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Yiren Digital Ltd. – ‘20-F’ for 12/31/19 – ‘EX-2.4’

On:  Friday, 5/15/20, at 4:03pm ET   ·   For:  12/31/19   ·   Accession #:  1104659-20-62564   ·   File #:  1-37657

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  As Of               Filer                 Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size             Issuer                      Filing Agent

 5/15/20  Yiren Digital Ltd.                20-F       12/31/19  130:20M                                    Toppan Merrill/FA

Annual Report by a Foreign Non-Canadian Issuer   —   Form 20-F   —   Sect. 13 / 15(d) – SEA’34
Filing Table of Contents

Document/Exhibit                   Description                      Pages   Size 

 1: 20-F        Annual Report by a Foreign Non-Canadian Issuer      HTML   2.98M 
 2: EX-2.4      Plan of Acquisition, Reorganization, Arrangement,   HTML    164K 
                Liquidation or Succession                                        
 3: EX-4.11     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    163K 
 4: EX-4.12     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    217K 
 5: EX-4.13     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML     74K 
 6: EX-4.14     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML     79K 
 7: EX-4.15     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    214K 
 8: EX-4.16     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    204K 
 9: EX-4.17     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    270K 
10: EX-4.18     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML     89K 
11: EX-4.20     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    283K 
12: EX-4.21     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    120K 
13: EX-4.22     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    152K 
14: EX-4.23     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML     56K 
15: EX-4.24     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML     76K 
16: EX-4.25     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    160K 
17: EX-4.26     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    118K 
18: EX-4.27     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    158K 
19: EX-4.28     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML     66K 
20: EX-4.29     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML     79K 
21: EX-4.30     Instrument Defining the Rights of Security Holders  HTML    155K 
22: EX-8.1      Opinion of Counsel re: Tax Matters                  HTML     48K 
25: EX-13.1     Annual or Quarterly Report to Security Holders      HTML     38K 
26: EX-13.2     Annual or Quarterly Report to Security Holders      HTML     38K 
23: EX-12.1     Statement re: Computation of Ratios                 HTML     42K 
24: EX-12.2     Statement re: Computation of Ratios                 HTML     42K 
27: EX-15.1     Letter re: Unaudited Interim Financial Info         HTML     37K 
28: EX-15.2     Letter re: Unaudited Interim Financial Info         HTML     35K 
46: R1          Document and Entity Information                     HTML     73K 
98: R2          Consolidated Balance Sheets                         HTML    147K 
115: R3          Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical)         HTML     57K  
80: R4          Consolidated Statements of Operations               HTML    103K 
45: R5          Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive            HTML     54K 
                (Loss)/Income                                                    
97: R6          Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive            HTML     39K 
                (Loss)/Income (Parenthetical)                                    
114: R7          Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity        HTML    126K  
77: R8          Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows               HTML    221K 
48: R9          Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows -             HTML     49K 
                Reconciliation to Amounts on Consolidated Balance                
                Sheets                                                           
107: R10         Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows               HTML     40K  
                (Parenthetical)                                                  
91: R11         Organization and Principal Activities               HTML    129K 
38: R12         Summary of Significant Accounting Policies          HTML    446K 
71: R13         Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets                   HTML     65K 
108: R14         Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities                HTML    189K  
92: R15         Investments                                         HTML    117K 
39: R16         Property, Equipment and Software, Net               HTML     61K 
72: R17         Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities              HTML     66K 
106: R18         Related Party Balances and Transactions             HTML    274K  
93: R19         Income Taxes                                        HTML    192K 
56: R20         Share-Based Compensation                            HTML     63K 
66: R21         Share Repurchase Program                            HTML     39K 
129: R22         Net Income Per Share and Net Income Attributable    HTML     71K  
                to Ordinary Shareholders                                         
89: R23         Leases                                              HTML     84K 
57: R24         Segment Information                                 HTML     84K 
67: R25         Employee Benefit Plan                               HTML     40K 
130: R26         Statutory Reserves and Restricted Net Assets        HTML     40K  
90: R27         Commitments and Contingencies                       HTML     38K 
58: R28         Subsequent Events                                   HTML     40K 
65: R29         Schedule 1 - Condensed Financial Information        HTML    322K 
69: R30         Summary of Significant Accounting Policies          HTML    528K 
                (Policies)                                                       
37: R31         Organization and Principal Activities (Tables)      HTML    117K 
95: R32         Summary of Significant Accounting Policies          HTML    341K 
                (Tables)                                                         
111: R33         Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets (Tables)          HTML     65K  
68: R34         Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities (Tables)       HTML    191K 
36: R35         Investments (Tables)                                HTML    111K 
94: R36         Property, Equipment and Software, Net (Tables)      HTML     60K 
110: R37         Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities (Tables)     HTML     66K  
70: R38         Related Party Balances and Transactions (Tables)    HTML    204K 
35: R39         Income Taxes (Tables)                               HTML    186K 
63: R40         Share-Based Compensation (Tables)                   HTML     55K 
55: R41         Net Income Per Share and Net Income Attributable    HTML     70K 
                to Ordinary Shareholders (Tables)                                
83: R42         Leases (Tables)                                     HTML     88K 
124: R43         Segment Information (Tables)                        HTML     83K  
62: R44         ORGANIZATION AND PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES - Summary of  HTML     46K 
                Major Subsidiaries (Details)                                     
54: R45         ORGANIZATION AND PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES -             HTML     69K 
                Acquisitions of subsidiaries under common control                
                (Details)                                                        
82: R46         ORGANIZATION AND PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES - Disposal    HTML     44K 
                of subsidiaries under common control (Details)                   
123: R47         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML    155K  
                Consolidated VIE (Details)                                       
64: R48         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML    100K 
                Consolidated Assets Backed Financing Entities                    
                (Details)                                                        
53: R49         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     44K 
                Revenue (Details)                                                
44: R50         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     49K 
                Revenue Disaggregation (Details)                                 
79: R51         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     61K 
                Revenue on the remaining performance obligations                 
                (Details)                                                        
112: R52         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     71K  
                Contract Assets, Contract Liabilities and Refund                 
                liability (Details)                                              
96: R53         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     56K 
                Liabilities from Quality Assurance Program                       
                (Details)                                                        
47: R54         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     50K 
                Property, Equipment and Software, Net (Details)                  
81: R55         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     44K 
                Accounts receivable and allowance for                            
                uncollectible accounts receivable and Value added                
                taxes (Details)                                                  
116: R56         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     38K  
                Leases (Details)                                                 
99: R57         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     37K 
                Foreign Currency Translation and change in                       
                reporting currency (Details)                                     
49: R58         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     59K 
                Significant Risks and Uncertainties (Details)                    
78: R59         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Net    HTML     39K 
                income per share (Details)                                       
126: R60         SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES -        HTML     43K  
                Recently adopted accounting pronouncements                       
                (Details)                                                        
84: R61         Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets (Details)         HTML     57K 
50: R62         Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets - Additional      HTML     56K 
                information (Details)                                            
59: R63         Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities (Details)      HTML     44K 
128: R64         Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities -Schedule of   HTML     74K  
                the Fair Value Hierarchy (Details)                               
86: R65         FAIR VALUE OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES - Summary of   HTML     52K 
                Significant Unobservable Inputs (Details)                        
52: R66         FAIR VALUE OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES - Additional   HTML     71K 
                Information (Details)                                            
61: R67         Investments (Details)                               HTML     68K 
125: R68         Investments - Other Long-term investments           HTML     56K  
                (Details)                                                        
87: R69         Property, Equipment and Software, Net (Details)     HTML     63K 
105: R70         Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities (Details)    HTML     77K  
120: R71         Related Party Balances and Transactions (Details)   HTML     96K  
76: R72         Related Party Balances and Transactions (Details    HTML     47K 
                2)                                                               
43: R73         Related Party Balances and Transactions (Details    HTML     56K 
                3)                                                               
102: R74         Income Taxes (Details)                              HTML     81K  
117: R75         Income Taxes - Schedule of Income Tax Expense       HTML     46K  
                (Details)                                                        
73: R76         INCOME TAXES - Reconciliation of the Statutory      HTML     81K 
                Income Tax Rate to Income Tax Expense (Details)                  
40: R77         INCOME TAXES - Aggregate amount and per share       HTML     44K 
                effect of the tax holiday and preferential tax                   
                rate (Details)                                                   
101: R78         INCOME TAXES - Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets      HTML    123K  
                (Details)                                                        
122: R79         Share-Based Compensation (Details)                  HTML    124K  
104: R80         Share-Based Compensation Additional information     HTML     53K  
                (Details)                                                        
119: R81         Share Repurchase Program (Details)                  HTML     46K  
75: R82         Net (Loss)/Income Per Share and Net (Loss)/Income   HTML     76K 
                Attributable to Ordinary Shareholders (Details)                  
42: R83         LEASES - Lease Cost (Details)                       HTML     62K 
103: R84         LEASES - Operating Lease Liabilities Payments Due   HTML     50K  
                (Details)                                                        
118: R85         LEASES - Operating Leases Future Minimum Payments   HTML     52K  
                Due (Details)                                                    
74: R86         Segment Information (Details)                       HTML     73K 
41: R87         Employee Benefit Plan (Details)                     HTML     39K 
100: R88         Statutory Reserves and Restricted Net Assets        HTML     48K  
                (Details)                                                        
121: R89         Subsequent Events (Details)                         HTML     44K  
127: R90         Schedule I-Condensed Balance Sheets (Details)       HTML    126K  
85: R91         Schedule I-Condensed Statements of Operations       HTML     74K 
                (Details)                                                        
51: R92         Schedule I-Condensed Statements of Comprehensive    HTML     64K 
                Income (Details)                                                 
60: R93         SCHEDULE I-CONDENSED STATEMENTS of CASH FLOWS       HTML    118K 
                (Details)                                                        
113: XML         IDEA XML File -- Filing Summary                      XML    209K  
109: EXCEL       IDEA Workbook of Financial Reports                  XLSX    149K  
29: EX-101.INS  XBRL Instance -- yrd-20191231                        XML   4.74M 
31: EX-101.CAL  XBRL Calculations -- yrd-20191231_cal                XML    311K 
32: EX-101.DEF  XBRL Definitions -- yrd-20191231_def                 XML    843K 
33: EX-101.LAB  XBRL Labels -- yrd-20191231_lab                      XML   1.96M 
34: EX-101.PRE  XBRL Presentations -- yrd-20191231_pre               XML   1.48M 
30: EX-101.SCH  XBRL Schema -- yrd-20191231                          XSD    284K 
88: ZIP         XBRL Zipped Folder -- 0001104659-20-062564-xbrl      Zip    316K 


