxxx Xxxx / Xxxxx See Email: xxxxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx / xxxxx.xxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx | |
| If to GYBL: | GEM Yield Bahamas Ltd. Attn: Xxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Director Email: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx | |
| With a copy (which shall not constitute notice): |
Xxxxxx, Xxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP Attn: Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx Email: xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx | |
| If to the Purchaser: | GEM Global Yield LLC SCS Attn: Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Manager Email: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx | |
| With a copy (which shall not constitute notice): |
Xxxxxx, Xxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP Attn: Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx Email: xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx | |
or at such other address and/or email address and/or to the attention of such other person as the recipient Party has specified by written notice given to each other Party three (3) Trading Days prior to the effectiveness of such change. Written confirmation of receipt (A) given by the recipient of such notice, consent, waiver or other communication, or (B) mechanically or electronically generated by the sender’s computer or email service containing the time, date, recipient email address and text of such transmission shall be rebuttable evidence of personal service or receipt.
(c) Failure of any Party to exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a Party in exercising such right or remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof.
(d) This Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to the choice of law provisions except Section 5-1401 of the New York General Obligations Law. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
13
(e) All disputes, controversies or claims between the Parties arising out of or in connection with this Agreement (including its existence, validity or termination) which cannot be amicably resolved shall be finally resolved and settled under the Rules of Arbitration of the American Arbitration Association and its affiliate the International Center for Dispute Resolution in New York City. The arbitration tribunal shall be composed of one arbitrator. The arbitration will take place in New York City, New York, and shall be conducted in the English language. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on the Parties.
(f) This Agreement and the Purchase Agreement constitute the entire agreement among the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof. There are no restrictions, promises, warranties or undertakings, other than those set forth or referred to herein and therein. This Agreement and the Purchase Agreement supersede all prior agreements and understandings among the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof.
(g) Subject to the requirements of Section 9, this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the permitted successors and assigns of each of the Parties hereto.
(h) The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.
(i) This Agreement may be executed in identical counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which shall constitute one and the same agreement. This Agreement, once executed by a Party, may be delivered to the other Party hereto by email in a “pdf” format data file of a copy of this Agreement bearing the signature of the Party so delivering this Agreement.
(j) Each Party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as the other Party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(k) The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the Parties to express their mutual intent, and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any Party.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank; Signature Page Follows]
14
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Registration Rights Agreement to be duly executed as of day and year first above written.
| THE COMPANY: | ||
| AMTD IDEA GROUP | ||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxx | |
| Name: | Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxx | |
| Title: | Director | |
| PURCHASER: | ||
| GEM GLOBAL YIELD LLC SCS | ||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
| Name: | Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
| Title: | Manager | |
| GEM YIELD BAHAMAS LIMITED | ||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
| Name: | Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
| Title: | Director | |
[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF NOTICE OF EFFECTIVENESS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT
