Proposed Placing to Raise up to GBP 12m million
15 May 2019
Block Energy PLC
("Block Energy" or "the Company")
Proposed Placing to Raise up to GBP 12m million
Block Energy PLC, the exploration and production company focused on the Republic of Georgia, today announces its intention to conduct an accelerated bookbuild (the "Bookbuild") to raise gross proceeds of up to approximately GBP 12m by way of a placing (the "Placing") of new ordinary shares of £0.0025 each in the Company ("Ordinary Shares").
The Bookbuild will open with immediate effect following release of this announcement. A further announcement confirming the closing of the Bookbuild, the number of new Ordinary Shares issued as part of the Placing and the price being paid per new Ordinary Share (the "Placing Price") is expected to be made in due course.
Mirabaud Securities Limited ("Mirabaud") is acting as sole bookrunner in relation to the Placing.
Expected Use of Proceeds
The Company is undertaking the Placing in order to fund the acceleration of its defined development strategy in relation to its rights under the West Rustavi PSA. Over the next 12 months, the Company intends to carry out the following works in West Rustavi:
· Drill up to four horizontal sidetracks to scale up production and fund future capital programmes.
· Expand production facilities to increase capacity to 4,000 - 5,000 bbl/d.
· Acquire 3D seismic to provide critical understanding of subsurface.
· Appraise two existing gas discoveries.
· Drill one new well targeting gross contingent 2C gas resource of 608 BCF.
Within the next 24 months, the Company aims to bring West Rustavi gas reserves into production, to continue oil development and to secure additional licences in Georgia and the wider region.
Additional Information on the Placing and the Bookbuild
The Placing Price and the final number of new Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing (the "Placing Shares") will be determined following the close of the Bookbuild. The Placing Shares, when issued, will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares.
It is intended that up to 42,820,000 of the Placing Shares will be issued and allotted following close of the Bookbuild pursuant to the existing authority of the Directors to issue and allot Ordinary Shares free from pre-emption rights (the "Firm Placing Shares") and that the issue and allotment of the remainder of the Placing Shares shall be conditional on the approval of certain resolutions by the shareholders of the Company (the "Conditional Placing Shares") which will be sought at a general meeting of the Company, details of which can be found below.
The timing of the closing of the Bookbuild and allocations of Placing Shares are at the discretion of Mirabaud and the Company. The Placing Price and details of the results of the Placing will be announced as soon as practicable after the close of the Bookbuild. Your attention is drawn to the detailed terms and conditions of the Placing described in the Appendix (which forms part of this announcement).
By choosing to participate in the Placing and by making an oral and legally binding offer to acquire Placing Shares, investors will be deemed to have read and understood this announcement in its entirety (including the Appendix) and to be making such offer on the terms and subject to the conditions in it, and to be providing the representations, warranties and acknowledgements contained in the Appendix.
Further updates will be provided as and when appropriate.
Circular and notice of general meeting
A circular containing further details of the Placing and notice of a general meeting of the Company expected to be held at 10.00 a.m. on 4 June 2019 to, inter alia, pass the resolutions required to implement the Conditional Placing, is expected to be published shortly after the completion of the Bookbuild and to be despatched to Shareholders as soon as practicable thereafter. Following its publication, the circular will be available on the Company's website at www.blockenergy.co.uk.
Unless otherwise defined, capitalised terms in this announcement (including the Appendix) have the same meaning ascribed to them as in the Company's Admission Document dated 4 June 2018.
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APPENDIX
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE BOOKBUILD
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE BOOKBUILD FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE ONLY DIRECTED AT, AND BEING DISTRIBUTED TO, PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (A) IF IN A MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA ("EEA"), PERSONS WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(1)(E) OF THE EU PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE (WHICH MEANS DIRECTIVE 2003/71/EC, AS AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, AND INCLUDES ANY RELEVANT IMPLEMENTING DIRECTIVE MEASURE IN ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EEA TO THE EXTENT IMPLEMENTED IN THE RELEVANT MEMBER STATE OF THE EEA) (THE "PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE") ("QUALIFIED INVESTORS"); (B) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, PERSONS WHO FALL WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF "INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS" IN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED ("THE ORDER") OR ARE PERSONS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2) OF THE ORDER AND ARE "QUALIFIED INVESTORS" AS DEFINED IN SECTION 86(7) OF THE FSMA; AND (C) ANY OTHER PERSON TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED; AND, IN EACH CASE, WHO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PLACING BY MIRABAUD SECURITIES LIMITED ("MIRABAUD") (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY PERSON WHO HAS RECEIVED OR IS DISTRIBUTING THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATE IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS. THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DO NOT THEMSELVES CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY. THE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT") OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR DELIVERED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY IN, INTO OR WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THERE WILL BE NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN ACQUISITION OF PLACING SHARES (AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED BELOW).
Unless otherwise defined in these terms and conditions, capitalised terms used in these terms and conditions shall have the meaning given to them in this announcement.
If a person indicates to Mirabaud that it wishes to participate in the Placing by making an oral or written offer to acquire Placing Shares (each such person, a "Placee") it will be deemed to have read and understood these terms and conditions and the announcement of which they form a part in their entirety and to be making such offer on the terms and conditions, and to be providing the representations, warranties, indemnities, agreements and acknowledgements, contained in these terms and conditions as deemed to be made by Placees. In particular, each such Placee represents, warrants and acknowledges that it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage and dispose of any of the Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business only. Further, each such Placee represents, warrants and agrees that: (a) if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, that the Placing Shares acquired by and/or subscribed for by it in the Placing will not be acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of securities to the public other than an offer or resale in a member state of the EEA which has implemented the Prospectus Directive to Qualified Investors, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of Mirabaud has been given to each such proposed offer or resale; and (b) it is and, at the time the Placing Shares are acquired, will be outside the United States, and acquiring the Placing Shares in an offshore transaction in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 of Regulation S under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). These terms and conditions do not constitute an offer to sell or issue or the invitation or solicitation of an offer to buy or acquire Placing Shares.
Subject to certain exceptions, these terms and conditions and the information contained herein are not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, to persons in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction in which such release, publication or distribution would be unlawful ("Excluded Territory").
In particular, the Placing Shares referred to in these terms and conditions have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and the Placing Shares may not be offered or sold directly or indirectly in, into or within the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. There will be no public offering of the Placing Shares in the United States. For the avoidance of doubt, and notwithstanding anything contained within these terms and conditions, Mirabaud are not procuring Placees in the United States and are not involved in any marketing or distribution of the Placing Shares in the United States.
The distribution of these terms and conditions and the offer and/or placing of Placing Shares in certain other jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by Mirabaud or the Company that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of these terms and conditions or any other offering or publicity material relating to the Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, save as mentioned above. Persons into whose possession these terms and conditions come are required by Mirabaud and the Company to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.
No prospectus or other offering document has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA in relation to the Placing or the Placing Shares and each Placee's commitment will be made solely on the basis of the information set out in this announcement and the pricing information expected to be made available to Placees on or around 16 May 2019. Each Placee, by participating in the Placing, agrees that it has neither received nor relied on any other information, representation, warranty or statement made by or on behalf of Mirabaud or the Company and none of Mirabaud, the Company, nor any person acting on such person's behalf nor any of their respective affiliates has or shall have liability for any Placee's decision to accept this invitation to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement. Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation.
No undertaking, representation, warranty or any other assurance, express or implied, is made or given by or on behalf of Mirabaud or any of its affiliates, their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, advisers, or any other person, as to the accuracy, completeness, correctness or fairness of the information or opinions contained in this announcement or for any other statement made or purported to be made by any of them, or on behalf of them, in connection with the Company or the Placing and no such person shall have any responsibility or liability for any such information or opinions or for any errors or omissions. Accordingly, save to the extent permitted by law, no liability whatsoever is accepted by Mirabaud or any of its directors, officers, employees or affiliates or any other person for any loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of this announcement or such information or opinions contained herein.
All offers of the Placing Shares will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive from the requirement to produce a prospectus.
These terms and conditions do not constitute or form part of, and should not be construed as, any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, any Placing Shares or any other securities or an inducement to enter into investment activity, nor shall these terms and conditions (or any part of them), nor the fact of their distribution, form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any investment activity. No statement in these terms and conditions is intended to be nor may be construed as a profit forecast and no statement made herein should be interpreted to mean that the Company's profits or earnings per share for any future period will necessarily match or exceed historical published profits or earnings per share of the Company.
Proposed Placing of Ordinary Shares
Placees are referred to these terms and conditions and this announcement containing details of, inter alia, the Placing. These terms and conditions and this announcement have been prepared and issued by the Company, and is the sole responsibility of the Company.
The new Ordinary Shares issued under the Placing, when issued and fully paid, will be identical to, and rank pari passu with, the existing Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid on the existing Ordinary Shares after their admission to trading on AIM ("Admission").
Applications will be made to the London Stock Exchange for admission of both the Firm Placing Shares ("First Admission") and the Conditional Placing Shares ("Second Admission") to trading on AIM. It is expected that First Admission will become effective and that dealings in the Firm Placing Shares will commence on AIM at 8.00 a.m. on 22 May 2019 and that Second Admission will become effective and that dealings in the Conditional Placing Shares will commence on AIM at 8.00 a.m. on 5 June 2019.
Bookbuild of the Placing
Commencing today, Mirabaud will be conducting the Bookbuild to determine demand for participation in the Placing. Mirabaud will seek to procure Placees as agent for the Company as part of this Bookbuild. These terms and conditions give details of the terms and conditions of, and the mechanics of participation in, the Placing.
Principal terms of the Bookbuild
(a) By participating in the Placing, Placees will be deemed to have read and understood this announcement and these terms and conditions in their entirety and to be participating and making an offer for any Placing Shares on these terms and conditions, and to be providing the representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and undertakings, contained in these terms and conditions.
(b) Mirabaud are arranging the Placing as agent of the Company.
(c) Participation in the Placing will only be available to persons who are Relevant Persons and who may lawfully be and are invited to participate by Mirabaud. Mirabaud and its affiliates are entitled to offer to subscribe for Placing Shares as principal in the Bookbuild.
(d) Any offer to subscribe for Placing Shares should state the aggregate number of Placing Shares which the Placee wishes to acquire or the total monetary amount which it wishes to commit to acquire Placing Shares at the Placing Price which is ultimately established by the Company and Mirabaud or at a price up to a price limit specified in its bid. The Placing Price will be jointly agreed between Mirabaud and the Company following completion of the Bookbuild and will be payable by the Placees in respect of the Placing Shares allocated to them.
(e) The Bookbuild is expected to close on 16 May 2019 but may close earlier or later, at the discretion of Mirabaud and the Company. The timing of the closing of the books and allocations will be agreed between Mirabaud and the Company following completion of the Bookbuild (the "Allocation Policy"). Mirabaud may, in agreement with the Company, accept offers to subscribe for Placing Shares that are received after the Bookbuild has closed.
(f) An offer to subscribe for Placing Shares in the Bookbuild will be made on the basis of these terms and conditions and will be legally binding on the Placee by which, or on behalf of which, it is made and will not be capable of variation or revocation after the close of the Bookbuild.
(g) Subject to paragraph (e) above, Mirabaud reserve the right not to accept an offer to subscribe for Placing Shares, either in whole or in part, on the basis of the Allocation Policy and may scale down any offer to subscribe for Placing Shares for this purpose.
(h) If successful, each Placee's allocation will be confirmed to it by Mirabaud following the close of the Bookbuild. Oral or written confirmation (at Mirabaud's discretion) from Mirabaud to such Placee confirming its allocation will constitute a legally binding commitment upon such Placee, in favour of Mirabaud and the Company to acquire the number of Placing Shares allocated to it on the terms and conditions set out herein. Each Placee will have an immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to the Company, to pay to Mirabaud (or as Mirabaud may direct) as agent for the Company in cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares which such Placee has agreed to acquire.
(i) The Company will make a further announcement following the close of the Bookbuild detailing the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares to be issued (the "Placing Results Announcement"). It is expected that such Placing Results Announcement will be made as soon as practicable after the close of the Bookbuild.
(j) Subject to paragraphs (g) and (h) above, Mirabaud reserve the right not to accept bids or to accept bids, either in whole or in part, on the basis of allocations determined at Mirabaud's discretion and may scale down any bids as Mirabaud may determine, subject to agreement with the Company. The acceptance of bids shall be at Mirabaud's absolute discretion, subject to agreement with the Company.