‘EX-2.4’   —   Plan of Acquisition, Reorganization, Arrangement, Liquidation or Succession


This Exhibit is an HTML Document rendered as filed.  [ Alternative Formats ]



Exhibit 2.4

 

Description of rights of each class of securities
registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)

 

American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) each representing two ordinary shares of Yiren Digital Ltd., (“we,” “our,” our company,” or “us”) are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange and, in connection with this listing (but not for trading), the ordinary shares are registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act. This exhibit contains a description of the rights of (i) the holders of ordinary shares and (ii) the holders of ADSs. ordinary shares underlying the ADSs are held by Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary, and holders of ADSs will not be treated as holders of the ordinary shares.

 

Description of Ordinary Shares

 

The following is a summary of material provisions of our currently effective amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the “Memorandum and Articles of Association), as well as the Companies Law (as amended) of the Cayman Islands (the “Companies Law”) insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares. Notwithstanding this, because it is a summary, it may not contain all the information that you may otherwise deem important. For more complete information, you should read the entire Memorandum and Articles of Association, which has been filed with the SEC as an exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-208056).

 

Type and Class of Securities (Item 9.A.5 of Form 20-F)

 

Each ordinary share has US$0.0001 par value. The number of ordinary shares that have been issued as of the last day of the financial year ended December 31, 2019 is provided on the cover of the annual report on Form 20-F filed on May 15, 2020 (the “2019 Form 20-F”). Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our register of members. We may not issue shares to bearer. Subject to the applicable securities laws, regulations and listing rules where the securities of the Company are listed, you may refer to “—Transfer of Ordinary Shares” for restrictions on share transfer.

 

Preemptive Rights (Item 9.A.3 of Form 20-F)

 

Our shareholders do not have preemptive rights.

