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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

 

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): October 12, 2022 (October 12, 2022)

 

 

 

Global Business Travel Group, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   001-39576   98-0598290
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
  (Commission File Number)   (IRS Employer
Identification No.)

 

666 3rd Avenue, 4th Floor

New York, NY 10017
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

 

(212) 679-1600
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

xWritten communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class   Trading symbol(s)   Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A common stock, $0.0001 per share   GBTG   New York Stock Exchange
         
Redeemable warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share   GBTG.WS   New York Stock Exchange

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

x Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1.01.Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

 

On October 12, 2022, Global Business Travel Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Warrant Agent”), entered into an amendment (the “Warrant Amendment”) to the Warrant Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2020 (the “Warrant Agreement”), by and between the Company (formerly named Apollo Strategic Growth Capital) and the Warrant Agent.

 

The Warrant Amendment amends the Warrant Agreement to provide the Company with the right to mandatorily exchange the Company’s remaining outstanding Warrants (as defined below) for shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Common Stock”), at an exchange ratio of 0.2475 shares of Class A Common Stock for each Warrant. The Company has the right to require the exchange of not less than all of the Warrants at any time while such Warrants are exercisable and prior to their expiration, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon notice to the registered holders of the outstanding Warrants at least fifteen days prior to the date of exchange fixed by the Company.

 

The Company will exercise its right to acquire and retire all remaining outstanding Warrants in exchange for shares of Class A Common Stock in accordance with the terms of the Warrant Amendment, and has fixed October 27, 2022 as the exchange date.

 

The foregoing description of the Warrant Amendment is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Warrant Amendment, which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated by reference herein.

 

Item 3.03.Material Modifications to Rights of Security Holders.

 

To the extent required by Item 3.03 of Form 8-K, the disclosure set forth in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated by reference in this Item 3.03.

 

Item 5.07.Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

 

As previously disclosed, including in the final Prospectus/Offer to Exchange filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 3, 2022, in connection with the Company’s offer to each holder of the Company’s outstanding Warrants, consisting of (i) the Warrants sold as part of the units in Apollo Strategic Growth Capital’s initial public offering on October 6, 2020 (“IPO”) (the “Public Warrants”) and (ii) the Warrants sold as part of the units in a private placement that occurred simultaneously with the IPO (the “Private Placement Warrants” and, together with the Public Warrants, the “Warrants”), to receive 0.275 shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for each outstanding Warrant tendered by the holder and exchanged pursuant to the offer (the “Offer”), the Company solicited consents (the “Consent Solicitation”) from holders of its outstanding Public Warrants and outstanding Private Placement Warrants to approve the Warrant Amendment.

 

The Offer and Consent Solicitation expired one minute after 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on October 7, 2022. A total of 25,755,628 Public Warrants, or approximately 94.60% of the 27,226,933 outstanding Public Warrants, and 12,224,134 Private Placement Warrants, or 100% of the outstanding Private Placement Warrants, were tendered and not withdrawn in the Offer, and therefore consented to the Warrant Amendment. Because consents were received from holders of more than 50% of the Company’s outstanding Public Warrants and more than 50% of the Company’s outstanding Private Placement Warrants, the Warrant Amendment was approved.

 

2

 

 

Item 8.01.Other Events.

 

On October 12, 2022, the Company issued a press release announcing the closing of the Offer and Consent Solicitation and the entry into the Warrant Amendment. At closing, the Company issued 10,444,363 shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for the Warrants tendered in the Offer.

 

A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein.

 

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

 

The following exhibits are being filed herewith:

 

  Exhibit No.   Description
  10.1   Amendment to the Warrant Agreement, dated October 12, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.
  99.1   Press Release of Global Business Travel Group, Inc., dated October 12, 2022.
  104   Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL Document).

 

3

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

  GLOBAL BUSINESS TRAVEL GROUP, INC.
   
  By: /s/ Eric J. Bock
    Name: Eric J. Bock
    Title: Chief Legal Officer, Global Head of M&A and Compliance and Corporate Secretary

 

Date: October 12, 2022

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.1

 

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO WARRANT AGREEMENT

 

This Amendment (this “Amendment”) is made as of October 12, 2022 by and between Global Business Travel Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) (formerly named Apollo Strategic Growth Capital (“APSG”)), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”), and constitutes an amendment to that certain Warrant Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2020, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Existing Warrant Agreement”). Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this Amendment shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Existing Warrant Agreement.