(k) Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation(s) pursuant to the Placing is/are confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to be acquired pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made at the time specified, on the basis explained below under the paragraph entitled "Registration and Settlement".
(l) No commissions are payable to Placees in respect of the Placing.
(m) By participating in the Bookbuild, each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate only in the circumstances described below and will not be capable of rescission or termination by the Placee. All obligations under the Placing will be subject to the fulfilment of the conditions referred to below under the paragraph entitled "Conditions of the Placing and Termination of the Placing Agreement".
Conditions of the Placing
The Company will issue and allot the Firm Placing Shares in two tranches (the "First Tranche Firm Placing Shares" and the "Second Tranche Firm Placing Shares").
The First Tranche Firm Placing Shares shall be unconditionally issued and allotted by no later than 11.59 p.m. on the day prior to First Admission.
The obligations of Mirabaud under the Placing Agreement in respect of the Second Tranche Firm Placing Shares are conditional on, amongst other things:
(a) the Company having complied with its obligations under the Placing Agreement (to the extent that such obligations fall to be performed prior to First Admission); and
(b) First Admission having occurred not later than 8.00 a.m. on 22 May 2019 or such later date as the Company, Mirabaud and Spark Advisory Partners Limited ("Spark") may agree, but in any event not later than 8.00 a.m. on 29 May 2019.
The obligations of Mirabaud under the Placing Agreement in respect of the Conditional Placing Shares are conditional on, amongst other things:
(a) the Company having complied with its obligations under the Placing Agreement (to the extent that such obligations fall to be performed prior to Admission);
(b) First Admission having become effective;
(c) the passing at the Company's general meeting expected to be held on 4 June 2019 of all the resolutions proposed without amendment; and
(d) Second Admission having occurred not later than 8.00 a.m. on 5 June 2019 or such later date as the Company, Mirabaud and Spark may agree, but in any event not later than 8.00 a.m. on 12 June 2019.
If (i) any of the conditions contained in the Placing Agreement in relation to the Second Tranche Firm Placing Shares are not fulfilled or waived by Mirabaud and Spark by the respective time or date where specified, (ii) any of such conditions becomes incapable of being fulfilled or (iii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in the circumstances specified below, the Placing will not proceed and the Placee's rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the Second Tranche Firm Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by the Placee in respect thereof.
If (i) any of the conditions contained in the Placing Agreement in relation to the Conditional Placing Shares are not fulfilled or waived by Mirabaud and Spark by the respective time or date where specified, (ii) any of such conditions becomes incapable of being fulfilled or (iii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in the circumstances specified below, the placing of the Conditional Placing Shares will not proceed and the Placee's rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the Conditional Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by the Placee in respect thereof.
Each of Mirabaud and Spark, at its discretion and upon such terms as it thinks fit, may waive compliance by the Company with the whole or any part of any of the Company's obligations in relation to the conditions in the Placing Agreement. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this Announcement.
Neither Mirabaud, Spark nor the Company nor any other person shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision they may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the time and/or the date for the satisfaction of any condition to the Placing nor for any decision they may make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing generally, and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of Mirabaud or Spark.
Termination of the Placing Agreement
Each of Mirabaud and Spark is entitled at any time before Second Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement in relation to its obligations in respect of the Placing Shares by giving notice to the Company if, amongst other things:
(a) the Company fails, in any material respect, to comply with any of its obligations under the Placing Agreement; or
(b) it comes to the notice of Mirabaud or Spark that any statement contained in this announcement was untrue, incorrect or misleading at the date of this announcement or has become untrue, incorrect or misleading in each case in any respect which Mirabaud or Spark reasonably considers to be material in the context of the Placing or that any matter which Mirabaud or Spark reasonably considers to be material in the context of the Placing has arisen which would, if the Placing were made at that time, constitute a material omission therefrom; or
(c) any of the warranties given by the Company in the Placing Agreement has ceased to be true and accurate in any material respect which Mirabaud or Spark reasonably considers to be material in the context of the Placing by reference to the facts subsisting at the time when notice to terminate is given; or
(d) there happens, develops or comes into effect: i) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities in London declared by the relevant authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United Kingdom; or ii) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism involving the United Kingdom or Georgia or the declaration by the United Kingdom or Georgia of a national emergency or war; or iii) any other crisis of international or national effect or any change in any currency exchange rates or controls or in any financial, political, economic or market conditions or in market sentiment which, in any such case, in the reasonable opinion of Mirabaud or Spark is materially adverse.