 

Limitations or Qualifications (Item 9.A.6 of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

Rights of Other Types of Securities (Item 9.A.7 of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 


 

Rights of Ordinary Shares (Item 10.B.3 of Form 20-F)

 

Ordinary Shares.

 

Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our register of members. Our shareholders who are not residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their shares.

 

Dividends.

 

The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors. In addition, our shareholders may by an ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under Cayman Islands law, dividends may be declared and paid only out of funds legally available therefor, namely out of either profit or our share premium account, provided that a dividend may not be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business.

 

Voting Rights.

 

In respect of all matters subject to a shareholders’ vote, each ordinary share is entitled to one vote. Voting at any shareholders’ meeting is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by the chairman of such meeting or any one or more shareholders who together hold not less than 10% of the votes attaching to the total ordinary shares present in person or by proxy. Each shareholder is entitled to one vote for each ordinary share registered in his or her name on our register of members.

 

A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders consists of one or more shareholders present and holding shares which represent, in aggregate, not less than one-third of the votes attaching to all issued and outstanding shares in our company entitled to vote at shareholders’ meeting. Shareholders may be present in person or by proxy or, if the shareholder is a legal entity, by its duly authorized representative. Shareholders’ meetings may be convened by our board of directors on its own initiative or by the chairman of our board of directors or upon a request to the directors by shareholders holding shares which represent, in aggregate, no less than one-third of the votes attaching to our voting share capital in issue. Advance notice of at least seven days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders’ meeting and any other general shareholders’ meeting.

 

An ordinary resolution to be passed at a meeting by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes attaching to the ordinary shares cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting. Both ordinary resolutions and special resolutions may also be passed by a unanimous written resolution signed by all the shareholders of our company, as permitted by the Companies Law and our memorandum and articles of association. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our memorandum or articles of association. Holders of the ordinary shares may, among other things, divide or consolidate their shares by ordinary resolution.

 

2


 

Transfer of Ordinary Shares.

 

Subject to the restrictions set out below, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or any other form approved by our board of directors.

 

Our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share unless:

 

·                  the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the ordinary shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;

 

·                  the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares;

 

·                  the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required;

 

·                  in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the ordinary share is to be transferred does not exceed four; and

 

·                  a fee of such maximum sum as the NYSE may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as our directors may from time to time require is paid to us in respect thereof.

 

If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within three months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.

 

The registration of transfers may, after compliance with any notice requirements of the NYSE, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 days in any year.

 

Liquidation.

 

On a winding up of our company, if the assets available for distribution among our shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus will be distributed among our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up, subject to a deduction from those shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to our company for unpaid calls or otherwise. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay all of the paid-up capital, the assets will be distributed so that the losses are borne by our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them. We are a “limited liability” company incorporated under the Companies Law, and under the Companies Law, the liability of our members is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares respectively held by them. Our memorandum of association contains a declaration that the liability of our members is so limited.

 

3


 

Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares.

 

Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 days prior to the specified time and place of payment. The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.

 

Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Ordinary Shares.

 

We may issue shares on terms that such shares are subject to redemption, at our option or at the option of the holders thereof, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined, before the issue of such shares, by our board of directors or by a special resolution of our shareholders. Our company may also repurchase any of our shares provided that the manner and terms of such purchase have been approved by our board of directors or by ordinary resolution of our shareholders, or are otherwise authorized by our memorandum and articles of association. Under the Companies Law, the redemption or repurchase of any share may be paid out of our company’s profits or out of the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares made for the purpose of such redemption or repurchase, or out of capital (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve) if the company can, immediately following such payment, pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Law no such share may be redeemed or repurchased (a) unless it is fully paid up, (b) if such redemption or repurchase would result in there being no shares outstanding, or (c) if the company has commenced liquidation. In addition, our company may accept the surrender of any fully paid share for no consideration.

 

Requirements to Change the Rights of Holders of Ordinary Shares (Item 10.B.4 of Form 20-F)

 

Variations of Rights of Shares.

 

The rights attached to any class or series of shares (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class or series) may be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of a majority of the issued shares of that class or series or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class or series. The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with such existing class of shares.

 

Limitations on the Rights to Own Ordinary Shares (Item 10.B.6 of Form 20-F)

 

There are no limitations under the laws of the Cayman Islands or under the Memorandum and Articles of Association that limit the right of non-resident or foreign owners to hold or vote ordinary shares.

 

4


 

Provisions Affecting Any Change of Control (Item 10.B.7 of Form 20-F)

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions.

 

Some provisions of our memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:

 

·                  authorize our board of directors to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preferred shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders; and

 

·                  limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders.

 

However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

 

Ownership Threshold (Item 10.B.8 of Form 20-F)

 

There are no provisions under Cayman Islands law applicable to the Company, or under the Memorandum and Articles of Association, that require the Company to disclose shareholder ownership above any particular ownership threshold.

 

Differences Between the Law of Different Jurisdictions (Item 10.B.9 of Form 20-F)

 

The Companies Law is derived, to a large extent, from the older Companies Acts of England but does not follow recent United Kingdom statutory enactments, and accordingly there are significant differences between the Companies Law and the current Companies Act of England. In addition, the Companies Law differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law applicable to us and the comparable provisions of the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.

 

Mergers and Similar Arrangements. The Companies Law permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a combined company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The written plan of merger or consolidation must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Dissenting shareholders have the right to be paid the fair value of their shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) if they follow the required procedures, subject to certain exceptions. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.

 

5


 

In addition, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies, provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders or creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:

 

·                  the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met;

 

·                  the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class;

 

·                  the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and

 

·                  the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Law.

 

When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.

 

If an arrangement and reconstruction is thus approved, the dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.

 

Shareholders’ Suits. In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff to sue for a wrong done to us as a company and a derivative action may ordinarily not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authority, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected (and have had occasion) to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) so that a minority shareholder may be permitted to commence a representative action against, or derivative actions in the name of, our company to challenge:

 

·                  an act which is ultra vires the company or illegal and is therefore incapable of ratification by the shareholders,

 

6


 

·                  an act which constitutes a fraud against the minority where the wrongdoers are themselves in control of the company, or

 

·                  an act which requires a resolution with a qualified (or special) majority (i.e. more than a simple majority) which has not been obtained.