 

WHEREAS, on May 27, 2022, the Company consummated the business combination pursuant to that certain Business Combination Agreement, dated as of December 2, 2021, by and between the Company and GBT JerseyCo Limited, a company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of Jersey (the “Business Combination”), and in connection therewith the Company was renamed “Global Business Travel Group, Inc.”;

 

WHEREAS, in accordance with Section 4.4 of the Existing Warrant Agreement, upon effectiveness of the Business Combination, the holders of the Warrants thereafter had the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of Ordinary Shares of APSG immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, an Alternative Issuance in shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001, per share, of the Company (the “Class A Common Stock”);

 

WHEREAS, Section 9.9 of the Existing Warrant Agreement provides that the Company and the Warrant Agent may amend, subject to certain conditions provided therein, the Existing Warrant Agreement with the vote or written consent of the Registered Holders of 50% of the number of then outstanding Public Warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the Private Placement Warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding Private Placement Warrants;

 

WHEREAS, the Company desires to amend the Existing Warrant Agreement to provide the Company with the right to require the holders of the Warrants to exchange all of the outstanding Warrants for shares of Class A Common Stock, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein; and

 

WHEREAS, in the exchange offer and consent solicitation undertaken by the Company pursuant to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Registered Holders of more than 50% of each of the then-outstanding Public Warrants and 50% of the then-outstanding Private Placement Warrants consented to and approved this Amendment.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree to amend the Existing Warrant Agreement as set forth herein.

 

1.Amendment of Existing Warrant Agreement. The Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by adding:
  
(a)the new Section 6A thereto:
  
 6A Mandatory Exchange.

 

6A.1 The Business Combination. On May 27, 2022, the Company consummated the business combination pursuant to that certain Business Combination Agreement, dated as of December 2, 2021, by and between the Company and GBT JerseyCo Limited, a company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of Jersey (the “Business Combination”), and in connection therewith the Company was renamed “Global Business Travel Group, Inc.”. In accordance with Section 4.4 of this Agreement, upon effectiveness of the Business Combination, the holders of the Warrants thereafter had the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of Ordinary Shares of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, an Alternative Issuance in shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Global Business Travel Group, Inc. (the “Class A Common Stock”).

 

 

 

 

6A.2 Company Election to Exchange. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement to the contrary, all (and not less than all) of the outstanding Warrants may be exchanged, at the option of the Company, at any time while they are exercisable and prior to their expiration, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon notice to the Registered Holders of the then outstanding Warrants, as described in Section 6A.3 below, for shares of Class A Common Stock (or any Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.4), at the exchange rate of 0.2475 shares of Class A Common Stock (or any Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.4) for each Warrant held by the holder thereof (the “Consideration”) (subject to equitable adjustment by the Company in the event of any stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations or similar transaction with respect to the shares of Class A Common Stock). In lieu of issuing fractional shares, any holder of Warrants who would otherwise have been entitled to receive fractional shares as Consideration will, after aggregating all such fractional shares of such holder, be paid in cash (without interest) in an amount equal to such fractional part of a share multiplied by $5.60.

 

6A.3 Date Fixed for, and Notice of, Exchange. In the event that the Company elects to exchange all of the Warrants, the Company shall fix a date for the exchange (the “Exchange Date”). Notice of exchange shall be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the Exchange Date to the Registered Holders at their last addresses as they shall appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given whether or not the registered holder received such notice. The Company will make a public announcement of its election following the mailing of such notice.

 

6A.4 Exercise After Notice of Exchange. The Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or on a “cashless basis” in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(c) of this Agreement, with an adjustment to the definition of “Fair Market Value” to substitute the date on which the notice of exchange is sent for the date on which the notice of exercise is sent) at any time after notice of exchange shall have been given by the Company pursuant to Section 6A.3 hereof and prior to the Exchange Date. On and after the Exchange Date, the Registered Holder of the Warrants shall have no further rights except to receive, upon surrender of the Warrants, the Consideration.

 

2.       Miscellaneous Provisions.

 

2.1 Severability. This Amendment shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Amendment or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Amendment a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

 

2.2 Applicable Law. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Amendment and of the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. Each of the parties hereto hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Amendment shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. Each of the parties hereto hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

 

2.3 Counterparts. This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication) and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in this Amendment or in any other certificate, agreement or document related to this Amendment, if any, shall include images of manually executed signatures transmitted by facsimile or other electronic format (including, without limitation, “pdf,” “tif” or “jpg”) and other electronic signatures (including, without limitation, DocuSign and AdobeSign). The use of electronic signatures and electronic records (including, without limitation, any contract or other record created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by electronic means) shall be of the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as a manually executed signature or use of a paper-based record-keeping system to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act and any other applicable law, including, without limitation, any state law based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act or the Uniform Commercial Code.

 

 

 

 

2.4 Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Amendment and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.

 

2.5 Entire Agreement. The Existing Warrant Agreement, as modified by this Amendment, constitutes the entire understanding of the parties and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings, arrangements, promises and commitments, whether written or oral, express or implied, relating to the subject matter hereof, and all such prior agreements, understandings, arrangements, promises and commitments are hereby canceled and terminated.

 

[Signature Pages Follow]

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this Amendment to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

  GLOBAL BUSINESS TRAVEL GROUP, INC.
   