Placing Procedure
Placees shall acquire the Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing and any allocation of the Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing will be notified to them on or around 16 May 2019 (or such other time and/or date as the Company and Mirabaud may agree).
Payment in full for any Placing Shares so allocated in respect of the Placing at the Placing Price must be made by no later than 21 May 2019 (or such other date as shall be notified to each Placee by Mirabaud) in respect of the First Tranche Firm Placing Shares, by no later than 21 May 2019 (or such other date as shall be notified to each Placee by Mirabaud) in respect of the First Tranche Firm Placing Shares, and by no later than 22 May 2019, and by no later than 5 June 2019 (or such other date as shall be notified to each Placee by Mirabaud) in respect of the Conditional Placing Shares. Mirabaud or the Company will notify Placees if any of the dates in these terms and conditions should change.
Registration and Settlement
Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares following relevant Admission of the Placing Shares will take place within the CREST system, subject to certain exceptions. Mirabaud and the Company reserve the right to require settlement for, and delivery of, the Placing Shares to Placees by such other means that they deem necessary if delivery or settlement is not possible within the CREST system within the timetable set out in this announcement or would not be consistent with the regulatory requirements in the Placee's jurisdiction. Each Placee will be deemed to agree that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed in accordance with either the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions which they have in place with Mirabaud.
Settlement for the Placing will be on a T+2 and delivery versus payment basis and settlement is expected to take place on or around 21 May 2019 in respect of the First Tranche Firm Placing Shares, 22 May in respect of the Second Tranche Firm Placing Shares and on or around 5 June 2019 in respect of the Conditional Placing Shares. Interest is chargeable daily on payments to the extent that value is received after the due date from Placees at the rate of 2 percentage points above prevailing LIBOR. Each Placee is deemed to agree that if it does not comply with these obligations, Mirabaud may sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to it on its behalf and retain from the proceeds, for its own account and benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. By communicating a bid for Placing Shares, each Placee confers on Mirabaud all such authorities and powers necessary to carry out any such sale and agrees to ratify and confirm all actions which Mirabaud lawfully take in pursuance of such sale. The relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by it and may be required to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon any transaction in the Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf.
Acceptance
By participating in the Placing, a Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees (as the case may be) with Mirabaud and the Company, the following:
1. in consideration of its allocation of a placing participation, to subscribe at the Placing Price for any Placing Shares comprised in its allocation for which it is required to subscribe pursuant to these terms and conditions;
2. it has read and understood this announcement (including these terms and conditions) in its entirety and that it has neither received nor relied on any information given or any investigations, representations, warranties or statements made at any time by any person in connection with Admission, the Placing, the Company, the Placing Shares, or otherwise, other than the information contained in this announcement (including these terms and conditions) that in accepting the offer of its placing participation it will be relying solely on the information contained in this announcement (including these terms and conditions) and undertakes not to redistribute or duplicate such documents;
3. its oral or written commitment will be made solely on the basis of the information set out in this announcement and the information publicly announced to a Regulatory Information Service by or on behalf of the Company on the date of this announcement, such information being all that such Placee deems necessary or appropriate and sufficient to make an investment decision in respect of the Placing Shares and that it has neither received nor relied on any other information given, or representations or warranties or statements made, by Mirabaud or the Company nor any of their respective affiliates and neither Mirabaud nor the Company will be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement;
4. the content of this announcement and these terms and conditions are exclusively the responsibility of the Company and agrees that neither Mirabaud nor any of its affiliates nor any person acting on behalf of any of them will be responsible for or shall have liability for any information, representation or statements contained therein or any information previously published by or on behalf of the Company, and neither Mirabaud nor the Company, nor any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any such person will be responsible or liable for a Placee's decision to accept its placing participation;
5. (i) it has not relied on, and will not rely on, any information relating to the Company contained or which may be contained in any research report or investor presentation prepared or which may be prepared by Mirabaud or any of its affiliates; (ii) none of Mirabaud, its affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of such persons has or shall have any responsibility or liability for public information relating to the Company; (iii) none of Mirabaud, its affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of such persons has or shall have any responsibility or liability for any additional information that has otherwise been made available to it, whether at the date of publication of such information, the date of these terms and conditions or otherwise; and that (iv) none of Mirabaud, its affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of such persons makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of any such information referred to in (i) to (iii) above, whether at the date of publication of such information, the date of this announcement or otherwise;