 

Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability. Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association require us to indemnify our officers and directors for all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such Indemnified Person, other than by reason of such Indemnified Person’s own dishonesty, wilful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of the Company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such Indemnified Person in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning the Company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation.

 

In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers that provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our Memorandum and Articles of Association.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

Directors’ Fiduciary Duties. Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director acts in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He must not use his corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, the director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.

 

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As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company and therefore it is considered that he owes the following duties to the company—a duty to act in good faith in the best interests of the company, a duty not to make a personal profit based on his position as director (unless the company permits him to do so), a duty not to put himself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his personal interest or his duty to a third party and a duty to exercise powers for the purpose for which such powers were intended. A director of a Cayman Islands company owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands.

 

Shareholder Action by Written Consent. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. Cayman Islands law and our Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that shareholders may approve corporate matters by way of a unanimous written resolution signed by or on behalf of each shareholder who would have been entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting without a meeting being held.

 

Shareholder Proposals. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.

 

Cayman Islands law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in articles of association. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association allow our shareholders holding not less than one-third of all voting power of our share capital in issue to requisition a shareholder’s meeting, in which case our directors are obliged to call such meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. Other than this right to requisition a shareholders’ meeting, our  Memorandum and Articles of Association do not provide our shareholders other right to put proposal before a meeting. As an exempted Cayman Islands company, we are not obliged by law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings.

 

Cumulative Voting. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. There are no prohibitions in relation to cumulative voting under the laws of the Cayman Islands but our Memorandum and Articles of Association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.

 

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Removal of Directors. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our Memorandum and Articles of Association, directors may be removed with or without cause, by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders.

 

Transactions with Interested Shareholders. The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three years following the date that such person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or a group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the target’s outstanding voting share within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors.

 

Cayman Islands law has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although Cayman Islands law does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, it does provide that such transactions must be entered into bona fide in the best interests of the company and for a proper purpose and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.

 

Dissolution; Winding up. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board.

 

Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so. Under the Companies Law and our Memorandum and Articles of Association, our company may be dissolved, liquidated or wound up by a special resolution of our shareholders, or by an ordinary resolution on the basis that our company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due.

 

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Variation of Rights of Shares. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our Memorandum and Articles of Association, if our share capital is divided into more than one class of shares, we may vary the rights attached to any class with the written consent of the holders of a majority of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.

 

Amendment of Governing Documents. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law, our Memorandum and Articles of Association may only be amended with a special resolution of our shareholders.

 

Rights of Non-resident or Foreign Shareholders. There are no limitations imposed by our Memorandum and Articles of Association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions under Cayman Islands law applicable to the Company, or in our Memorandum and Articles of Association that require the Company to disclose shareholder ownership above any particular ownership threshold.

 

Changes in Capital (Item 10.B.10 of Form 20-F)

 

Our shareholders may from time to time by ordinary resolution:

 

·                  increase our share capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such classes and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe;

 

·                  consolidate and divide all or any of our share capital into shares of a larger amount than our existing shares;

 

·                  sub-divide our existing shares, or any of them into shares of a smaller amount, provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share shall be the same as it was in case of the share from which the reduced share is derived; or

 

·                  cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of our share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled.

 

Our shareholders may by special resolution, subject to confirmation by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on an application by our company for an order confirming such reduction, reduce our share capital or any capital redemption reserve in any manner permitted by law.

 

Debt Securities (Item 12.A of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

Warrants and Rights (Item 12.B of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

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Other Securities (Item 12.C of Form 20-F)

 

Not applicable.

 

Description of American Depositary Shares (Items 12.D.1 and 12.D.2 of Form 20-F)

 

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary, registers and delivers the ADSs. Each ADS represents ownership of two shares, deposited with Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong Branch, as custodian for the depositary. Each ADS also represents ownership of any other securities, cash or other property which may be held by the depositary. The depositary’s corporate trust office at which the ADSs is administered is located at 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, USA. The principal executive office of the depositary is located at 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, USA.

 

The Direct Registration System, or DRS, is a system administered by The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, pursuant to which the depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership shall be evidenced by periodic statements issued by the depositary to the ADS holders entitled thereto.

 

We don’t treat ADS holders as our shareholders and accordingly, you, as an ADS holder, do not have shareholder rights. Cayman Islands law governs shareholder rights. The depositary is the holder of the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. As a holder of ADSs, you will have ADS holder rights. A deposit agreement among us, the depositary and you, as an ADS holder, and the beneficial owners of ADSs sets out ADS holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. The laws of the State of New York govern the deposit agreement and the ADSs.

 

The following is a summary of the material provisions of the deposit agreement. For more complete information, you should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of American Depositary Receipt. The deposit agreement has been filed with the SEC as an exhibit to a Registration Statement on Form F-6 (File No. 333-208437) for our company. The form of ADR is on file with the SEC (as a prospectus) and was filed on December 18, 2015.

 

Holding the ADSs

 

How will you hold your ADSs?

 

You may hold ADSs either (1) directly (a) by having an American Depositary Receipt, or ADR, which is a certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs, registered in your name, or (b) by holding ADSs in DRS, or (2) indirectly through your broker or other financial institution. If you hold ADSs directly, you are an ADS holder. This description assumes you hold your ADSs directly. If you hold the ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or other financial institution to assert the rights of ADS holders described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are.

 

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Dividends and Other Distributions

 

How will you receive dividends and other distributions on the shares?

 

The depositary has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on ordinary shares or other deposited securities, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent as of the record date (which will be as close as practicable to the record date for our ordinary shares) set by the depositary with respect to the ADSs.

 

·                  Cash. The depositary will convert or cause to be converted any cash dividend or other cash distribution we pay on the ordinary shares or any net proceeds from the sale of any ordinary shares, rights, securities or other entitlements under the terms of the deposit agreement into U.S. dollars if it can do so on a practicable basis, and can transfer the U.S. dollars to the United States and will distribute promptly the amount thus received. If the depositary shall determine in its judgment that such conversions or transfers are not possible or lawful or if any government approval or license is needed and cannot be obtained at a reasonable cost within a reasonable period or otherwise sought, the deposit agreement allows the depositary to distribute the foreign currency only to those ADS holders to whom it is possible to do so. It will hold or cause the custodian to hold the foreign currency it cannot convert for the account of the ADS holders who have not been paid and such funds will be held or the respective accounts of the ADS holders. It will not invest the foreign currency and it will not be liable for any interest for the respective accounts of the ADS holders.