  By: /s/ Eric J. Bock
    Name: Eric J. Bock
    Title: Chief Legal Officer, Global Head of M&A and Compliance and Corporate Secretary
   
  CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
   
  By: /s/ Henry Farrell
    Name: Henry Farrell
    Title: Vice President

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

American Express Global Business Travel Announces Completion of Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation and Notice to Exercise Right to Exchange Remaining Outstanding Warrants

 

New York, NY, October 12, 2022 – Global Business Travel Group, Inc. (the “Company” or “Amex GBT”) (NYSE: GBTG), the world’s leading B2B travel platform, today announced the completion of its previously announced exchange offer (the “Offer”) and consent solicitation (the “Consent Solicitation”) relating to its outstanding warrants, consisting of (i) the warrants sold as part of the units in Apollo Strategic Growth Capital’s initial public offering on October 6, 2020 (“IPO”) (the “Public Warrants”) and (ii) the warrants sold as part of the units in a private placement that occurred simultaneously with the IPO (together with the Public Warrants, the “Warrants”), each whole Warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Class A Common Stock”), of the Company, at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. With the completion of the Offer and Consent Solicitation, Amex GBT has increased the number of shares of common stock available for trading and, following the exchange of untendered Warrants described below, will have eliminated all of the Warrants and simplified the Company’s capital structure.

 

Holders of the Warrants that were tendered prior to the expiration of the Offer and Consent Solicitation received 0.275 shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for each Warrant tendered. The Company issued 10,444,363 shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for the Warrants tendered in the Offer. The Company also entered into the related amendment to the warrant agreement governing the Warrants (the “Warrant Amendment”).

 

The Company announced that it will exercise its right, in accordance with the terms of the Warrant Amendment, to acquire and retire all remaining untendered Warrants in exchange for Class A Common Stock at an exchange ratio of 0.2475 shares of Class A Common Stock for each untendered Warrant. The Company has fixed the date for such exchange as October 27, 2022. Following such exchange, no Warrants will remain outstanding.

 

BofA Securities was the Dealer Manager for the Offer and Consent Solicitation. D.F. King & Co., Inc. served as the Information Agent for the Offer and Consent Solicitation, and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company served as the Exchange Agent.

 

About American Express Global Business Travel

 

American Express Global Business Travel is the world’s leading B2B travel platform, providing software and services to manage travel, expenses, and meetings & events for companies of all sizes. We have built the most valuable marketplace in B2B travel to deliver unrivalled choice, value and experiences. With travel professionals in more than 140 countries, our customers and travelers enjoy the powerful backing of American Express Global Business Travel.

 

Visit amexglobalbusinesstravel.com for more information about Amex GBT. Follow @amexgbt on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

 

No Offer or Solicitation

 

This press release shall not constitute an offer to exchange or the solicitation of an offer to exchange or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities, nor shall there be any exchange or sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. A registration statement on Form S-4 relating to the securities to be issued in the Offer was filed with the SEC and was declared effective on October 3, 2022.

 

The Offer and Consent Solicitation were made only pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Prospectus/Offer to Exchange and related letter of transmittal and consent.

 

 

 

 

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

Certain statements made in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. “Forward-looking statements” made in connection with the exchange offer and consent solicitation are not within the safe harbors provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements include statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words such as “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “estimated,” “anticipates,” “suggests,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “future,” “propose,” “target,” “goal,” “objective,” “outlook” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the control of the parties, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include: (1) changes to projected financial information or our ability to achieve our anticipated growth rate and execute on market opportunities; (2) our ability to maintain our existing relationships with customers and suppliers and to compete with existing and new competitors in existing and new markets and offerings; (3) various conflicts of interest that could arise among us, affiliates and investors; (4) our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors; (5) intense competition and competitive pressures from other companies in the industry in which we operate; (6) factors relating to our business, operations and financial performance, including market conditions and global and economic factors beyond our control; (7) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and related changes in base interest rates, inflation and significant market volatility on our business, the travel industry, travel trends and the global economy generally; (8) the sufficiency of our cash, cash equivalents and investments to meet our liquidity needs; (9) the effect of a prolonged or substantial decrease in global travel on the global travel industry; (10) political, social and macroeconomic conditions (including the widespread adoption of teleconference and virtual meeting technologies which could reduce the number of in person business meetings and demand for travel and our services); (11) the effect of legal, tax and regulatory changes; and (12) other factors detailed under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Prospectus/Offer to Exchange.

 

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

 

 

 

 

Contacts

 

Media:

Martin Ferguson

Vice President Global Communications and Public Affairs, American Express Global Business Travel

martin.ferguson@amexgbt.com

 

Investors:

Barry Sievert

Vice President Investor Relations, American Express Global Business Travel

investor@amexgbt.com