6. it has made its own assessment of the Company and has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in deciding to participate in the Placing, and has satisfied itself concerning the relevant tax, legal, currency and other economic considerations relevant to its decision to participate in the Placing;
7. it is acting as principal only in respect of the Placing or, if it is acting for any other person (i) it is duly authorised to do so and has full power to make the acknowledgments, representations and agreements herein on behalf of each such person, (ii) it is and will remain liable to the Company and Mirabaud for the performance of all its obligations as a Placee in respect of the Placing (regardless of the fact that it is acting for another person), (iii) if it is in the United Kingdom, it is a person (a) who has professional experience in matters relating to investments and who falls within the definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the Order or who falls within Article 49(2) of the Order, and (b) is a qualified investor" as defined in section 86 of the FSMA, (iv) if it is in a member state of the EEA, it is a "qualified investor" within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive, and (v) if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, the Placing Shares subscribed by it in the Placing are not being acquired on a nondiscretionary basis for, or on behalf of, nor will they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale to persons in a member state of the EEA in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of shares to the public, other than their offer or resale to qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive in a member state of the EEA which has implemented the Prospectus Directive;
8. if it has received any confidential price sensitive information about the Company in advance of the Placing, it has not (i) dealt in the securities of the Company; (ii) encouraged or required another person to deal in the securities of the Company; or (iii) disclosed such information to any person, prior to the information being made generally available;
9. it has complied with its obligations in connection with money laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006, the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing) Act 2010 and the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any government agency having jurisdiction in respect thereof (the "Regulations") and, if it is making payment on behalf of a third party, it has obtained and recorded satisfactory evidence to verify the identity of the third party as may be required by the Regulations;
10. it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA) relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not require approval of the communication by an authorised person;
11. it is not acting in concert (within the meaning given in the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers) with any other Placee or any other person in relation to the Company;
12. it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the Placing Shares in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom;
13. it and any person acting on its behalf is entitled to acquire the Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions and that it has all necessary capacity and has obtained all necessary consents and authorities to enable it to commit to this participation in the Placing and to perform its obligations in relation thereto (including, without limitation, in the case of any person on whose behalf it is acting, all necessary consents and authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred to in these terms and conditions);
14. unless otherwise agreed by the Company (after agreement with Mirabaud), it is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed for and purchased will not be, subscribing for and on behalf of a resident of the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, the Republic of South Africa or any other Excluded Territory and further acknowledges that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered under the securities legislation of any Excluded Territory and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, transferred, delivered or distributed, directly or indirectly, in or into those jurisdictions;
15. it does not expect Mirabaud to have any duties or responsibilities towards it for providing protections afforded to clients under the rules of the FCA Handbook (the "Rules") or advising it with regard to the Placing Shares and that it is not, and will not be, a client of Mirabaud as defined by the Rules. Likewise, any payment by it will not be treated as client money governed by the Rules;
16. any exercise by Mirabaud or Spark of any right to terminate the Placing Agreement or of other rights or discretions under the Placing Agreement or the Placing shall be within Mirabaud's or Spark's absolute discretion and Mirabaud and Spark shall not have any liability to it whatsoever in relation to any decision to exercise or not to exercise any such right or the timing thereof;
17. neither it, nor the person specified by it for registration as a holder of Placing Shares is, or is acting as nominee(s) or agent(s) for, and that the Placing Shares will not be allotted to, a person/person(s) whose business either is or includes issuing depository receipts or the provision of clearance services and therefore that the issue to the Placee, or the person specified by the Placee for registration as holder, of the Placing Shares will not give rise to a liability under any of sections 67, 70, 93 and 96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance services) and that the Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with arrangements to issue depository receipts or to issue or transfer Placing Shares into a clearance system;