 

Before making a distribution, any taxes or other governmental charges, together with fees and expenses of the depositary, that must be paid, will be deducted. See “Taxation.” It will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents and will round fractional cents to the nearest whole cent. If the exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the depositary cannot convert the foreign currency, you may lose some or all of the value of the distribution.

 

·                  Shares. For any ordinary shares we distribute as a dividend or free distribution, either (1) the depositary will distribute additional ADSs representing such ordinary shares or (2) existing ADSs as of the applicable record date will represent rights and interests in the additional ordinary shares distributed, to the extent reasonably practicable and permissible under law, in either case, net of applicable fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and taxes and/or other governmental charges. The depositary will only distribute whole ADSs. It will try to sell ordinary shares which would require it to deliver a fractional ADS and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed ordinary shares sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in connection with that distribution.

 

·                  Elective Distributions in Cash or Shares. If we offer holders of our ordinary shares the option to receive dividends in either cash or shares, the depositary, after consultation with us and having received timely notice as described in the deposit agreement of such elective distribution by us, has discretion to determine to what extent such elective distribution will be made available to you as a holder of the ADSs. We must timely first instruct the depositary to make such elective distribution available to you and furnish it with satisfactory evidence that it is legal to do so. The depositary could decide it is not legal or reasonably practicable to make such elective distribution available to you. In such case, the depositary shall, on the basis of the same determination as is made in respect of the ordinary shares for which no election is made, distribute either cash in the same way as it does in a cash distribution, or additional ADSs representing ordinary shares in the same way as it does in a share distribution. The depositary is not obligated to make available to you a method to receive the elective dividend in shares rather than in ADSs. There can be no assurance that you will be given the opportunity to receive elective distributions on the same terms and conditions as the holders of ordinary shares.

 

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·                  Rights to Purchase Additional Shares. If we offer holders of our ordinary shares any rights to subscribe for additional shares, the depositary shall having received timely notice as described in the deposit agreement of such distribution by us, consult with us, and we must determine whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make these rights available to you. We must first instruct the depositary to make such rights available to you and furnish the depositary with satisfactory evidence that it is legal to do so. If the depositary decides it is not legal or reasonably practicable to make the rights available but that it is lawful and reasonably practicable to sell the rights, the depositary will endeavor to sell the rights and in a riskless principal capacity or otherwise, at such place and upon such terms (including public or private sale) as it may deem proper distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. The depositary will allow rights that are not distributed or sold to lapse. In that case, you will receive no value for them.

 

If the depositary makes rights available to you, it will establish procedures to distribute such rights and enable you to exercise the rights upon your payment of applicable fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and taxes and/or other governmental charges. The Depositary shall not be obliged to make available to you a method to exercise such rights to subscribe for ordinary shares (rather than ADSs).

 

U.S. securities laws may restrict transfers and cancellation of the ADSs represented by shares purchased upon exercise of rights. For example, you may not be able to trade these ADSs freely in the United States.

 

There can be no assurance that you will be given the opportunity to exercise rights on the same terms and conditions as the holders of ordinary shares or be able to exercise such rights.

 

·                  Other Distributions. Subject to receipt of timely notice, as described in the deposit agreement, from us with the request to make any such distribution available to you, and provided the depositary has determined such distribution is lawful and reasonably practicable and feasible and in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement, the depositary will distribute to you anything else we distribute on deposited securities by any means it may deem practicable, upon your payment of applicable fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and taxes and/or other governmental charges. If any of the conditions above are not met, the depositary will endeavor to sell, or cause to be sold, what we distributed and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash; or, if it is unable to sell such property, the depositary may dispose of such property in any way it deems reasonably practicable under the circumstances for nominal or no consideration, such that you may have no rights to or arising from such property.

 

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The depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any ADS holders. We have no obligation to register ADSs, shares, rights or other securities under the Securities Act. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, shares, rights or anything else to ADS holders. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our shares or any value for them if we and/or the depositary determines that it is illegal or not practicable for us or the depositary to make them available to you.

 

Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation

 

How are ADSs issued?

 

The depositary will deliver ADSs if you or your broker deposit ordinary shares or evidence of rights to receive ordinary shares with the custodian. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will register the appropriate number of ADSs in the names you request and will deliver the ADSs to or upon the order of the person or persons entitled thereto.

 

How do ADS holders cancel an American Depositary Share?

 

You may turn in your ADSs at the depositary’s corporate trust office or by providing appropriate instructions to your broker. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will deliver the ordinary shares and any other deposited securities underlying the ADSs to you or a person you designate at the office of the custodian. Or, at your request, risk and expense, the depositary will deliver the deposited securities at its corporate trust office, to the extent permitted by law.

 

How do ADS holders interchange between Certificated ADSs and Uncertificated ADSs?

 

You may surrender your ADR to the depositary for the purpose of exchanging your ADR for uncertificated ADSs. The depositary will cancel that ADR and will send you a statement confirming that you are the owner of uncertificated ADSs. Alternatively, upon receipt by the depositary of a proper instruction from a holder of uncertificated ADSs requesting the exchange of uncertificated ADSs for certificated ADSs, the depositary will execute and deliver to you an ADR evidencing those ADSs.

 

Voting Rights

 

How do you vote?

 

You may instruct the depositary to vote the ordinary shares or other deposited securities underlying your ADSs at any meeting at which you are entitled to vote pursuant to any applicable law, the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, and the provisions of or governing the deposited securities. Otherwise, you could exercise your right to vote directly if you withdraw the ordinary shares. However, you may not know about the meeting sufficiently enough in advance to withdraw the ordinary shares.

 

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If we ask for your instructions and upon timely notice from us by regular, ordinary mail delivery, or by electronic transmission, as described in the deposit agreement, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming meeting at which you are entitled to vote pursuant to any applicable law, the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, and the provisions of or governing the deposited securities, and arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. The materials will include or reproduce (a) such notice of meeting or solicitation of consents or proxies; (b) a statement that the ADS holders at the close of business on the ADS record date will be entitled, subject to any applicable law, the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, and the provisions of or governing the deposited securities, to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the ordinary shares or other deposited securities represented by such holder’s ADSs; and (c) a brief statement as to the manner in which such instructions may be given or deemed given in accordance with the second to last sentence of this paragraph if no instruction is received, to the depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us. Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs representing an integral number of ordinary shares or other deposited securities. For instructions to be valid, the depositary must receive them in writing on or before the date specified. The depositary will try, as far as practical, subject to applicable law and the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, to vote or to have its agents vote the ordinary shares or other deposited securities (in person or by proxy) as you instruct. The depositary will only vote or attempt to vote as you instruct. If we timely requested the depositary to solicit your instructions but no instructions are received by the depositary from an owner with respect to any of the deposited securities represented by the ADSs of that owner on or before the date established by the depositary for such purpose, the depositary shall deem that owner to have instructed the depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us with respect to such deposited securities, and the depositary shall give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us to vote such deposited securities. However, no such instruction shall be deemed given and no such discretionary proxy shall be given with respect to any matter if we inform the depositary we do not wish such proxy given, substantial opposition exists or the rights of holders of the ordinary shares would be materially and adversely affected.

 

We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. In addition, there can be no assurance that ADS holders and beneficial owners generally, or any holder or beneficial owner in particular, will be given the opportunity to vote or cause the custodian to vote on the same terms and conditions as the holders of our ordinary shares.

 

The depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may have no recourse if the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

 

In order to give you a reasonable opportunity to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to deposited securities, if we request the depositary to act, we will give the depositary notice of any such meeting and details concerning the matters to be voted at least 30 business days in advance of the meeting date.

 

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Compliance with Regulations

 

Information Requests

 

Each ADS holder and beneficial owner shall (a) provide such information as we or the depositary may request pursuant to law, including, without limitation, relevant Cayman Islands law, any applicable law of the United States of America, our memorandum and articles of association, any resolutions of our Board of Directors adopted pursuant to such memorandum and articles of association, the requirements of any markets or exchanges upon which the ordinary shares, ADSs or ADRs are listed or traded, or to any requirements of any electronic book-entry system by which the ADSs or ADRs may be transferred, regarding the capacity in which they own or owned ADRs, the identity of any other persons then or previously interested in such ADRs and the nature of such interest, and any other applicable matters, and (b) be bound by and subject to applicable provisions of the laws of the Cayman Islands, our memorandum and articles of association, and the requirements of any markets or exchanges upon which the ADSs, ADRs or ordinary shares are listed or traded, or pursuant to any requirements of any electronic book-entry system by which the ADSs, ADRs or ordinary shares may be transferred, to the same extent as if such ADS holder or beneficial owner held ordinary shares directly, in each case irrespective of whether or not they are ADS holders or beneficial owners at the time such request is made.

 

Disclosure of Interests

 

Each ADS holder and beneficial owner shall comply with our requests pursuant to Cayman Islands law, the rules and requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and any other stock exchange on which the ordinary shares are, or will be, registered, traded or listed or our memorandum and articles of association, which requests are made to provide information, inter alia, as to the capacity in which such ADS holder or beneficial owner owns ADS and regarding the identity of any other person interested in such ADS and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or not they are ADS holders or beneficial owners at the time of such requests.

 

Fees and Expenses

                                               

As an ADS holder, you will be required to pay the following service fees to the depositary bank and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs):

 

Service

 

Fees

·                  To any person to which ADSs are issued or to any person to which a distribution is made in respect of ADS distributions pursuant to stock dividends or other free distributions of stock,

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS issued

 

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bonus distributions, stock splits or other distributions (except where converted to cash)

 

 

·                  Cancellation of ADSs, including the case of termination of the deposit agreement

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS cancelled

·                  Distribution of cash dividends

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

·                  Distribution of cash entitlements (other than cash dividends) and/or cash proceeds from the sale of rights, securities and other entitlements

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

·                  Distribution of ADSs pursuant to exercise of rights.

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

·                  Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

·                  Depositary services

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS held on the applicable record date(s) established by the depositary bank

 

As an ADS holder, you will also be responsible to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by the depositary bank and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs) such as:

 

 

·

 

Fees for the transfer and registration of ordinary shares charged by the registrar and transfer agent for the ordinary shares in Cayman Islands (i.e., upon deposit and withdrawal of ordinary shares).

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

Expenses incurred for converting foreign currency into U.S. dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

Expenses for cable, telex and fax transmissions and for delivery of securities.

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

Taxes and duties upon the transfer of securities, including any applicable stamp duties, any stock transfer charges or withholding taxes (i.e., when ordinary shares are deposited or withdrawn from deposit).

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

Fees and expenses incurred in connection with the delivery or servicing of ordinary shares on deposit.

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

Fees and expenses incurred in connection with complying with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to ordinary shares, deposited securities, ADSs and ADRs.

 

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·

 

Any applicable fees and penalties thereon.

 

The depositary fees payable upon the issuance and cancellation of ADSs are typically paid to the depositary bank by the brokers (on behalf of their clients) receiving the newly issued ADSs from the depositary bank and by the brokers (on behalf of their clients) delivering the ADSs to the depositary bank for cancellation. The brokers in turn charge these fees to their clients. Depositary fees payable in connection with distributions of cash or securities to ADS holders and the depositary services fee are charged by the depositary bank to the holders of record of ADSs as of the applicable ADS record date.

 

The depositary fees payable for cash distributions are generally deducted from the cash being distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. In the case of distributions other than cash (i.e., share dividends, rights), the depositary bank charges the applicable fee to the ADS record date holders concurrent with the distribution. In the case of ADSs registered in the name of the investor (whether certificated or uncertificated in direct registration), the depositary bank sends invoices to the applicable record date ADS holders. In the case of ADSs held in brokerage and custodian accounts (via DTC), the depositary bank generally collects its fees through the systems provided by DTC (whose nominee is the registered holder of the ADSs held in DTC) from the brokers and custodians holding ADSs in their DTC accounts. The brokers and custodians who hold their clients’ ADSs in DTC accounts in turn charge their clients’ accounts the amount of the fees paid to the depositary banks.

 

In the event of refusal to pay the depositary fees, the depositary bank may, under the terms of the deposit agreement, refuse the requested service until payment is received or may set off the amount of the depositary fees from any distribution to be made to the ADS holder.