18. the person who it specifies for registration as holder of the Placing Shares will be (i) itself or (ii) its nominee, as the case may be, and acknowledges that Mirabaud and the Company will not be responsible for any liability to pay stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with interest and penalties) resulting from a failure to observe this requirement; and each Placee and any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to participate in the Placing on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to a CREST stock account of Mirabaud who will hold them as nominee on behalf of the Placee until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement instructions with it;
19. where it is acquiring Placing Shares for one or more managed accounts, it is authorised in writing by each managed account to acquire Placing Shares for that managed account;
20. if it is a pension fund or investment company, its acquisition of any Placing Shares is in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
21. it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom, except to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their business or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and which will not result in an offer to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of section 85(1) of the FSMA;
22. it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in any member state of the EEA prior to Admission except to persons whose ordinary activities involve them acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purpose of their business or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public in any member state of the EEA within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive;
23. participation in the Placing is on the basis that, for the purposes of the Placing, it is not and will not be a client of Mirabaud and that Mirabaud do not have any duties or responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement or the contents of these terms and conditions;
24. to provide Mirabaud or the Company (as relevant) with such relevant documents as they may reasonably request to comply with requests or requirements that either they or the Company may receive from relevant regulators in relation to the Placing, subject to its legal, regulatory and compliance requirements and restrictions;
25. any agreements entered into by it pursuant to these terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and it submits (on its behalf and on behalf of any Placee on whose behalf it is acting) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any claim, dispute or matter arising out of any such contract, except that enforcement proceedings in respect of the obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together with any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by Mirabaud in any jurisdiction in which the relevant Placee is incorporated or in which any of its securities have a quotation on a recognised stock exchange;
26. to fully and effectively indemnify and hold harmless the Company, Mirabaud and each of their respective affiliates (as defined in Rule 501(b) under the Securities Act) and each person, if any, who controls Mirabaud within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the US Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any such person's respective affiliates, subsidiaries, branches, associates and holding companies, and in each case their respective directors, employees, officers and agents from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (i) arising from any breach by such Placee of any of the provisions of these terms and conditions and (ii) incurred by Mirabaud and/or the Company arising from the performance of the Placee's obligations as set out in these terms and conditions;
27. to indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold the Company, Mirabaud and any of their affiliates and any person acting on their behalf harmless from any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) arising out of or in connection with any breach of the representations, warranties, acknowledgments, agreements and undertakings in these terms and conditions and further agrees that the provisions of these terms and conditions shall survive after completion of the Issue;
28. in making any decision to subscribe for the Placing Shares, (i) it has knowledge and experience in financial, business and international investment matters as is required to evaluate the merits and risks of acquiring the Placing Shares; (ii) it is experienced in investing in securities of this nature and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is able to bear, the economic risk of, and is able to sustain a complete loss in connection with, the Placing; (iii) it has relied on its own examination, due diligence and analysis of the Company and its affiliates taken as a whole, including the markets in which the Group operates, and the terms of the Placing, including the merits and risks involved; (iv) it has had sufficient time to consider and conduct its own investigation with respect to the offer and purchase of the Placing Shares, including the legal, regulatory, tax, business, currency and other economic and financial considerations relevant to such investment and (v) will not look to Mirabaud or any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on their behalf for all or part of any such loss or losses it or they may suffer;
29. its commitment to acquire Placing Shares will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made to the terms and conditions of the Placing, and that Placees will have no right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained with respect to the Company's or Mirabaud's conduct of the Placing; and
30. Mirabaud and the Company and their respective affiliates and others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgments and undertakings which are irrevocable.