 

The depositary has agreed to pay certain amounts to us in exchange for its appointment as depositary. We may use these funds towards our expenses relating to the establishment and maintenance of the ADR program, including investor relations expenses, or otherwise as we see fit. The depositary may pay us a fixed amount, it may pay us a portion of the fees collected by the depositary from holders of ADSs, and it may pay specific expenses incurred by us in connection with the ADR program. Neither the depositary nor we may be able to determine the aggregate amount to be paid to us because (i) the number of ADSs that will be issued and outstanding and the level of dividend and/or servicing fees to be charged may vary, and (ii) our expenses related to the program may not be known at this time.

 

Payment of Taxes

 

You will be responsible for any taxes or other governmental charges payable, or which become payable, on your ADSs or on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs. The depositary may refuse to register or transfer your ADSs or allow you to withdraw the deposited securities represented by your ADSs until such taxes or other charges are paid. It may apply payments owed to you or sell deposited securities represented by your ADSs to pay any taxes owed and you will remain liable for any deficiency. If the depositary sells deposited securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number of ADSs to reflect the sale and pay to you any net proceeds, or send to you any property, remaining after it has paid the taxes. You agree to indemnify us, the depositary, the custodian and each of our and their respective agents, directors, employees and affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless from, any claims with respect to taxes (including applicable interest and penalties thereon) arising from any refund of taxes, reduced rate of withholding at source or other tax benefit obtained for you. Your obligations under this paragraph shall survive any transfer of ADRs, any surrender of ADRs and withdrawal of deposited securities or the termination of the deposit agreement.

 

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Reclassifications, Recapitalizations and Mergers

 

If we:

 

Then:

Change the nominal or par value of our ordinary shares

 

The cash, shares or other securities received by the depositary will become deposited securities.

Reclassify, split up or consolidate any of the deposited securities

 

Each ADS will automatically represent its equal share of the new deposited securities.

Distribute securities on the ordinary shares that are not distributed to you, or

 

The depositary may distribute some or all of the cash, shares or other securities it received. It may also deliver new ADSs or ask you to surrender your outstanding ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new deposited securities.

Recapitalize, reorganize, merge, liquidate, sell all or substantially all of our assets, or take any similar action

 

 

 

Amendment and Termination

 

How may the deposit agreement be amended?

 

We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the form of ADR without your consent for any reason. If an amendment adds or increases fees or charges, except for taxes and other governmental charges or expenses of the depositary for registration fees, facsimile costs, delivery charges or similar items, including expenses incurred in connection with foreign exchange control regulations and other charges specifically payable by ADS holders under the deposit agreement, or materially prejudices a substantial existing right of ADS holders, it will not become effective for outstanding ADSs until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, you are considered, by continuing to hold your ADSs, to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the deposit agreement as amended. If any new laws are adopted which would require the deposit agreement to be amended in order to comply therewith, we and the depositary may amend the deposit agreement in accordance with such laws and such amendment may become effective before notice thereof is given to ADS holders.

 

How may the deposit agreement be terminated?

 

The depositary will terminate the deposit agreement if we ask it to do so, in which case the depositary will give notice to you at least 60 days prior to termination. The depositary may also terminate the deposit agreement if the depositary has told us that it would like to resign, or if we have removed the depositary, and in either case we have not appointed a new depositary within 90 days. In either such case, the depositary must notify you at least 30 days before termination.

 

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After termination, the depositary and its agents will do the following under the deposit agreement but nothing else: collect distributions on the deposited securities, sell rights and other property and deliver ordinary shares and other deposited securities upon cancellation of ADSs after payment of any fees, charges, taxes or other governmental charges. Six months or more after the date of termination, the depositary may sell any remaining deposited securities by public or private sale. After that, the depositary will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the deposit agreement, for the pro rata benefit of the ADS holders that have not surrendered their ADSs. It will not invest the money and has no liability for interest. After such sale, the depositary’s only obligations will be to account for the money and other cash. After termination, we shall be discharged from all obligations under the deposit agreement except for our obligations to the depositary thereunder.

 

Books of Depositary

 

The depositary will maintain ADS holder records at its depositary office. You may inspect such records at such office during regular business hours but solely for the purpose of communicating with other holders in the interest of business matters relating to the Company, the ADRs and the deposit agreement.

 

The depositary will maintain facilities in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York to record and process the issuance, cancellation, combination, split-up and transfer of ADRs.

 

These facilities may be closed at any time or from time to time when such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the depositary in connection with the performance of its duties under the deposit agreement or at our reasonable written request.

 

Limitations on Obligations and Liability

 

Limits on our Obligations and the Obligations of the Depositary and the Custodian; Limits on Liability to Holders of ADSs

 

The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary and the custodian. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary. The depositary and the custodian:

 

·                  are only obligated to take the actions specifically set forth in the deposit agreement without gross negligence or willful misconduct;

 

·                  are not liable if any of us or our respective controlling persons or agents are prevented or forbidden from, or subjected to any civil or criminal penalty or restraint on account of, or delayed in, doing or performing any act or thing required by the terms of the deposit agreement and any ADR, by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States or any state thereof, Cayman Island or any other country, or of any other governmental authority or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or on account of the possible criminal or civil penalties or restraint, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of our memorandum and articles of association or any provision of or governing any deposited securities, or by reason of any act of God or war or other circumstances beyond its control (including, without limitation, nationalization, expropriation, currency restrictions, work stoppage, strikes, civil unrest, revolutions, rebellions, explosions and computer failure);

 

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·                  are not liable by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the deposit agreement or in our memorandum and articles of association or provisions of or governing deposited securities;

 

·                  are not liable for any action or inaction of the depositary, the custodian or us or their or our respective controlling persons or agents in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, any person presenting ordinary shares for deposit or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information;

 

·                  are not liable for the inability of any holder of ADSs to benefit from any distribution on deposited securities that is not made available to holders of ADSs under the terms of the deposit agreement;

 

·                  are not liable for any indirect, special, consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the deposit agreement, or otherwise;

 

·                  may rely upon any documents we believe in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party;

 

·                  disclaim any liability for any action or inaction or inaction of any of us or our respective controlling persons or agents in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting ordinary shares for deposit, holders and beneficial owners (or authorized representatives) of ADSs, or any person believed in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information; and

 

·                  disclaim any liability for inability of any holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit made available to holders of deposited securities but not made available to holders of ADS.

 

The depositary and any of its agents also disclaim any liability (i) for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, the manner in which any vote is cast or the effect of any vote or failure to determine that any distribution or action may be lawful or reasonably practicable or for allowing any rights to lapse in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement, (ii) the failure or timeliness of any notice from us, the content of any information submitted to it by us for distribution to you or for any inaccuracy of any translation thereof, (iii) any investment risk associated with the acquisition of an interest in the deposited securities, the validity or worth of the deposited securities, the credit-worthiness of any third party, (iv) for any tax consequences that may result from ownership of ADSs, ordinary shares or deposited securities, or (vi) for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the depositary or in connection with any matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises the depositary performed its obligations without gross negligence or willful misconduct while it acted as depositary.

 

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In addition, the deposit agreement provides that each party to the deposit agreement (including each holder, beneficial owner and holder of interests in the ADRs) irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any right it may have to a trial by jury in any lawsuit or proceeding against the depositary or our company related to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement.

 

In the deposit agreement, we and the depositary agree to indemnify each other under certain circumstances.

 

Requirements for Depositary Actions

 

Before the depositary will issue, deliver or register a transfer of an ADS, split-up, subdivide or combine ADSs, make a distribution on an ADS, or permit withdrawal of ordinary shares, the depositary may require:

 

 

·

 

payment of stock transfer or other taxes or other governmental charges and transfer or registration fees charged by third parties for the transfer of any ordinary shares or other deposited securities and payment of the applicable fees, expenses and charges of the depositary;

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness of any signature or any other matters contemplated in the deposit agreement; and

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

compliance with (A) any laws or governmental regulations relating to the execution and delivery of ADRs or ADSs or to the withdrawal or delivery of deposited securities and (B) such reasonable regulations and procedures as the depositary may establish, from time to time, consistent with the deposit agreement and applicable laws, including presentation of transfer documents.

 

The depositary may refuse to issue and deliver ADSs or register transfers of ADSs generally when the register of the depositary or our transfer books are closed or at any time if the depositary or we determine that it is necessary or advisable to do so.

 

Your Right to Receive the Shares Underlying Your ADSs

 

You have the right to cancel your ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares at any time except:

 

 

·

 

when temporary delays arise because: (1) the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books; (2) the transfer of ordinary shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders’ meeting; or (3) we are paying a dividend on our ordinary shares;

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

when you owe money to pay fees, taxes and similar charges;

 

22


 

 

·

 

when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of ordinary shares or other deposited securities;

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

other circumstances specifically contemplated by Section I.A.(l) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 (as such General Instructions may be amended from time to time); or

 

 

 

 

 

·

 

for any other reason if the depositary or we determine, in good faith, that it is necessary or advisable to prohibit withdrawals.

 

The depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under the deposit agreement any ordinary shares or other deposited securities required to be registered under the provisions of the Securities Act, unless a registration statement is in effect as to such ordinary shares.

 

This right of withdrawal may not be limited by any other provision of the deposit agreement.

 

Pre-release of ADSs

 

The deposit agreement permits the depositary to deliver ADSs before deposit of the underlying ordinary shares. This is called a pre-release of the ADSs. The depositary may also deliver ordinary shares upon cancellation of pre-released ADSs (even if the ADSs are cancelled before the pre-release transaction has been closed out). A pre-release is closed out as soon as the underlying ordinary shares are delivered to the depositary. The depositary may receive ADSs instead of ordinary shares to close out a pre-release. The depositary may pre-release ADSs only under the following conditions: (1) before or at the time of the pre-release, the person to whom the pre-release is being made represents to the depositary in writing that it or its customer (a) owns the ordinary shares or ADSs to be deposited, (b) agrees to indicate the depositary as owner of such ordinary shares or ADSs in its records and to hold such ordinary shares or ADSs in trust for the depositary until such ordinary shares or ADSs are delivered to the depositary or the custodian, (c) unconditionally guarantees to deliver such ordinary shares or ADSs to the depositary or the custodian, as the case may be, and (d) agrees to any additional restrictions or requirements that the depositary deems appropriate; (2) the pre-release is fully collateralized with cash, United States government securities or other collateral that the depositary considers appropriate; and (3) the depositary must be able to close out the pre-release on not more than five business days’ notice. Each pre-release is subject to further indemnities and credit regulations as the depositary considers appropriate. In addition, the depositary will normally limit the number of ADSs that may be outstanding at any time as a result of pre-release to 30% of the aggregate number of ADSs then outstanding, although the depositary may disregard the limit from time to time, if it thinks it is appropriate to do so.

 

Direct Registration System

 

In the deposit agreement, all parties to the deposit agreement acknowledge that the DRS and Profile Modification System, or Profile, will apply to uncertificated ADSs upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC pursuant to which the depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership shall be evidenced by periodic statements issued by the depositary to the ADS holders entitled thereto.

 

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Profile is a required feature of DRS which allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of an ADS holder, to direct the depositary to register a transfer of those ADSs to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those ADSs to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the depositary of prior authorization from the ADS holder to register such transfer.

 

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Dates Referenced Herein   and   Documents Incorporated by Reference

This ‘20-F’ Filing    Date    Other Filings
Filed on:5/15/20
For Period end:12/31/196-K,  NT 20-F
12/18/15424B4,  EFFECT
 List all Filings 


6 Subsequent Filings that Reference this Filing

  As Of               Filer                 Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size             Issuer                      Filing Agent

 4/28/23  Yiren Digital Ltd.                20-F       12/31/22  110:18M                                    Toppan Merrill/FA
 9/21/22  Yiren Digital Ltd.                20-F       12/31/21  115:18M                                    Toppan Merrill/FA
 4/29/21  Yiren Digital Ltd.                20-F       12/31/20  124:18M                                    Toppan Merrill/FA
11/03/20  SEC                               UPLOAD12/03/20    2:39K  Yiren Digital Ltd.
 9/24/20  SEC                               UPLOAD12/03/20    2:56K  Yiren Digital Ltd.
 9/08/20  Yiren Digital Ltd.                S-8         9/08/20    4:277K                                   Toppan Merrill/FA
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