Please also note that the agreement to allot and issue Placing Shares to Placees (or the persons for whom Placees are contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax in the UK relates only to their allotment and issue to Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their agents, direct from the Company for the Placing Shares in question. Such agreement assumes that such Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to transfer such Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there were any such arrangements, or the settlement related to other dealing in such Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax may be payable, for which none of the Company nor Mirabaud would be responsible and Placees shall indemnify the Company, Mirabaud on an after-tax basis for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax paid by them in respect of any such arrangements or dealings. Furthermore, each Placee agrees to indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold each of Mirabaud and/or the Company and their respective affiliates harmless from any and all interest, fines or penalties in relation to stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax and all other similar duties or taxes to the extent that such interest, fines or penalties arise from the unreasonable default or delay of that Placee or its agent. If this is the case, it would be sensible for Placees to take their own advice and they should notify Mirabaud accordingly. In addition, Placees should note that they will be liable for any capital duty, stamp duty and all other stamp, issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary or other duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or penalties relating thereto) payable outside the UK by them or any other person on the acquisition by them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to acquire any Placing Shares.
Selling Restrictions
By participating in the Placing, a Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees (as the case may be) with Mirabaud and the Company, the following:
1. it is not a person who has a registered address in, or is a resident, citizen or national of, a country or countries, in which it is unlawful to make or accept an offer to subscribe for Placing Shares;
2. it has fully observed and will fully observe the applicable laws of any relevant territory, including complying with the selling restrictions set out herein and obtaining any requisite governmental or other consents and it has fully observed and will fully observe any other requisite formalities and pay any issue, transfer or other taxes due in such territories;
3. if it is in the United Kingdom, it is a person (i) who has professional experience in matters relating to investments and who falls within the definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the Order or who falls within Article 49(2) of the Order, and (ii) is a "qualified investor" as defined in section 86 of the FSMA;
4. if it is in a member state of the EEA, it is a "qualified investor" within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive;
5. it is a person whose ordinary activities involve it (as principal or agent) in acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments for the purpose of its business and it undertakes that it will (as principal or agent) acquire, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business;
6. it is and, at the time the Placing Shares are acquired, will be outside the United States, purchasing in an offshore transaction pursuant to Regulation S;
7. none of the Placing Shares have been or will be registered under the Securities Act or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States;
8. none of the Placing Shares may be offered, sold, taken up or delivered directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, into or within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States;
9. if it is in South Africa, it is a person falling within a category of person listed in section 96 of the South African Companies Act, 2008 as not being a member of the public;
10. If it is in Australia, it is a person who falls within an exemption from disclosure to investors in Australia under the Australian Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the "Corporations Act"), including a "sophisticated investor" within the meaning of Section 708(8) of the Corporations Act or a "professional investor" within the meaning of Section 708(11) of the Corporations Act or a "wholesale client" within the meaning of Section 761(G) of the Corporations Act;
11. it (on its behalf and on behalf of any Placee on whose behalf it is acting) has (a) fully observed the laws of all relevant jurisdictions which apply to it; (b) obtained all governmental and other consents which may be required; (c) fully observed any other requisite formalities; (d) paid or will pay any issue, transfer or other taxes; (e) not taken any action which will or may result in the Company or Mirabaud (or either of them) being in breach of a legal or regulatory requirement of any territory in connection with the Placing: (f) obtained all other necessary consents and authorities required to enable it to give its commitment to subscribe for the relevant Placing Shares and (g) the power and capacity to, and will, perform its obligations under the terms contained in these terms and conditions.
Miscellaneous
The Company reserves the right to treat as invalid any application or purported application for Placing Shares that appears to the Company or its agents to have been executed, effected or dispatched from the United States or an Excluded Territory or in a manner that may involve a breach of the laws or regulations of any jurisdiction or if the Company or its agents believe that the same may violate applicable legal or regulatory requirements or if it provides an address for delivery of the share certificates of Placing Shares in an Excluded Territory or the United States, or any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom in which it would be unlawful to deliver such share certificates.
When a Placee or person acting on behalf of the Placee is dealing with Mirabaud, any money held in an account with Mirabaud on behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the Placee will not be treated as client money within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the FCA made under the FSMA. The Placee acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the protections conferred by the client money rules; as a consequence, this money will not be segregated from Mirabaud's money in accordance with the client money rules and will be used by Mirabaud in the course of their own business; and the Placee will rank only as a general creditor of Mirabaud.
Times
Unless the context otherwise requires, all references to time are to London time. All times and dates in these terms and conditions may be subject to amendment. Mirabaud will notify Placees and any persons acting on behalf of the Placees of any changes.
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
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